Celebrating the Legacy of the Mural Arts Institute: A New Chapter for Leadership in the Field

After more than eight years of rigorously advancing the field of community-based public art and mural making, the Mural Arts Institute (MAI) will bring its current operations to a successful close on March 31, 2026.

Since its inception, MAI has served as a beacon for socially engaged art practices, driving national initiatives in over 15 cities, facilitating international exchanges with artists across the globe, and producing thought-provoking symposia. Through extensive training programs and the creation of vital open-source resources, MAI has permanently enriched the toolkit available to artists, administrators, and communities worldwide.

Here are a few glimpses of the wide-ranging and impactful initiatives, symposia, and gatherings helmed by the Mural Arts Institute over the past eight years:

At the heart of this transformative work were two visionary leaders who we wish to honor as they transition into new independent ventures with our full support.

Netanel Portier, Senior Director of Learning & Practice, has been a leader at Mural Arts Philadelphia since 2009, designing and directing projects and programs and notably leading the Mural Arts Institute since 2018. She codified Mural Arts’ methodology into teachable frameworks, developing project management tools and capacity-building resources that have become industry standards, and has led the design and improvement of MAP’s training programs and learning tools—both for staff and for artists and administrators locally and internationally—empowering a new generation of practitioners to navigate the operational complexities of community-centered art with skill and empathy.

Portier has directed and contributed to research, reports, case studies, and practical tools that continue to shape the field, including producing the Level Up! deck of cards and its research foundation (Learning From the Process: Promising Practices From Mural Arts’ Work in Communities), co-authoring the Needs and Capacity Assessment Report for the City of Fort Worth’s Pallet Program, and developing case studies, videos, and more including the website online where they can be found. With over 20 years of experience, she served for more than a decade as Mural Arts’ leading consultant, supporting artists, municipalities, and cultural organizations in realizing complex, community-centered work, and as a foundational leader of the Project Management Office, she established operational structures that remain central to the organization today. Her work has shaped how community-centered public art is designed, managed, and delivered across the field. (LinkedIn)

Joseph Iacona, Director of the Mural Arts Institute, enhanced the Institute’s approach to education and impact. Having begun his work with Mural Arts in 2009 as both a muralist and a lead educator, he introduced 21st-century curriculum design and pedagogical approaches to the Muralist and Artist Training programs, ensuring artists were best equipped for the demands of community engagement and social practice. This included direct support for local artists alongside national capacity-building initiatives for public art making. Balancing this educational leadership with scholarly rigor, Iacona curated dynamic public symposia—Created Together, a national artist convening on community engagement, and Researching the Impact of Murals in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania. His work extended to the global stage as a distinguished guest at the United Nations Institute for Training & Research (UNITAR) for the World Public Art Conference. His essay on “Restorative Practices and Public Art,” featured in the forthcoming post-conference publication, solidifies his reputation as a leading voice shaping the global discourse on community-engaged public art. (Website | LinkedIn)

Next Steps & Resources

Portier and Iacona plan to launch their own individual and collaborative consulting practices, for organizations, artists, and municipalities seeking expert guidance in public art strategy, curriculum design, and community engagement.

Documentation, toolkits, and resources generated by the Mural Arts Institute will remain permanently accessible through the Public Art Archive (coming soon!) and muralartsinstitute.com. Ongoing artist opportunities through Mural Arts Philadelphia can continue to be found at muralarts.org.