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Heart of Kensington Creates Artist Talk

Shine Your Light by BUSTA. Photo by Steve Weinik.

Join the artists behind Heart of Kensington Creates for a community-centered conversation about public art, creative collaboration, and the power of art to uplift neighborhood pride in Kensington.

Earlier this October, Mural Arts welcomed new murals, gallery exhibitions, and installations to Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood through Heart of Kensington Creates, a multi-year, cross-sector arts initiative. Now, you can hear directly from 10 project artists about their creative practices, design processes, and community engagement.

How did local Kensington residents help shape the work? What stories do they tell about the neighborhood? Join us for a panel conversation exploring these questions and more, moderated by project managers Ricky Yanas and Conrad Benner and featuring artists BUSTA, DISTORT, Iris Barbee Bonner of THESEPINKLIPS, Linda Fernandez, Magdalena Rieders, Manuela Guillén, Martha O’Connell, Paolo Morales, Vanessa Vega, and Zerbe.

Doors open at 6 pm. Talk begins at 6:15 pm.

About Heart of Kensington Creates

Heart of Kensington Creates is a collaboration between Mural Arts Philadelphia, Impact Services, and the Office of Councilmember Quetcy Lozada. The initiative brings together new public art projects, streetscape improvements, community-led art activations, and more community-focused, creative investment in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood.

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

Left to right: A World of Inspiration by Vanessa Vega, We Bloom Together by Iris Barbee Bonner of Thesepinklips, El Limite No Existe by Linda Fernandez & Martha O’Connell. Photos by Steve Weinik.
October 27, 2026
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Cost /
Free
Address /
The CORE at Esperanza Health Center, 3222 H Street
Related Projects /
Heart of Kensington Creates
Join Us /
RSVP Recommended
Add to Calendar /
Artist Talk
Kensington
Mural Arts Month 2026
About the Panelists
Conrad Benner, Moderator
Conrad Benner, Moderator
Conrad Benner is the Founder/Editor of StreetsDept.com. A Fishtown, Philadelphia born-and-raised documentarian, curator (Streets Dept Walls and Mural Arts Philadelphia), and podcaster (Streets Dept Podcast), Conrad’s work explores the art of our public spaces and the artists who create it.
Ricky Yanas, Moderator
Ricky Yanas, Moderator
Ricky Yanas, project manager on the Heart of Kensington Creates, is an artist, curator and arts organizer living in Philadelphia. His work spans a variety of disciplines including photography, documentary film, installation, archival investigation, and place-making.
BUSTA
BUSTA
Jose Bustamante (BUSTA) is a Colombian-born, New Jersey–based muralist and visual artist with over 15 years of experience creating large-scale public artwork. His work transforms public spaces into visual narratives that reflect the strength and spirit of the neighborhoods they inhabit.
DISTORT
DISTORT
DISTORT combines classical training with the intense creative energy of graffiti, impacting the streets and galleries alike. Now living in Jersey City, DISTORT continues to create challenging work inspired by his admiration of classicism and the intensity of the present.
Iris Barbee Bonner of THESEPINKLIPS
Iris Barbee Bonner of THESEPINKLIPS
Iris Barbee Bonner of THESEPINKLIPS created the inspirational brand These Pink Lips, whose motto is to be uplifting and inspiring. Born in the city of Philadelphia, Bonner cultivated a unique approach to mixed media and paint and believes that every surface can be a canvas and art is healing.
Linda Fernandez
Linda Fernandez
Linda Fernandez is a multicultural artist and educator whose work features bright colors, designs and symbols that reflect her Caribbean heritage. She's inspired by the ways in which nature, architecture and history weave together to tell stories of people and the places they call home.
Magdalena Rieders
Magdalena Rieders
Magdalena Rieders is an artist from Philadelphia focusing mostly on largescale murals, painting, and printmaking. Her work often deals with the invasion of the surreal into the mundane and the impossible into the familiar.
Manuela Guillén
Manuela Guillén
Manuela Guillén is a freelance painter, muralist, and digital illustrator currently living in Philadelphia. Born in Miami to Cuban and Salvadorian immigrant parents, Manuela’s art is a celebration of color, a homage to the natural world, and a narrative of my experiences as the daughter of immigrant parents.
Martha O'Connell
Martha O'Connell
Martolao (Martha O'Connell) is a painter, muralist, and advocate for arts-based opportunities for youth and adults. She creates large scale drawings, paintings and accompanying writings and installs them in public places in coordination with performing artists.
Paolo Morales
Paolo Morales
Paolo Morales is a photographer whose work investigates the documentary tradition from the positionality of an Asian American male. Morales’ photographs have been the subject of eight solo exhibitions and numerous group exhibitions.
Vanessa Vega
Vanessa Vega
Vanessa Vega is a visual artist from North Philadelphia who has been creating art for the culture for over a decade. Vega is also cofounder of Taina Sisters, which specializes in teaching culture through art.
Zerbe
Zerbe
J.C. Zerbe is an artist, community activator, and advocate known for his graphic lines and expressionistic style work. Fusing street art elements with techniques that create waves of energy throughout his work, Zerbe’s focus and passion are directed toward community building and social change.
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