Art Makes Me Confident: A Youth Artistic Rebuttal

Art Makes Me Confident: A Youth Artistic Rebuttal was located in the West Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The mural was a collaboration between the Mural Arts Program and The Artistic Rebuttal Project, Amy Scheidegger’s art advocacy initiative established in 2011 to defend the arts in extremely visual, design-based ways. Scheidiegger visited with students from Mural Arts sites in Feltonville, Philadelphia Center for Arts and Technology, and E3 West; kids from Mighty Writers; and inmates in the Graterford Prison. They all joined the cause and wrote “artistic rebuttals” about how important the arts are in their lives. Art forms such as fashion, music, photography, and illustration were highlighted in this mural based on conversations the artist had with the participants about their favorite forms of art. With Eric Okdeh’s help, Scheidegger designed this multi-media mural, which features youth from each of the three Mural Art sites, and incorporates every single rebuttal that was gathered throughout all site visits. The mural’s message is that art can take you places. Through the discipline and experimentation of making tangible things, art can help you realize your full potential and there’s a whole world out there of people just waiting to see what you can do.

Location Note: Mural no longer on view at this location (lost to demolition ca. 2020).