NATIV NTELIGENCE

NTEL’s NATIV NTELIGENCE wrapped around an entire building for a statement on food and environmental justice. Once several different restaurants, the building is now empty, and the colorful mural was a reminder of the nourishing potential in this space.

This mural was part of We the People, a series of six murals that celebrate the best of the American spirit in 2017, while also reflecting the national concerns of that time. What better place than Philadelphia—the birthplace of the United States and its democratic ideals, and a city with one of the largest public art collections in the country—to ask artists to speak on the state of the nation through murals? Each artwork is a seed of hope for a bright future.

We The People included artists working in a wide variety of styles, and offered a chance to inject experimentation into the everyday. Of the six artists involved, only two had previously designed a mural with Mural Arts. Themes ranged from immigration to education to food justice to the environment, and the exhibition was curated by RJ Rushmore, editor-in-chief of the blog Vandalog.

Location Note: This project is no longer on view at this location (lost to construction in 2019).