All Join Hands: The Visions of Peace Project

All Join Hands: The Vision of Peace Project by artist Donald Gensler is located on the exterior of Benjamin Franklin High School in the Spring Garden neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On September 22, 2005 the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program (MAP) in conjunction with the School District of Philadelphia, the Department of Human Services, and the Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board, facilitated a Town Hall Meeting at Benjamin Franklin High School to launch All Join Hands: The Visions of Peace Project. The project was created to raise awareness about the prevalence of youth violence in Philadelphia; to investigate causes of violent behavior; and to talk about solutions to these problems using art as a medium for discussion.

The broad goal of All Join Hands was to bring together groups of stakeholders whose paths might never cross to sit at the same table and conduct serious discussions about complex issues, foster new relationships within the city and state, and provide a forum for cultivating new strategies in Philadelphia’s efforts to curb youth violence. The project culminated in the mural installed on the exterior wall of Benjamin Franklin High School at Broad and Spring Garden Streets.

To facilitate this project MAP hosted a series of workshops for people of all ages. These public workshops were conducted with artists promoting expression in the contexts of theater, visual arts, writing and poetry. Donald Gensler, the muralist behind the project, also worked with young people to ensure that a wide array of young voices were heard. From these sessions he drew ideas and artwork from students in MAP’s ArtWorks! program serving at-risk and chronically truant youth. Gensler also worked with youth from a new program initiated by the City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services, called E3 Power, a program designed for young people coming out of detention and long-term placement. E3 Power centers throughout Philadelphia provide opportunities for young people to get their high school diploma, meet with social workers, obtain job skills, and take part in a variety of programs that will help them re-join society as productive citizens. Finally, Gensler collaborated with students from Benjamin Franklin High School as part of MAP’s initiative working with the Philadelphia School District.

Location Note: Mural no longer on view at this location (deaccessioned/replaced with new mural in 2024).