Alumbra Lights up the Evening Sky

On Tuesday, August 15, 2023, just as the sun was setting, student participants of Mural Arts’ Art Education program gathered with Teaching Artists, friends, and family to dedicate the second part of an installation created with the Latina artist collective Alumbra.  They created a new temporary canopy art installation at the Mt. Vernon Street Walkway, a pedestrian thoroughfare at 1800 Mt. Vernon Street, between Waring Elementary School and Roberto Clemente Playground in the Spring Garden neighborhood. This exciting project was the second collaboration with Alumbra, an artist collective with members living between Philadelphia and Mexico City and our Art Education students. For this project, students incorporated elements of folklore, devised a collaborative story about Sunset Corridor, and created a zine to share the tale. They activated the walkway with participatory crafts for everyone at the dedication, featuring lino-cut prints, origami, and a station to create elements to add to the canopy.

Alumbra collective member and visiting artist Cecilia Gonzalez debuted her film about the two-year collaboration.  The beautiful canopy illuminated the night, and students and families enjoyed summer treats. Be sure to check out Cecilia’s amazing video linked below!

Participating students created a collaborative folklore tale about Sunset Corridor and made it into a zine.  You can download it here and check it out.