Sloan Street Community Garden Mural Dedication + Film Screening

Join us to dedicate a new mural entwining community, nature, and the promise of a greener future at Sloan Street Community Garden! Artist Shari Tobias has expanded and revitalized the garden’s original artwork, Botanical Wall, painted in 2001 by Ana Uribe.

Enjoy live jazz, refreshments, and behind-the-scenes insights from the muralist, gardeners, and community partners at the dedication ceremony. Then stick around for an outdoor screening of three short films from Scribe Video Center’s Street Movies! series, themed around growth and gardening.

Created in collaboration with Sloan Street Community Garden Collaborative and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, the 2026 iteration of Botanical Wall illuminates the natural abundance of the garden, right here in the Saunders Park neighborhood. Learn more about the history of the garden with Director Claire Sabel’s mini documentary, which will kick off an evening of local, international, and award-winning short films, discussion, and live performance.

Event Agenda

6:00-7:30 pm: Sloan Street Mural Dedication w/ Mural Arts
7:30-8:00 pm: Live Jazz by Joshua Peeler Trio + Food/Refreshments
8:00-9:30 pm: Screening & Discussion

Film Program

History of Sloan Street Community Garden Mural (USA / 2026 / 5 MIN)
Dir. Claire Sabel

Stori Strong (Episode 1) Garden Day (USA / 2024 / 14 MIN)
Dir. Laura Zaylea
Nine-year-old protagonist Stori Strong agrees to do some volunteer gardening only to find out that she will be gardening for her nemesis: her Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Pritzberry! While gardening, Stori tells her friends all about what it’s like having 2 moms and a donor, and how she may or may not have superpowers.

I Spoke to a Tomato Plant (USA / 2026 / 29 MIN) Dir. Christian Hayden
I Spoke to a Tomato Plant follows gardeners in the Mantua and Belmont area of Philadelphia as they share their experience of gardening and building relationships towards healing past traumas. Layered with a soundscape of Philadelphia musicians, ISTATP is an ode to connection, both plant and human, as well as the capacity for change.