An Ode To 9th Street

An Ode to 9th Street by artist Michelle Angela Ortiz is located in the Bella Vista neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This mural takes from the spaces, moments, conversations, and stories of the market and combines them into a burst of images, color, words and energy in hopes of capturing what it feels like to be part of this special place. Fate plays a role in the mural; words and pictures are randomly placed and new stories develop. This is what the market is about; connecting people and family, hopes, dreams, and hard work. The artist drew upon stories from the Our Market Project and by spending time in the market observing and listening.

Part of Our Market a community-centered, multi-layered, multi-year public art project created and led by artist Michelle Angela Ortiz. The project was developed in April 2019. Our Market is focused on supporting the im(migrant) vendors, business owners, and neighbors that work and reside in the 9th Street Market, the artist’s home for 40+ years. The Project invests in the 9th Street Market by offering creative community strategies to tackle the issues of gentrification, racism, displacement, and erasure.

The Our Market Project is supported with lead funding from the William Penn Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Mural Arts Program. Additional support is provided by the Hearthland Foundation, the Leeway Foundation in partnership with the Bella Vista Neighborhood Association and Philadelphia250 and Visit Philadelphia. Past support has been provided by the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Catalyst for Change Grant , Art is Essential Grant, and the Southwest Folklife Alliance.