Mural Tour Guides
Our guides are picked for their passion for our work and the arts. They receive extensive education in the technical aspects of mural-making, the history of our rise from the Anti-Graffiti Network, and the many complexities of our community engagement. They complete hundreds of hours of training annually to stay current on new projects and routes and often have information about our work that is not available publicly.
Many of our guides are artists and educators themselves, though, we've got a firefighter, an urban planner, a lawyer, and a TV personality, to name a few. We carefully match each guide to the group's needs, and many of our guides develop a following over the years. Feel free to request a guide when you come back to explore new areas of the city.
Below is a list of some of our guides.
Tjai Abdullah
“As someone who has participated in a Mural Art's program, I enjoy being a tour guide because I have the ability to show my appreciation and repay Mural Arts for what they have done for my life and to also be an example to other people coming out of hard situations of what the program can do."
Ellen Baxter
“I became a tour guide to teach the public about the outreach elements,” for example, “…when residents of [a] shelter learn skills such as metalworking to help create the mural and also to acquire marketable job skills. ”
Mary Jo "MJ" Baum
"My favorite part of Mural Arts is that much of the money our guests pay for a tour helps cover Mural Arts' after school and summer camp programs in a truly meaningful way for the kids who participate."
Anita Behrle Philips
"I've been an educator for thirteen years, and love to teach history, art, and Philly. Mural Arts allows me to do that and has the possible outcome of healing individuals, families, neighborhoods, which ostensibly will result in a more positive and productive society."
Evan Celini
"I'm a senior urban planning student at Temple University and became fascinated with the Mural Arts Program through it's deep mission of community building and outreach through public art. It's great for Philadelphia's future."
Julie Curson
"After graduating from Penn, I was named to one of five new positions as official guide for the City of Philadelphia. From that experience, I wrote "A Guide's Guide to Philadelphia" and went on to launch my own guide business. Six best-selling editions and many years later, I retired! Being a guide for Mural Arts brings me back to showing off the City through the amazing Mural Arts."
Jim Donovan
"Jim is a 9-time Emmy Award winning Consumer Reporter for CBS 3 Eyewitness News. On his first day in the city he came across "Reach High and You Will Go Far", a mural by Joshua Sarantitis at 20th & Arch Streets. The mural made an impact on him as he began a new job in a new city, and he says that volunteering for the Mural Arts Program allows him to give back to the program that helped inspire him."
Caroll Drazen
"I returned to Philadelphia after many years away, and found Mural Arts to be the change I most appreciate. Guiding combines my background as both teacher and artist. There is at least one "aha" moment on each tour, when the art and guest connect, and Philadelphia's murals reach someone new."
Camille Edwards
"I love that the Mural Arts Program is actively restoring communities through community art...and I'm proud to be an ambassador."
Phyl Francis
"I’ve visited or lived in almost every state in America, as well as lived abroad, and the Mural Arts Program is one of the most dynamic programs I’ve ever encountered because it sets Philadelphia apart from any other city in the country."
Ben Gamarra
"The Mural Arts Program is a great way to help people of any background to learn about community development in Philadelphia done right."
Janine Gilmartin
“I have a degree in Art History, so I feel like I am able to talk about the different art styles and artistic influences found in the murals. I am also a huge sports fan. I especially love the sports murals and I work some sports trivia into my tours.”
Sandi Greco
“I became a mural tour guide after retiring from teaching; and becoming a guide has been perfect for me as I can use my teaching skills as well as my love for art. My favorite part of being a guide is doing tours with children--I enjoy opening their world to art and seeing their excitement when they see a mural for the first time.”
Heather Guo
“I was mesmerized by the fantastic murals around the most unsuspecting corners when I moved to Philly. Mural Arts not only creates brilliant wall art, but they also inspire and connect communities through these projects--now that's art on a whole new level that I love sharing with others.”
Sue Hennick
“After taking a Murals & Meals tour a few years back, I was hooked! I love showing off the beautiful murals and wonderful work that the Mural Arts Program does.”
Julie Hirsch Waxman
“When I left my job I wanted to do something that I desired to do, and my decision was to work with the Mural Arts Program...because the murals and the vision of the Mural Arts Program feeds my soul, excites me, and makes me a very proud Philadelphian.”
Lisa Kolker
"My daughter took a Summer Internship Program, and then became a contracted assistant artist. Then, I participated in a community tile making day. So, when the opportunity arose to become a tour guide, it felt like the perfect fit with my personality and further desire to be involved in this vibrant art program."
Catherine Lajoie
“Though I love the art that can be found in museums and galleries, I especially love public art because of its accessibility and ability to shape surrounding neighborhoods, schools, and the workplaces. I am honored to be part of Mural Arts and the important work that they do."
Venetia Lambert
"I love murals because they challenge you to find beauty in ordinary places. Some find beauty in fields of grass, others in fields of grass painted on concrete. I’m a Southern girl who relocated to Philadelphia, and now I can appreciate both!"
Bettina Lowe
"I work as a clinical social worker and my former career was in education; both arenas reflect values incorporated into Mural Arts’ mission. Learning about Jane and the program made me want to do something to contribute."
Rhonda Moore
Sarit Sade
"I admire the Mural Arts Program's philosophy of giving without borders and I am amazed to learn daily of the new ways and the ever evolving techniques of the program to weave the arts into people's minds and hearts."
Carole Shea
"The walls of Philadelphia have been alive for so many years, but I never realized it until my invitation to the dedication of the Mario Lanza mural; he was my first cousin and from that moment on I was captivated by the Mural Arts Program, and have been a part of it for the past 10 years and hope to continue for at least 10 more!!!"
Jerry Silverman
"At the age of 10, visitors received tourist information from me whenever I happened to be peering out from atop City Hall Tower. Being a Mural Arts guide years later gives me an official outlet to express my love for Philly."
Josh Silver
"I feel blessed to share the Mural Arts Program's work with tourgoers. Along with Jane Golden and others, I have come to believe that art can save lives and improve communities, and I look forward to and want to be a part of the program's growth."
Kevin Slattery
"I was a docent for the Chicago Architecture Foundation. The first week I moved here I noticed the beautiful murals around every corner and knew I needed to get involved. The tour program was a perfect fit—and I love giving tours of the Mural Mile!"
David Darwin
"I think of myself as a storyteller. I enjoy telling the story of each mural as well as the story of the evolution of the Mural Arts Program."
Carol Weidler
"I spent 30 years teaching 6-8th graders literature as a springboard to the arts, and now I have a corporate art consulting business in which I work with local, national, and international artists in acquiring art for corporations. Being a mural tour guide enables me to continue to work with students and share my love of art."
Clara Williams
"After taking a mural tour, I knew I wanted to be a tour guide. I want people to have a new found appreciation for art after they have taken a mural tour."
