10 Women Muralists Who Help us Change the Way We See the World
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we take this opportunity to shine a light on ten mural artists who use their incredible talent to create attention-grabbing street art that provokes self-reflection, critiques our cultural and political realities, and builds empathy. Their artistic expressions as women serve as a powerful tool for empowerment, providing a medium to find their voices, challenge norms, and inspire change. Their public artworks offer a platform to address gender inequality, violence against women, and societal expectations, allowing them to challenge stereotypes and provide alternative narratives. Hooray for these women artists!
Cindy Lozito
Cindy Lozito is an illustrator, muralist, and comics artist based in South Philadelphia by way of Queens, NY. Her work draws on connections, identity, and an endless curiosity to illustrate stories that bring us closer to each other. Her client list includes The New York Times, The LA Times, World Trade Center, The Rail Park, Mamás Con Poder, WeAllGrow Latina, and more.
“It was clear to me while installing the mural that the VCP team brings so much care and attention to each and every cooking class they develop for guests. It was an honor to partner with Mural Arts and reflect VCP’s mission through a lush, comics-inspired mural for their headquarters!” – Cindy Lozito
Symone Salib
Symone Salib is a Cuban/Egyptian portrait painter and street artist based out of Philadelphia. Through acrylic painting and illustration, she works to highlight the lives of people, with an emphasis on people of color. She focuses on vibrantly sharing the stories of people in hopes we can connect and resonate with humans who are different from ourselves. She strives to create a space where people are not only seen but heard. Her recent projects with Mural Arts include We Did That and Everyday Heroes.
Priscilla Bell Lamberty
Priscilla Bell Lamberty was born in North Philadelphia and raised in the Hunting Park section of the city. As a young child, she marveled at the colorful street art and graffiti that adorned the North Philly streets. Inspired by the art, Priscilla began drawing and recording everything she saw in her neighborhood and those in her community.
Priscilla graduated from Community College of Philadelphia and then transferred to Moore College of Art and Design, where she received a BFA in 2D Fine Arts. In 2010, she graduated with her Masters in Fine Arts in Painting.
Priscilla looked towards her family, surroundings, and cultural heritage for guidance and inspiration throughout the years. She continues to explore the issues that mean the most to her, including parenthood, BIPOC rights, urban design, and, finally, what it means to be a woman artist. “I seek to share my art with others to spark thoughtful conversation with the viewer. It is my hope to help shed light on some of the often-challenging topics that I address in my work.”
Priscilla has been the recipient of the Leeway Art & Change grant (2017), “Taino Storyteller of the Year” award (2017), “Phenomenal Woman” award (2020), and “Taino Muralist of the Year” award (2020). She also works as a freelance muralist with Mural Arts and is a teaching artist for the schools in the Coquannock, Lenapehoking (Philadelphia) area.
Eurhi Jones
Eurhi Jones has been painting murals in the Philadelphia region since 1999. In addition to her independent work, she’s worked with the Mural Arts, designing artwork for schools, garden spaces, recreation centers, playgrounds, and libraries. Major commissions have been at the Please Touch Museum, Bodine High School, and the Philadelphia Zoo. In addition to painting, she works with textiles, embroidery, and sculpture. Originally from Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, she graduated from Wesleyan University and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Emily White
Emily White is a painter, muralist, and sculptor. Emily’s work focuses on the relationship between the animal and its changing environment. Her paintings are paired with objects that are distinctly human, illustrating the bond of the animal’s life with our own. She invites audiences to reflect on the consequences of human industry and innovation on our natural world and our relationship to it. Emily has been painting murals in Philadelphia for over a decade. She has worked with the Philadelphia Zoo, the Philadelphia Flower Show, The Philadelphia International Airport, Blick, Ketel One, and Virgin Voyages, to name a few. She’s had her hand in many prominent Mural Arts murals such as “Untitled” by Amy Sherald, and “The Talented Mr. Trotter” by Roberto Lugo. Emily also creates sculptures and paintings for gallery shows and has her second solo feature with Arch Enemy Arts later this year. Originally from the Boston area, Emily has been living in Philly for 11 years. She graduated from Massachusetts College of Art in 2011 with a BFA in sculpture. In 2021, she started White Knuckle Painting LLC and continues to paint murals and signs for businesses in Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs.
Jessie & Katey
We’re Jessie Unterhalter and Katey Truhn, the Baltimore-based artist team better known as Jessie and Katey.
Our mission is to transform public spaces into vibrant, playful experiences and use highly geometric, abstract language to engage with the history, architecture, and culture of the places where we paint.
We believe that the aesthetics of one’s environment can influence one’s emotions and state of mind. With a passion for people and design, we bring life to unsung spaces through abstract painting. We’ve created numerous murals in partnership with cities, companies, municipalities, and brands to turn a unique story and location into an iconic artwork, often heightening the landmark’s visibility as a destination.
Since 2011, we have been consistently creating large-scale, public murals and installations across the country, learning the intricacies of the places we work. We see the responsibility of working with, listening to, and reflecting on the communities and public that we serve as the driving force in our murals and public installations. Although our style is highly formal and recognizable, each piece is inspired by architectural landscapes and historically relevant concepts.
We pride ourselves on transforming public spaces and engaging the viewer through color, bold geometric designs, and underlying narratives for those with an eye for detail.
Carolina Gomez
Carolina Gomez is a Colombian artist, illustrator and Graphic Designer, based in Philadelphia. She has worked with Mural Arts Philadelphia for years as a muralist and Teaching Artist with Art Ed. She has assisted on many Murals throughout the city, her solo project includes: “Rosadita” a mural at Blick’s Philly store. Most recently Carolina created a mural for the main entrance of Samuel Gompers School and re-designed the Murals on The Move van wrap
Lisa Kelley
Through the years, my artwork has evolved in both content and medium. The common thread throughout the work has been, and still is, typography, words, stories, and color. Sometimes, the stories are apparent in the work, and other times, the stories are what fuel the art. My background in graphic design has influenced my work through explorations of color, pattern, and repetition. Collages, paint, fibers, textiles, metal, found objects, and hand-carved stamps make up some of my recent work.
I am often inspired by experiences that impact me emotionally. I am a teaching artist at the Kensington Storefront and Prevention Point – both of which serve people affected by addiction and homelessness in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. I also co-facilitate weekly art workshops at Kirkbride Center – a behavioral health facility that provides addiction and mental health services.
I am the founder of Epidemic, a series of weavings thematically connected by the struggles, the despair, and the stories of hope surrounding addiction. Each weaving is created with strips of fabric on which people affected by addiction write a wish, a prayer, a dream, or a memory. The messages of love and loss are knotted and woven together, then threaded onto and suspended from sticks found in parks in Kensington, where I was born and raised and where I practice art as harm reduction. The project is about bearing witness, gaining empathy and compassion, exploring the stigma and shame of addiction, taking action, and reaching beyond the personal to affect change in my community.
I live with my husband and teenage daughter in Elkins Park, PA.
Dyymond Whipper-Young
Dyymond Whipper-Young is an artist and educator passionate about exposing youth to creative expression, cultural heritage, and careers in the creative economy. Since the age of 11, she could be found covered in clay and paint. Her work has premiered at over 50 major events across the country. Some of her most notable partnerships include working with The NAACP, Jordan Nike Brand, ESPN, the Los Angeles Urban League, and recently partnering with Crayola and the Franklin Institute to break the record for the world’s largest drawing by a single artist at 6,450 square feet.
She was raised in Baltimore and moved to Philadelphia to attend Temple University, where she was crowned homecoming queen. As a fellow in The Mural Arts Philadelphia fellowship for Black Artists, she collaborates with community members and local artists to create work in public spaces. Dyymond has taught nationally at inner-city schools in Baltimore and Philadelphia and has led the sculpture department at Oxbow Summer Art Institute in Napa Valley. Her work lives at the intersection of Art, Culture, and Education.
Brianna Dawkins
For 20 years, I’ve transformed Philadelphia’s walls into vibrant murals, starting with Mural Corps in 2004. Today, I teach for the Mural Arts Guild, empowering participants and fostering future artists. My recent solo mural, Oh So Affirmed, marked a turning point, allowing me to share my unique voice with the city. Through art, I celebrate diversity, spark reflection, and empower voices, leaving a lasting impact one mural at a time.
