Circle Up
Circle Up is a new mural by Eric Okdeh and Cody Stuhltrager exploring themes of mentorship, leadership, and lifelong learning through Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Restorative Justice program.
The mural grew out of a mentoring relationship between Okdeh, a teaching artist, and Stuhltrager, who learned the art of mural-making while incarcerated at SCI Graterford in the 2010s. Their shared experiences creating and teaching art through Mural Arts’ Restorative Justice Program are at the heart of Circle Up.
This project brings that relationship full circle, transforming years of shared experience into a collaborative work about the many ways mentorship can shape our lives. The design draws inspiration from workshops conducted at COMHAR’s Open Door Clubhouse, a mental health-focused job training and community center.
Artists in Mural Arts’ program at SCI Phoenix, members of The Guild, and members and staff at COMHAR’s Clubhouse all provided design input. Okdeh and Stuhltrager worked with each group to brainstorm and refine images, quotes, and themes related to mentorship.
A few COMHAR members are featured in the mural in the scenes depicting kitchen work and computer literacy training. Additionally, the artists at SCI Phoenix make an appearance as silhouettes sitting in a circle, perhaps having a lively discussion about art, incarceration, mentorship, and mental wellbeing.
