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We Here: A Story in Every Sculpture

We Here offers an immersive artistic journey with workshops and public programs throughout the project. During Fall 2023, a series of community workshops in Kensington generated dozens of unique pattern designs, which Lugo has since incorporated into three monumental outdoor sculptures. Each twelve-foot vessel, installed at sites across Kensington in summer 2024, stands as a testament to the neighborhood’s rich cultural tapestry and features a cutout entryway that allows visitors to step inside and see themselves in the artwork. Lugo’s unique blend of classical ceramics and urban culture invites the Kensington community to see art as a mirror of their collective creativity, identity and strength.

During 2024, free pottery workshops continue at the Kensington Storefront (more information below) while sculpture tours, a block party and a public forum will invite people to experience We Here throughout the summer and fall.

In partnership with Kensington Corridor Trust, the Free Church of St. John and Taller Puertorriqueño, Lugo’s final vessel sculptures can now be viewed in person at Kensington & Allegheny, Helen & Elkhart and 5th & Huntingdon.

We Here Public Forum & Sculpture Party

Saturday, October 19 | Noon to 2 pm Forum | 2 pm Family-friendly clay activities, food and more  |  Taller Puertorriqueno, 2600 N. 5th Street

Mural Arts will celebrate the artists and community members behind We Here in an afternoon of conversation and convening around art and ideas. Hosted by We Here’s Community Advisory Committee of Kensington residents and Curator of Public Engagement Megan Voeller, the program debuts a preview of a documentary short by Colibri Workshop and a first glimpse at a children’s book.

The Forum features lead artist Roberto Lugo in conversation with Tony Award-winning playwright and poet Lemon Andersen, followed by a roundtable on the arts, behavioral health and community wellbeing with speakers from By Faith Health and Healing; Hispanic Community Counseling Services; the City of Philadelphia; the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services; and Mural Art’s Porch Light Program.

11 am: Children’s book reading and kids activities with Roberto Lugo, Frank Berrios and Meghan Galloway-Edgar
12 pm:  Lunch and Forum Welcome: Megan Voeller and CAC Members
12:20 pm:  Documentary Preview: Colibri Workshop
12:40 pm:  Roberto Lugo in dialogue with Lemon Andersen
1:15 pm:  Panel Discussion: Arts Access & Mental / Behavioral Health in Kensington

Nadia Malik, Mural Arts Porch Light Director – Moderator
Brenda Mosley, Executive Director, By Faith Health & Healing
Val Gay, Chief Cultural Officer, Creative Philadelphia
Hector Ayala, CEO, Latino Behavioral Health Coalition
Representative, Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services

2 pm: Closing Remarks: Jane Golden, Mural Arts Executive Director
2 pm – 3:30 pm: Celebration!

After the forum, enjoy hands-on clay sculpting activities with Lugo and We Here artist Nitza Walesca Rosario, a Polaroid photo booth at Lugo’s monumental sculpture with artist Daisie Cardona, music, games and refreshments, and tour Taller’s cultural corridor with Experience Eastern North.

All activities are free and open to the public; families are most welcome! Programs will occur in English.

We Here Walk and Talk Events

Join Kensington residents and We Here Community Advisory Committee members on a walk to visit two of Roberto Lugo’s vessel installations and other sites in the Kensington neighborhood. This 90-minute Walk and Talk will start at the Kensington Storefront (3208 Kensington Ave.) and feature the Kensington Corridor Trust Garden (3236 Kensington Ave.) and the Free Church of St. John (3076 Emerald Street), as well as other local Kensington spots along the way. Please wear comfortable, close-toed walking shoes.

Read a Book with Roberto and Frank 

As part of We Here, Roberto Lugo and acclaimed author Frank Berrios have teamed up to create We Here: What Kind of Artist Will You Be?, a children’s book illustrated by Meghan Galloway-Edgar. Inspired by Lugo’s artistic journey, the book will be distributed for free to Kensington families in Spanish and English editions with the goal of fostering a love of art-making in the neighborhood’s next generation.

Saturday Pottery Workshops 

Kensington Storefront, 3208 Kensington Avenue

Make and paint a clay tile with artist Nitza Walesca Rosario in this free workshop designed to get your hands dirty with a fun introduction to clay. Mural Arts will fire your unique tile for you to keep or install at the Open Kitchen Sculpture Garden, if you choose.

Open to participants of all ages – families welcome. First-come, first-served each week while supplies last, with priority given to Kensington residents. Please arrive by 10 am; latecomers may not be admitted. The Kensington Storefront is a project of Mural Arts’ Porch Light Department.

About Roberto Lugo 

Born and raised in Kensington, Philadelphia, Roberto Lugo blends classical ceramics with the vibrancy of hiphop culture to address poverty, inequality, and racial injustice. Through his work, Lugo revitalizes traditional European and Asian pottery with urban flair, merging classic aesthetics with modern motifs, including graffiti and portraits of influential figures often excluded from luxury art.

In 2023, Lugo received the esteemed Heinz Award, granting the artist $250,000 in unrestricted funds to support his work. A recipient of prestigious awards including a 2019 Pew Fellowship, Lugo’s artworks can be found in major museum collections, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Roberto Lugo Studios 

Charlie Cunningham, Studio Manager
Julianna Thompson, Artist Assistant
Spencer Dofflemyer, Artist Assistant
Soso Capaldi, Artist Assistant

In the News 

WHYY: A giant ginger jar rises in Kensington proclaiming, ‘We Here’
Fox29: Good Day Uncut: New art installation in Kensington
ArtBlog: Midweek News, Hidden City Podcast, electric school buses, OSGEMEOS, Basquiat, Banksy, Smithsonian, openings and more
The Broad Street Review: The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, July 25-31, 2024The Philadelphia Inquirer: For Kensington, By Kensington: Mural Arts’ We Here Spotlights Community Grit and Pride
WHYY: ‘Transforming the art form of ceramics’: Philly artist Roberto Lugo wins $250,000 Heinz Award
Philadelphia Metro: ‘We Here’ gets the community involved with its art
Philadelphia Metro: Arts and culture events to check out this summer in Philadelphia
CBS Philadelphia: Meet the Philadelphia artist using immersive sculptures to spark joy, foster community in Kensington
NBC10 Philadelphia: Giant sculptures representing the community are coming to Kensington
Kensington Voice: Kensington native Roberto Lugo to paint three 11-foot sculptures in Kensington this summer
Philadelphia Today: How a Kensington Artist is Bringing Joy and Fostering Community Through Immersive Sculptures