Rescheduled: Heart of Kensington Creates Art Crawl

Take part in an unforgettable community event uniting creative visions and voices across Kensington!

Join us for a community-wide art crawl and celebration of public art in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood. All spring and summer, local artists and community members have been busy creating public art that aims to shift the conversation in Kensington—uplifting each community and building on shared Kensington pride. This event is the first chance to see all of the newly installed artwork and connect with the artists who made it.

The crawl will begin at Harrowgate Park, before proceeding along Kensington Avenue with stops at McPherson Square Library and local galleries. We’ll dedicate 11 brand new murals and the massive Gusset Plate Art Project at McPherson Square Library with family friendly art activities, food from local vendors, live music, and more!

10 am – Gather at Harrowgate Park, 3455 Kensington Avenue
11 am – Trolleys or walking tours depart from Harrowgate Park
12:15 pm – Dedication at McPherson Square Library, 601 E Indiana Avenue
1 pm – Guided tours in and around McPherson Square Library; VIZION Gallery exhibition
2 pm – Art gallery activations at UV Space, Bridge Studio, and The Apologues

A partnership between Mural Arts, Councilperson Quetcy Lozada’s Office, and Impact Services, Heart of Kensington Creates features work by BUSTA, DISTORT, Iris Barbee Bonner of Thesepinklips, Kilia Llano, KNOMAD & Magdalena Rieders, Linda Fernandez & Martha O’Connell, Manuela Guillén, Paolo Morales, Raelis Vasquez, Symone Salib, Vanessa Vega, and Zerbe.

What to expect

10 am — Event begins at Harrowgate Park
Kick off the day with music, free food, and entertainment.

11 am — Tours depart
Choose a walking or trolley tour along Kensington Avenue, departing from Harrowgate Park.

12:15 pm — Dedication ceremony at McPherson Square Library 
Gather at McPherson Square Library for remarks from participating partners, plus free food and family-friendly activities.

1 pm — Tour artwork at McPherson Square Library
Choose from four ways to experience artwork in and around McPherson Square Library:

• View Private Practice, an exhibition with artwork by Heart of Kensington Creates and other community artists at VIZION Gallery (3312 Kensington Avenue), in partnership with Forman Arts Initiative (11am-2pm).
• Tour Afromation Avenue with founders Brittni Jennings and Kristin Kelly.
• Explore the Gusset Plate Art Project, a 1.2-mile stretch of community-designed murals along the Market-Frankford Line.
• Join a trolley tour featuring new murals and the artists who created them.

2 pm — Explore local art galleries
Visit four local art galleries for a variety of activations and experiences:

• UV Space, 2731 Kensington Avenue — opening reception for Inside Outside, a photo exhibition by Heart of Kensington Creates artist Paolo Morales, with music, food, and art activities (2-4 pm).
• Bridge Studio, 2550 Kensington Avenue — Rhythm & Bloom, a community art experience featuring live music, refreshments, and a create-your-own-bouquet activity supported by Kensington Community Alliance (2-5:30 pm).
• The Apologues, 2037 E. Lehigh Avenue — Mobile Museum reveal and celebration with live music, mural painting, food, raffles, and more (2-6 pm).

Accessibility Note: This is an outdoor event, with limited access to bathrooms and air conditioning at the McPherson Square Library and Harrowgate Recreation Center. You will have the option to take a walking tour (approximately one mile at a slow to medium pace) or take a trolley that will be leaving at set times. Please check the forecast and plan accordingly for outdoor conditions.

About Heart of Kensington Creates

Heart of Kensington Creates is a cross-sector, community-centered arts initiative focused on collective impact—lifting each neighborhood to celebrate its identity while building on its shared Kensington pride. The initiative, in collaboration with Councilperson Quetcy Lozada’s Office and Impact Services, aims to create a series of murals, art installations, and activations along Kensington Avenue between the Huntingdon Street Station and the Tioga Street Station, culminating in August 2026.

The public art component of the project will include six large-scale murals, six smaller-scale murals/art installations, three local gallery activations, a community wide paint activity to be displayed on the Septa L line (the Gusset Plate Art Project), and the inclusion of the Afromation Avenue series, a collection of curated positive affirmation street signs personalized by predominantly Black/African American communities throughout Philadelphia.

For more information, visit the Heart of Kensington Creates Hub.

Note: This event has been rescheduled from August 29, 2026 to October 3, 2026.