Union Transfer
“The Union Transfer project features the original players in New York’s street art movement who are responsible for elevating what was once a nuisance crime to what is now a coveted and collected legitimate art medium. The 15-foot wall surfaces, historic arches, and central location made this the perfect place to curate this installation, which blends legendary artistic talent with one of Philadelphia’s emerging talents.”
This developer-driven model diverges from the traditional, bottom-up Mural Arts Philadelphia process, which is open to any applicant with a wall and an idea. It’s also a novel approach to creating a sense of place, engineered by Craig Grossman’s Arts & Crafts Holdings. The company entered the neighborhood ca. 2017 and bought roughly a dozen properties in the vicinity of the planned elevated rail park, reflecting an investment of more than $20 million.
Grossman previously worked for Tony Goldman, who led the redevelopment and rebranding of another neighborhood, the stretch of South 13th Street that marketers and the public alike now recognize as Midtown Village. Public art was a key move in Goldman’s playbook. In 2009, he turned a warehouse district in Miami into Wynwood Walls, a destination for street art. And in 2011, he worked with Mural Arts to adorn Midtown Village with a collection of works by well-known artists, including Kenny Scharf, Vhils, and Gaia.
Mural Art’s Art Education Program engaged several of the artists to work with students in the program. Artists were invited to submit proposals for the opportunity to add their own dynamic visuals to the walls.
Location Note: Murals are visible from Nectarine Street, behind the Union Transfer building.