Complete

Open Source

The largest outdoor exhibition in Philadelphia wasn't in a museum. It was in your own backyard.

Learn How We're Transforming the City of Philadelphia

Open Source was a citywide exhibition that brought 14 extraordinary artists from around the world to Philadelphia. They worked with Mural Arts Philadelphia and guest curator Pedro Alonzo to create a new series of public artworks that explore and illuminate Philadelphia’s diverse urban identity.

The Artists 

The Dufala Brothers (Philadelphia, PA)

With projects like Funeral For a Home and their infamousToilet Tricycle Race, the Dufala Brothers have made a name for themselves as two of the most exciting young artists in Philadelphia.

Sam Durant (Los Angeles, CA)

Los Angeles based artist Sam Durant explores culture and politics through artistic innovation. Engaging subjects as diverse as the civil rights movement, southern rock music, and modernism, Durant’s work is thought-provoking, focusing our attention on the challenges facing contemporary society.

Shepard Fairey (Los Angeles, CA)

Celebrated as the creator of the OBEY GIANT art campaign and clothing company, the Andre the Giant has a Posse sticker, and the Obama HOPE poster, Shepard Fairey's work has become some of the most ubiquitous iconography of any living artist.

JR (Paris, France)

For 15 years, JR has wheatpasted his distinctive black and white photographs on streets from Paris to Rio de Janeiro. Since winning the TED Prize in 2011, he has become an international icon for the next generation of street art, muralism, and social advocacy through art.

Ernel Martinez & Keir Johnston (Philadelphia, PA)

As members of Amber Art & Design, Ernel Martinez and Keir Johnston have left their mark on Philadelphia through a series of beloved murals and public art installations. If you know Philadelphia, chances are you know a mural by Martinez or Johnston too.

MOMO (New Orleans, LA)

Widely regarded as the standard-bearer for abstraction in street art, MOMO has since transitioned into creating large-scale murals in countries all over the world, including as a perennial participant in Italy's legendary FAME Festival.

Jonathan Monk (England, UK)

British artist Jonathan Monk’s conceptual practice simultaneously challenges and pays homage to the greats of contemporary art through wit, ingenuity, and irreverence. Using wall paintings, ephemeral sculpture, and photography, Monk reflects on trends of contemporary art while demystifying its processes.

Odili Donald Odita (Philadelphia, PA)

Nigerian born, Philadelphia-based artist Odili Donald Odita's murals and installations are recognized the world over for exploring color both in the figurative art historical context and in the sociopolitical sense.

Michelle Angela Ortiz (Philadelphia, PA)

Michelle Angela Ortiz is a visual artist, muralist, and community arts educator based in Philadelphia. Her richly crafted, emotive imagery claims and transforms “blighted” spaces, producing visual affirmations that reveal the strength and spirit of the community.

Jennie Shanker (Philadelphia, PA)

Jennie Shanker, a founding member of Philadelphia’s Vox Populi Gallery and a professor at the Tyler School of Art, is known throughout Pennsylvania for using art to bring nuanced conversations to tough issues like fracking, the criminal justice system, and now urban development.

Shinique Smith (Catskills, NY)

Shinique Smith has built an international reputation for bridging the gaps between art education and contemporary art, art and craft, painting and fashion, and public art and canvases.

Swoon (New York, NY)

From her start as a young activist and street artist in New York City, Swoon has found her way into major museums such as MoMA and the Brooklyn Museum, all while developing a unique model to combine her public art, activism, charity work, and studio practice.

Heeseop Yoon (New York, NY)

Heeseop Yoon is best known for her unique style of working with black tape like it is paint or ink.

Open Source Artwork 

  • © 2015, untitled, Sonesta Philadelphia, 1800 Market Street. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • © 2015, untitled, 1831 Frankford Avenue. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Migrants, Ibrahim, Mingora-Philadelphia © 2015, JR. The Graham Building at Dilworth Park, 30 S 15th Street, Philadelphia, PA. Photos by Steve Weinik.

  • © 2015, Odili Donald Odita. Our House, Brandywine Workshop and Archives, 728 S. Broad St, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Labyrinth © 2015, Sam Durant. Municipal Services Building, Thomas Paine Plaza, 1401 JFK Blvd, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Labyrinth © 2015, Sam Durant. Municipal Services Building, Thomas Paine Plaza, 1401 JFK Blvd, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Open House Pour, The Dufala Brothers. Photos by Steve Weinik

  • Still-life with Flower, © 2015 Heesop Yoon. 906 League St, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Pyramid © 2015 Jonathan Monk. Paine's Park, N 24th St, Philadelphia. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Steps © 2015 Jonathan Monk. Paine's Park, N 24th St, Philadelphia. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • The Stamp of Incarceration: Amira Mohamed © 2015 Shepard Fairey. The Friends Center, 1500 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • The Stamp of Incarceration: James Anderson © 2015 Shepard Fairey. 1131 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • © 2015, SWOON. Rocket Cat Cafe, 2001 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • © 2015, SWOON. 3060 West Jefferson Street, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Shine Space © 2015, Shinique Smith. 800 Diamond Street. Philadelphia, PA. Photos by Steve Weinik.

  • The Norris Homes Historical Marker © 2015 Jennie Shanker. 10th and Norris Streets, Philadelphia. Photos by Steve Weinik.

  • La Frontera © 2015, Ernel Martinez and Keir Johnston. 2200 North 8th St. Photos by Steve Weinik.

  • Familias Separadas / Se Siente el Miedo © 2015 Michelle Angela Ortiz. 9th Street and Washington Avenue, Philadelphia. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Familias Separadas © 2015 Michelle Angela Ortiz. 1600 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Familias Separadas / Eres Mi Todo (You are My Everything) © 2015 Michelle Angela Ortiz. City Hall Courtyard, Philadelphia. Photos by Steve Weinik.

  • Familias Separadas / Te Amo (I Love You) © 2015 Michelle Angela Ortiz. Love Park, 1599 John F Kennedy Blvd, Philadelphia. Photos by Steve Weinik.

More about Open Source 

Inspired by the co-creative principles of open source platforms, Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Open Source was a month-long, citywide celebration of innovation. A response to major public art events like Miami’s Wynwood Walls, Prospect New Orleans, Germany’s documenta, and the myriad street festivals injecting creative energy into cities around the globe, Open Sourceadvanced worldwide recognition of Philadelphia as a culturally innovative and global city.

Curated by Pedro Alonzo, the 14 projects of Open Source reveal aspects of Philadelphia’s unique urban identity. Open Source encouraged artists to engage in community-centered explorations, addressing a variety of topics, including immigration, recycling, mass incarceration, the environment, community reinvestment, and displacement—all of which inform Mural Arts’ long-term artistic and social practice.

Unexpected and profound, these collaborations ignited conversations about innovation, social change, and public space. It’s a response to the incredible outpouring of thought and creativity generated by Philadelphians, a response to the depth of feeling and pride that we have in seeing our city grow and excel.

Open Source projects

related to Open Source

Curated by Pedro Alonzo 

pedroPedro Alonzo is a Boston-based independent curator. Currently an adjunct curator at Dallas Contemporary, he was formerly an adjunct curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (2011–13) and the Institute of Visual Arts, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (1996–2002). Since 2006, he has specialized in producing exhibitions that transcend the boundaries of the museum walls and spill out onto the urban landscape. In 2013, Alonzo organized the first solo museum exhibition for the French artist JR, winner of the 2011 Ted Prize, at the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati and Dallas Contemporary. At the ICA/Boston, he curated Os Gêmeos (2012), Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand (2009) and Dr. Lakra (2010). He also curated Viva la Revolución: A Dialogue with the Urban Landscape (2010) at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and Generations UsA (2007) at the Pinchuk Arte Centre in Kiev, Ukraine.

Open Source is presented by: 

Lead corporate support provided by 

Generous additional support provided by: 

Christian R. & Mary F. Lindback Foundation, City of Philadelphia, Ford Foundation, The Barra Foundation, Sadie Coles HQ London, Paula Cooper Gallery New York, and Blum & Poe Los Angeles, New York, and Tokyo.

TRAILBLAZER 

LUMINARIES 

 

INVENTORS 

Dean Adler & Susanna Lachs Adler
MailChimp
PTS Foundation
Richard Vague

CREATORS 

Comcast NBCUniversal
J2 Design Partnership
Nick and Dee Adams Charitable Fund

PATRONS 

Blick Art Materials
Bridgette Mayer Gallery
Joe and Jane Goldblum
IKEA
Neiman Marcus
Parkway Corporation
ShopRite Colligas Family Markets
Joe & Renee Zuritsky

SUPPORTERS 

Amoroso’s Baking Company
Arts & Crafts Holdings
First American Title Insurance Company National Commercial Services
Goldenberg Group
Kristin & Michael Karp
Relief Communications, LLC
The Paul and Emily Singer Family Foundation
Dana Spain

HOSPITALITY SPONSOR 

HUB SPONSORS 

MEDIA PARTNER 

Photography and Videography 

Photography: Steve Weinik (unless otherwise noted)
Videography: Tweed Video productions