#MaskUp PHL

In October of 2020, the City of Philadelphia ushered in the month by taking another unprecedented step to mobilize local residents and visitors to “Mask Up” in solidarity during the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia, the city unveiled updates to several of the most iconic murals, temporarily enhancing them with mask artwork and #MaskUpPHL messaging. The murals included Latinx Heroes (Julia de Burgos Elementary School, 401 West Lehigh Avenue) and Marian Anderson (744 South 18th Street) were updated for the campaign, and three temporary murals were specially created for recreation centers in Northeast (Jardel Recreation Center, 1400 Cottman Avenue), North Central (Martin Luther King Recreation Center, 2101 Cecil B. Moore Avenue.), and Southwest Philadelphia (Kingsessing Recreation Center, 4800 Kingsessing Avenue).

The City described this special project on its website:

“Our goal in doing this is to continue the momentum of the City’s #MaskUpPHL campaign—working to motivate residents to wear masks in public as well as to normalize and elevate our community’s comfort level with the practice. However, the process of preparing for and executing the installations also presented all of us—from City officials and the artists to community leaders and the people who pass by those murals every day—with a gift we didn’t anticipate. We gained an opportunity to look out from the shadows of the pandemic and see two very powerful, positive foundations that help make Philadelphia such a strong and admired community.

“The first is the power of our art to inspire, connect people, unite neighborhoods, and mobilize action. The driving philosophy of our partner in this venture, Mural Arts Philadelphia, says it perfectly: art ignites change. In order to defeat this pandemic, we need lasting behavioral change driven by a sense of pride and responsibility to our neighbors. For generations, Philadelphia’s murals have been inspiring these very dynamics.

“The other foundation of our community is our Philly pride—our drive to take care of our neighbors like family and show the world what it means to be the City of Brotherly and Sisterly Love. As Joanna Otero-Cruz, Philadelphia’s Deputy Managing Director for Community Services, unveiled the new Latinx Heroes mural, she first honored the heroes depicted in the artwork, then reminded Philadelphians that there is a hero in all of us—and that right now, our heroes are the women, men, and children wearing a mask.

“And so, certainly we hope these murals will inspire more people to wear masks in public. However, we also hope you look beyond the masks to see yourself—to see and embrace your inner hero, the love you have for your neighbors, and the power you possess to drive change for the good of our entire community.”

Location Note: Temporary project; masks on the murals are no longer on view.