Making a Mural

Every day, Philadelphia residents and visitors are awestruck by the dynamic, larger-than-life images that grace the city’s neighborhoods and have earned international acclaim as the largest outdoor art gallery in the world.  But what does it take to bring together a wall, an artist, a community, and a message to create a Mural Arts Program mural?

How Are Murals Made?

Step One

Artist Selection Process
The Mural Arts Program employs four full-time muralists and works with hundreds more lead and assistant muralists each year on a project basis. Muralists are selected based on their skill with the desired subject matter and their ability to work in concert with residents and other stakeholders to develop a design that best reflects the interests of the community.

Step Two

Wall Selection and Authorization
Identifying the “canvas” for a mural can happen a number of ways.  Sometimes the community helps locate a wall for a project, other times Mural Arts identifies a wall and waits for the right project to come along.  The wall location, physical condition, environmental factors, owner concerns and authorization, and community input all play a role in identifying a viable wall or site.

Step Three

Budgeting

Funding for a mural comes from a variety of sources.  The Mural Arts Program budgets for a number of new murals every year, and additional murals can be added to the schedule when funding comes from a corporate or foundation partner, or individual donor who often has a specific mural idea in mind.  New murals often are dependent on the right match of funding, location and content.

Step Four 

Community Engagement
Mural Arts’ work is unique because of the extensive, interactive process used to engage neighborhood residents and organizations. Mural Arts integrates mural projects with existing community revitalization strategies, often partnering with block captains, grassroots neighborhood associations, public schools, community development corporations, local nonprofits, and other city and community agencies. Designed with input from these stakeholders and nearby residents, each mural addresses a theme of significance to the neighborhood.   The selected muralist is deeply involved in this process to hear first-hand the ideas, concerns and values of the community.

Step Five

Design Process 
Once the site considerations are integrated with the input and feedback from the community engagement process, the muralist begins to create a design.  Each muralist has his or her own unique design process. Budget, theme, location, schedule and community interests all play important roles in developing the best design.  The final design concepts go through reviews by Mural Arts staff, artist peers, and community representatives before a final design is approved.

Step Six

Wall and Site Prep
Most walls require some degree of repair and preparation before installation can begin. Mural Arts’ experienced staff carefully audit wall condition and address structural and surface problems such as patching, water drainage, and roof and flashing condition. Sometimes wall prep is minor, other times the entire wall must be resurfaced.

Step Seven

Painting and Installation
The painting process generally uses one of two techniques—painting directly onto the wall or painting on parachute cloth in a studio, which is later transferred to the wall much like installing wall paper. This method allows murals to be painted in small sections on tables, just about anywhere, indoors and year-round. This allows Mural Arts to engage volunteers young and old, who cannot climb scaffolding, and to take the unpainted mural panels into places such as prisons, detentions centers, hospitals and other restricted environments. The painting process can take from three to six months, depending on size and process.  The Mural Arts Program schedules neighborhood paint days where anyone can help paint as part of the ongoing community engagement process.

Step Eight

Celebration
Just as each mural begins with the community, Mural Arts celebrates the completion of each mural with neighbors and partners with a joyous dedication event.  Dedications often carry strong symbolism and meaning for those involved and can be a significant event in a neighborhood’s revitalization. They involve performances by local musicians, young people, performance arts organizations, poets, and others and are often organized as full-day block parties with food, festivities, and fun.