Taking a Look at the Murals Around Us

Did you catch NBC’s 1st Look segment last week? The show offers a lens into different cities around the world, and last week’s destination was our own Philadelphia. Guest host George Oliphant explored the city’s culture, from our food to our riverfront to our revolutionary history, and of course, he took a tour of Philadelphia’s murals—the thousands of public artworks that make up our “outdoor art gallery.”

Muralist Eric Okdeh takes George to see South Philly Musicians Remix and Legendary, two murals that engage the city’s rich history in music. Industrious Light on Carpenter is next, shining a light on Philadelphia’s industrial past. “Every mural in the city tells a story,” Eric says. Ernel Martinez’s 76ers: Beyond the Court is now fully installed, but you can catch the installation in progress in this video! Watch as the canvas strips are pasted to the wall, and the mural comes together piece by piece.

Whether you’re visiting Philadelphia or a longtime resident, we’d love to show you around, too. Our Tours office has so many options: public and private, walking or trolley or train, general or themed. You can even get into the mural game with our experiential paint days, where you can paint the very same canvas strips that will be mounted on the wall for everyone to see.