With their sheer size, wall murals bring a significance and a heft that a canvas can struggle to muster — sometimes big ideas need to be delivered with large dimensions.

Murals were a staple of life in ancient India, Greece and Rome, used to highlight stories of civic and religious import. The Renaissance may have brought the artistic apogee of frescoes. Then in the 20th century, Mexican muralists put a modern spin on the medium.

So the brightly colored outdoor works commissioned for the World Mural Project, part of the Pride events in New York this month, fit the pattern nicely — they speak for a community wanting to celebrate, educate and just be seen.

“It’s one of the key pillars of why Pride exists, to provide visibility,” said Chris Frederick, the executive director of NYC Pride, which commissioned the project. The organization collaborated with the L.I.S.A. Project NYC, which specializes in public art, on curating the program.