Opposing Forces

Lead artist Alvin Tull and mosaic artist Ellen Tiberino came together for a collaborative mural with the Color Me Back (CMB) program. Tiberino started her work with the program in February 2021 with four weeks of mosaic-making workshops twice per week. During this time, Alvin and Ellen worked together to design a mural with feedback and input from the CMB participants. Together they came up with themes, peace and tranquillity, which lead them to creating an oasis in the middle of a concrete train station. In the mural, you will see both the sun setting and the moon rising, which is meant to be a reminder of the renewal each new day brings. In the middle, you will see the opposing forces of the dark and light coming together in harmony.

The Color Me Back program was designed in partnership with the Scattergood Foundation, SEPTA, and Mental Health Partnerships. The initiative is managed by Mural Arts’ Porch Light department in collaboration with the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services. Funding has been provided by the City of Philadelphia, the Barra Foundation, the Sheller Family Foundation, the Legacy Foundation, the Union Benevolent Association, and many others.

Color Me Back is an innovative program that combines participatory art-making and access to social services in a unique model offering individuals who are experiencing economic insecurity an opportunity to earn wages. Participants have the opportunity to connect, contribute, and engage with peer specialists who can link them with support services, including social and/or behavioral health services and potential opportunities for longer-term employment while working in the program.