Four Artists Show Off Their “Roots” at the 2026 Flower Show
Above: Shared Soil, Many Roots © 2026 City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program / Richie Wilde Lopez & Life is a Coloring Book: Past, Present, Future © 2026 City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program / Eustace Mamba, 2026 Philadelphia Flower Show. Photo by Steve Weinik.
On February 28, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s 2026 Philadelphia Flower Show debuted to the public, under the theme, “Rooted: Origins of American Gardening.” The highly anticipated and award-winning annual event, now in its 197th year, has already made a splash, featuring exquisite and immersive floral exhibits, plant competitions, family-friendly activities (butterfly experience, anyone?), educational offerings, and of course, lots of opportunities to shop and support local artisans and small businesses.
On view through March 8, 2026, Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Flower Show installation features new works by four Philadelphia-based artists that explore the connections between art, horticulture, memory, and community. Rooted: Murals and Memory features four original murals by Eustace Mamba, Matthew Raghunauth, Miranda Lopez, and Richie Wilde Lopez, demonstrating how the creative acts of gardening and mural-making overlap, preserving our personal and communal histories while nourishing our hearts, souls, and collective futures.
“Because the Flower Show is indoors and super temporary, we have the opportunity to work with artists who can create murals in all kinds of mediums,” said project curator Conrad Benner. “This year, I was interested in working with textile artists. Richie Wilde Lopez and Miranda Lopez have been on my list for this project for several years, after having seen their work in different gallery shows around the city. For the other two murals, I was interested in artists who I thought would be particularly good at capturing people’s attention and telling an interesting story through their paintings. For years, I have admired the work of Eustace Mamba and Matthew Raghunauth, and I’m glad they were able to join us as well.”
“It’s a joy and an honor to be invited once again to create an installation for the PHS Flower Show that spotlights the work of up-and-coming Philadelphia artists,” said Jane Golden, Mural Arts founder and executive director. “This year’s group of artists have leaned into the rich intersection of gardening and art-making, resulting in four stunning and evocative murals that thousands upon thousands of attendees will see as part of their Flower Show experience. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
Benner agrees, noting that the Flower Show provides a uniquely valuable and potentially life-changing experience for the artists involved each year: “This scale of mural project, 12 feet by 8 feet, is ideal for emerging local artists who are newer to mural making. For the artists who participate, it’s usually either their first mural, or the next big step in their mural-making careers. In the nine days the Flower Show runs each year, it’s estimated that about a quarter of a million people come through. It’s such a wonderful way to invite Flower Show visitors to learn about local artists while sharing the work of Mural Arts with potential new audiences.”
Visit our 2026 Flower Show project page to learn more about the four featured artists this year, and to hear from them directly in exclusive podcast interviews with project curator Conrad Benner. Visit the PHS Flower Show website for ticketing information, and find Mural Arts’ Rooted installation at display #39!
