The People’s Harvest

Mural Arts Philadelphia, in partnership with The GIANT Company, dedicated a new, permanent 4,000-square-foot mural, entitled The People’s Harvest, that focuses on the intersection of food justice and racial justice. Designed by Belize-born artist and founding member of the Amber Art and Design artist’s collective, Ernel Martinez, the mural is located under JFK Boulevard on 23rd Street.

The project explores the connections between food systems and racial injustice to shed a broader light on a critical question: How can we transform our food systems into equitable engines for healthy, empowered communities? Food, and the act of gathering for a meal, is much more than just a way to stay nourished. It also can be a cultural resource that brings people together and inspires large-scale social change and transformation.

Amber Art and Design and community partners, including The Rodale Institute, Farmer Jawn, and The People’s Kitchen, co-led a series of virtual public forums and workshops where artists, farmers, chefs, agriculturists, and Philadelphians could connect and highlight the ways that art can illustrate and respond to inequities in the urban environment. The ideas generated from these sessions informed the final mural design. These sessions were also spaces to share resources and information regarding food equity, offering tools and information to participants on how to grow food locally and where to find free food banks. The process of resource sharing resulted in infographics designed and produced by Madalyn Smith (see images at the Amber Art and Design website).

This final mural features Farmer Jawn, The Rodale Institute, and The People’s Kitchen, organizations that are working to create equitable food systems in Philadelphia.