Summer 2024 Murals Showcase: Exploring New Additions to Our City

Shades of Enchantment

Franklin S Edmonds school |  8025 Thouron Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19150    

On Wednesday, June 5, Mural Arts and students and faculty from Franklin S. Edmonds School, along with Visiting Artist Isabella Akhtarshenas, dedicated the newest mural in the Stenton neighborhood, Shades of Enchantment. Designed in collaboration with students at Edmonds and Mural Arts’ Teaching Artists, the mural is based on this year’s Art Education theme of ‘Fairy Tales and Folklore’ and ‘Black is Beautiful.’ Hear from the artist and student participants, and lose yourself in the wonderous and fantastical shades of this mural. Light refreshments will be served.

Isabella Akhtarshenas is a versatile graphic designer and multidisciplinary artist. Her work strategically uses color and shape to evoke whimsical and lively forms. As an avid houseplant collector, she’s inspired largely by the beauty of nature and is interested in design for environmental sustainability. Much of her work focuses on the interactions between humans and nature in a hopeful fantasy where they can exist in symbiosis.

King Saladeen’s Brotherly Love

601 Spring Garden Street

In June, we dedicated the first large-scale mural project by local artist King Saladeen, Brotherly Love, which depicts his signature bears in front of a Philadelphia skyline with messages of positivity. The mural at 601 Spring Garden Street is bright, bold, and very personal to King Saladeen. After helping to trim the panels, the Rec Crew became very excited about the project and helped out in a big way. They learned many new techniques from the artists Eduardo, Malachi, and King Saladeen. The mural will be dedicated on June 11. Artists include King Saladeen with Alberto Chavez, Lead Artist; Malachi Floyd, Lead Muralist; Eduardo Ramirez, Assistant Artist; artists of the Mural Program at SCI Phoenix; The Rec Crew, participants of The Grayson school in Radnor, PA.

Prevention Point Love Lot Once Upon a Hope Dream 

Love Lot  |   2910 Ruth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19134

Prevention Point Philadelphia and Mural Arts teamed up with Philadelphia Mural Artist Victor Sgro to create a new mural at Prevention Point’s Love Lot in the heart of Kensington. Sgro, a Kensington-based artist, was selected by curator and lead artist Jacob “Chris” Hammes to create a new temporary mural, “Once Upon a Hope Dream,” as part of an ongoing series of installations in the transformative Love Lot, next store to Prevention Point’s main building. The Love Lot, adjacent to Prevention Point’s main building on Kensington Avenue, has been used since 2021 for a range of services, including public restrooms, food and clothing distribution, medical and social services, overdose reversal trainings, art workshops, and public events, but was transformed in 2023 by Mural Arts Artist Hammes to become a welcoming, colorful place where community members can gather and participate in services. The Love Lot project was conceived to improve the vacant lot with resources, reduce the daily labor for staff working there, create opportunities for creative engagement with PPP participants and community members, and add beauty to the space to assist with the goal of harm reduction.

The Mother by Walé Oyejide

ACANA |  5515 Chester Ave 

Artist Walé Oyejide designed a mural that lifts the commonality between the histories of longtime African American residents in the Southwest neighborhood and new immigrants to the area predominantly from West Africa. Walé Oyejide is a multi-disciplinary artist who employs beauty to illustrate the contributions of immigrants. He seeks to humanize newly arrived populations in the eyes of those who might otherwise discriminate against them. His work instills self-worth in people who have experienced suffering but choose not to be defined by it. Participants in his projects are depicted as royalty while resisting the difficult circumstances thrust upon them. Inspired by the experiences of brave outsiders who thrive in hostile environments, The Mother is a reminder of the grace and magic migrants bear across borders. The mural was painted by Efrain Herrera, Kien Nguyen, and Darya Putrikova.

Rasual Butler Here to Create Tribute Mural

Chew Playground Basketball Courts  |  S 19th St & Washington Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19146

On Saturday, July 13, Mural Arts and City Council President Kenyatta Johnson dedicated the vibrant new mural Here To Create by artist Taqiy Muhammad, Calo Rosa, Assistant Artist Cristian Eskerrena Muñoz, and the Mural Arts’ Rec Crew, which pays tribute to Rasual Butler (1979-2018),  a former Philadelphia high school player of the year at Roman Catholic who became one of La Salle’s leading scorers before moving on to a 13-year career in the NBA. The colors in the mural represent the various teams he played for during his career, superimposed with a portrait of Butler.  The basketball court was renamed in Rasual Butler’s tribute as well.

Bartram’s Village Philly Swing Jazz Mural

4900 Grays Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19143

Mural Arts dedicated a new mural, Philly Swing, celebrating jazz and its impact on many genres of music by artist Parris Stancell, created with students and families at the Bartram’s Village Boys and Girls Club after-school program. This mural is a playful representation of jazz energy, culture, and color.  From blues to jazz and beyond, we would not have the music we have today without these creative minds.  Jazz is just one of the distinctive inventions of African American culture that has been celebrated around the world.

We Here installations by Roberto Lugo

Kensington Corridor Trust Community Garden  |  Kensington & Allegheny                                 Free Church of St. John  |  Helen St. & Elkhart St., Philadelphia                                                   Taller Puertorriqueño  | 2600 N 5th St, Philadelphia

After extensive planning, numerous community engagement events, and tile- and pattern-making workshops led by artist Roberto Lugo for the We Here project, all three sculptures by Roberto Lugo have now been installed in Kensington by the talented team from Johnson Atelier, where they were fabricated and painted.  We Here is a two-year project spearheaded by Mural Arts’ Porch Light program, a collaborative effort with the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, which has worked to broaden access to the arts in Kensington since 2017. Inspired by Lugo’s journey as a professional artist who grew up in Kensington, We Here emphasizes youth engagement through pottery. Stop by and explore these new 11-foot installations and experience them for yourself.

Mural Arts partners with Parks & Rec

As part of a new program partnership between Mural Arts’ Education Department and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, youth at recreation centers throughout the city will partake in a multi-week art education program that teaches them foundational art-making skills, fosters creative expression, and builds self-confidence. The program culminates in a mural designed and painted at each center by the youth in collaboration with their instructors and the Mural Arts Rec Crew. The Mural Arts Rec Crew is a group of Guild graduates who work at rec centers around the city, revitalizing community spaces and assisting with mural installations. Designed to reduce community violence, the project is funded by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Our two debut projects were dedicated in August:

Markward Community Rec Center

Teaching artist Calo Rosa and youth from Markward Recreation Center designed and painted a new mural that celebrates the pollinator garden in front of the Rec Center located in Fitler Square.

Rumph-Mallery Rec Center

Teaching Artist Daniel Lipschutz worked closely with youth at Rumph-Mallery Rec Center in Germantown to create a mural highlighting the importance of play throughout all four seasons, incorporating drawings and motifs made by the youth in the final design.