Dewey’s World

Dewey’s World is a mosaic mural located on the facade of the Ramonita G. de Rodriguez branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Located at the edge of the Northern Liberties neighborhood in North Philadelphia, the mural came out of a project conducted over the course of a year by nine Mural Corps students in collaboration with Temple University adjunct sculpture professor Jennie Shanker and muralist Paul Santoleri. This neighborhood revitalization project sought to transform the library branch located at 6th Street and Girard Avenue. Wrapping around the exterioir walls of the library, stained glass and ceramic tiles were used to create mosaic murals that illustrated the subject categories of the Dewey Decimal System, a classification system used to organize books in the library. Students also work with Shanker to create cast forms with tile work to serve as plant containers to transform the space in the front of the library. Additional murals in the area incorporated the pharmacy on the adjacent corner. The themes of the project, developed with the community, included celebrating growth and making the library an eye-catching and inviting place to visit. The tiles created an “I Spy” challenge for viewers, drawing imagery inspired by the Dewey Decimal System as well as from neighborhood architecture.

A unique part of this project was the collaboration with Temple University’s Tyler School of Art staff and students. Part of the initiative for this project came at the behest of Temple, as part of the school’s broader goal to do more public art outreach in North Central Philadelphia. Tyler students were intensively involved with Mural Corps youth to create these transformative murals.

The project goal was to fulfill part of the vision outlined in the Girard Avenue Public Art Plan, which included fostering gathering places, enhancing gateway areas, and highlighting civic buildings along the Girard Avenue corridor. This project at 6th and Girard also served to fulfill the larger goals of the Mural Corps program, which are to increase high school graduation rates and higher educational opportunities for youth; provide youth with critical employment skills; cultivate fine arts skills and virtuosity; and increase leadership and self-confidence through youth ownership of the program.

The project also produced a mural at Haussman’s Pharmacy at 536 Girard Avenue, across the street from the library. Natural Remedy by Paul Santoleri was created as a companion piece to the Dewey’s World project by the Mural Corps program at the Ramonita G. de Rodriguez library branch. The intention of the piece was to reflect the business of the pharmacy while at the same time harmonizing that site (which had an existing privately commissioned mural) with the adjacent library site.