Mural Arts Philadelphia

Mural Arts Philadelphia is a cultural initiative of the City of Philadelphia to beautify the city through outdoor public art. Based in the Lincoln Financial Mural Arts Center, it is the largest public art program in the nation. The program began in the 1980s as part of an anti-graffiti effort to replace urban graffiti with community-led outdoor murals to inspire people and transform the city. Over 35 years later, the program continues with its mission, sustained by a belief that "art ignites change." In recent years, the program has expanded to include the Mural Arts Institute, which goes beyond Philadelphia to facilitate socially-engaged public art across the globe.

A long-term program of the City of Philadelphia, Mural Arts Philadelphia brings together artists and communities to create positive social change. With 50 - 100 public art projects underway each year, core program areas include restorative justice, environmental justice, art education, community murals, and "porch light," which seeks to strengthen community wellness through art. Recently, the program has also expanded to include Mural Arts Institute, which seeks to encourage the creation of public art through murals around the globe. Since the inception of Mural Arts Philadelphia more than thirty-five years ago, Philadelphia has been recognized as the mural capital of the world. As described in the Mural Arts mission statement:

"Mural Arts Philadelphia exists to provide transformative experiences, progressive discourse, and economic stimulus to the City of Philadelphia through participatory public art that beautifies, advocacy that inspires, and educational programming and employment opportunities that empower. Through participatory public art, Mural Arts Philadelphia inspires change in people, place, and practice, creating opportunity for a more just and equitable Philadelphia."

To highlight just a few of the many notable murals throughout the city, the Climate Justice Initiative Mural was created in the Lenapehoking neighborhood to acknowledge that climate change affects everyone, but not equally, as the threats posed by climate change disproportionately affect marginalized communities, yet these groups are the least responsible for climate pollution. This mural is based on collaborators stories, illustrating the past, present, and future of climate change in the area. It also seeks to acknowledge and celebrate the ongoing efforts of "local climate justice leaders across low-income communities of color across Lenapehoking."

Another noteworthy project, known as the Freedom Mural, honors the Cecil B. Moore Philadelphia Freedom Fighters, a civil rights group led by Cecil B. Moore responsible for successfully desegregated Girard College in 1965. The mural focuses on the contributions of "unseen women and young people behind this iconic 1960s Philadelphia civil rights group," in the hopes of connecting today's youth with the similar contributions, stories, work, and legacy of past generations. The mural combines portraiture with graphic elements, including Adinkra symbols, which can be traced to the region of West Africa that is now Ghana. In this way, the mural combines the concept of heritage with the tenets of the 1960s civil rights movement and the current era, recognizing enduring principles such as "Knowledge, Unity, Perseverance, Power of Love, Fortitude, Service, Democracy, Justice, Excellence, and Encouragement."

Homepage, Mural Arts. Accessed December 22nd, 2022. https://www.muralarts.org/.

About, Mural Arts. Accessed December 22nd, 2022. https://www.muralarts.org/about/.

Mural Arts Philadelphia YouTube Channel , YouTube. Accessed December 22nd, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/@phillymuralarts.

Climate Justice Initiative , Mural Arts Philadelphia. Accessed December 23rd, 2022. https://www.muralarts.org/artworks/climate-justice-initiative/.