Once Upon a Time in South Philly (1501 South 8th Street)

Once Upon A Time in South Philly by artist Manuela Guillén is located in South Philadelphia. This storybook-themed mural was inspired by ideas from students at the nearby Eliza B. Kirkbride School.

The mural is part of the We Will Write the World Project, a temporary 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.

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.