The Azalea Garden

Azalea Garden by artist David Guinn is located in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Guinn described the project in his artist’s statement:

“When I met with the neighbors around A+A auto and Truck Repair, there were many ideas but most importantly everyone wanted to put something beautiful on the old garage that had seen better days. Al Pierce, the owner, was cooperative but perhaps slightly skeptical. He said, ‘You can do whatever you want to the outside of the building, I don’t see the outside very often.’

“After an initial design idea didn’t really hit a chord, the idea of painting the Azalea Garden [in back of the Philadelphia Museum of Art] came up. Many neighbors had associations with the azalea garden; some even volunteered there to maintain it. Steve DiSilvestri, who is an auto body painter at A+A, had actually spent early dates courting
his wife in the azalea garden. They both grew up in Fairmount.

“The thing that really stood out for me with the azalea garden project was the very close bond that developed with the community at Parrish and Taney Streets. I felt very much like a member of the community by the end. Neighborhood kids came by after school and helped paint at ground level. Steve took Kevin Gardner and me on a tour of secret spots in Fairmount Park. The eagle in the tree on Parrish St, near the A+A sign, represents Steve—That was how he wanted to be represented. Steve inducted Kevin, Marina Borker, who also assisted on the project, and me into ‘the Wolf
Pack,’ his childhood club.

“By the end of the project, Al told me he had ‘gotten into it’ and he came out and painted one of the dots to the right of the garage door. It is a slightly different color from all of the rest. Gilligan, the dog on the Taney St. side lives nearby on 26th St. and often came to visit during the painting of the mural. On the Parrish St. side, the black Rottweiler is named Baby and lives directly across the street. The little dog, named Douglas, to left of Baby, lives at the corner of Parrish and Taney.

“The Azalea Garden is the largest and most complicated mural I’ve painted. The relationship with the community at Parrish and Taney was very rewarding. The dedication was a beautiful event and it is my hope that it, and the whole project, helped bring together neighbors, particularly lifelong Fairmount residents like Al and Steve and the relatively newer neighbors.”