Chakaba: Spirit of Children

Chakaba: Spirit of Children by artist Mike Smash is painted on the Hawthorne Cultural Center located in the Hawthorne neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drawing on the the Cultural Center’s African-American cultural linkage, Smash designed a four panel mosaic incorporating African imagery like drums, and stiltwalkers, on a background of the city depicted in cool shades of blue. One of the most unique murals in the history of Mural Arts at the time, this mural goes all out for the community center making sure that their cultural connections visible to the neighborhood.