Space Pads

Collaborating with local businesses and organizations, Mural Arts helped Philadelphians practice safe distancing during the COVID pandemic in 2020. Space Pads, temporary vinyl floor tiles set at six foot intervals, were each designed by a local Philadelphia artist. The brightly-colored tiles, designed in sets of 5 or 10, are a mix of abstract patterns, affirmations like “we got this,” and some proffer health guidelines like “wash your hands” and, the very literal, “stand six feet apart.”

Mural Arts has provided 1,672 Space Pads for grocery stores, pharmacies, small markets, mini marts, small independent grocers, food distribution sites, food pantries, emergency meal service sites, and City of Philadelphia Department of Public Health sites, including:

-ShopRite of Whitman Plaza, 330 Oregon Avenue
-Raymond Rosen Manor Community Center, 2301 Edgley Street
-John F. Street Community Center, 1100 Poplar Street
-Philadelphia City Hall, 1400 John F. Kennedy Boulevard
-Francis Scott Key School
-Joan of Arc Mission Center

The project also provided space pads at multiple Step Up to the Plate, a series of temporary food service sites set up to provide food and aid to Philadelphians experiencing hunger and homelessness during the pandemic.The Kensington Emergency Hub was the site of “Step Up to the Plate,” a large, open parking lot that was used on weekday afternoons to host free meal service for the neighborhood. The overall goals of this project were to amplify accurate health information, create beauty and spread heartfelt messages of encouragement and solidarity. This was achieved by creating wayfinding signage to clearly mark the path from Prevention Point Philadelphia to the Emergency Hub site, directing people towards hand washing stations and detailing proper hand-washing techniques, and providing information and encouragement with bi-lingual signs.

Location Note: Projects no longer on view at this location (temporary projects).