Philly Rising

Philly Rising is a virtual mural designed by Nilé Livingston. In 2020, this collaborative project encouraged Philadelphia residents and visitors to contribute photos, artworks, and poems of what they believe captures the spirit of the city. The images then become puzzle pieces, assembled together to form a larger image of all of humanity. Just as each Philadelphian plays a pivotal role in the fabric of our community, each visual was woven into this collective piece that represents the resilient spirit of our city. Viewers are taken on a journey beyond their own standpoint to bear witness to the City of Philadelphia from the perspective of other people’s lived experiences.
The artist describes the project on her blog:

“Inspiration for Philly Rising began while running essential errands during the pandemic. I’d notice that neighbors hung their children’s rainbow paintings, poems, or quotes offering hope and encouragement in their front windows. As the pandemic snowballed and calls for racial justice catalyzed our community to uplift each other, more Black Lives Matter signage would appear in windows. I felt captivated by the concerns for social relations and pondered on how communities of people were naturally contributing public artworks and trying to curate different, more caring encounters. Mural Arts Philadelphia published a call for proposals when the pandemic first began, and I bounced ideas off of them for a few weeks until we came up with this final artwork. I went through several rounds of revisions and finally decided to remove all figures from the artwork and simply render the Philadelphia skyline in hopes that this would offer a neutral but widely recognizable playground. We decided to make the artwork virtual because now more than ever, when people are increasingly staying home, we are relying on the instantaneous way that information is transferred and consumed online.