Once Upon a Time in Logan

Once Upon a Time in Logan by artist Andre Chaney is located on the steps of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Logan Branch in the Logan neighborhood of North Philadelphia. Created as part of the We Will Write the World literacy program, the mural highlights imagery created by students in the workshop while also documenting and depicting the significance of the history that is ingrained within the Logan neighborhood. An image of a large book unfolds on the library’s steps. Each page depicts a scene that shows a juxtaposition between reality and fantasy. The right side of the book focuses on showing historic features of the neighborhood such as the trolley and the unique architecture of the homes near the library. The left side portrays a more make-believe depiction of the area that the library inhabits by transforming the trolley tracks into a yellow brick road (reminiscent of the one in The Wizard of Oz) with green pasture leading up to the front door. The space on the sidewalk in front of the steps is interactive, where a bookmark pours onto the sidewalk and transforms into a red carpet that serves as an invitation for children entering the library.
About the Project
This mural was created as part of the We Will Write the World, a project centered on increasing childhood literacy by encouraging playful learning through public art, billboards and murals. This project encouraged dialogue and interactions between grown-ups and children through large-scale public art pieces in the Literacy-Rich Neighborhoods of Fairhill, Germantown, Logan, and South Philadelphia.
The project integrated with the Reading Promise campaign, the nation’s most comprehensive early literacy campaign, which was designed for and with Philly families to effect Read by 4th goals which is grounded on the understanding that children who read well by 4th grade have a better chance at school and life success.
Billboards and murals produced throughout the project are centered around five Reading Promises: Make Reading Together Our Special Time, Talk It Up, Champion Your School Success, Create With You, and Protect Your Right To Read.

Youth Engagement
In spring 2022, the second phase of the project kicked off with teaching artists adapting an art-based curriculum for a series of workshops in school and afterschool programs involving children ages 5-12. Children participating in these workshops generated stories and illustrations to inspire Storybook Mural artwork. Lead teaching artists included: Lisa Jungmin Lee, Rebecca Miller, Julia Gutman, Sabriaya Shipley, Moneek Pines-Elliott, and Dominique Tocatlian.

Storybook Murals
Over the last year, mural artists were invited to produce child-friendly Storybook Murals in different locations across the four neighborhoods—maintaining continuity between them, similar to a storybook trail or story-based scavenger hunt. Mural designs use as a reference the materials generated in the spring 2022 workshops. Mural artists include: Rebecca Miller, Manuela Guillen, De’von Downes, Andre Chaney, Jihan Thomas, Khalid Dennis, and Daphne Smallwood.
Murals are located across the city at Logan Library, Jay Cooke Elementary, Germantown ArtHaus, Julia de Burgos School, Cosmi’s Deli, and Charles Santore Library.

In October, 2022, We Will Write the World went to the Please Touch Museum during the month of October—Mural Arts Month. The activation invited hands-on mural-making, and visitors had the opportunity to view billboard and mural artworks produced as part of the project, as well as the illustrations of young people who inspired the mural designs.
Each neighborhood team was made up of strong, community-based organizations and Reading Captains. These teams, along with strategists and communicators at Mighty Engine as well as local artists, are working together to develop messages and designs for the art pieces.