Imagination the Seed of Change (West Wall)

Imagination the Seeds of Change by Betsy Casañas and Pedro Ospina includes two murals located in the Fairhill neighbohood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As part of the Reclaiming Vital Spaces initiative, the artists worked with the surrounding community to clean up the vacant, trash-strewn lot to create the murals and a garden to beautify the neighborhood. The artists drew from their experiences to design this two-wall mural. The east wall depicts a neighborhood boy standing in the lot as it was before this project; a makeshift recreation center where, instead of a trampoline, swing set or swimming pool, children played with discarded mattresses, rubber tires and a water pump. The west wall (shown here) shows the after image: children connected to the earth, playing in a wholesome, nurturing environment. An older “warrior woman” guards the children and takes care of the space, ensures that it remains safe.

The Semilla Children’s Garden Project was funded by a grant from the US Department of Justice whereby the artists taught job skills (carpentry, painting, meal work, landscaping) to young adults on probation to specifically enhance this space as a public garden for residents in the neighborhood.

This project was created in partnership with Semilla Arts Initiative, Keep Philadelphia Beautiful, HACE, Philadelphia Weed and Seed, Fairhill Community High School, Julia De Burgos Elementary School, students from the Charter High School for Architecture and Design, Taller Puertorriqueno, and the Leadership Philadelphia Class of 2009.