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BY SOUTHEAST Artists Miriam Singer and Shira Walinsky
create immersive, placed-based art programs for immigrant and refugee communities.
MURALARTS.ORG INSIDE: Q&A with Yis “NoseGo” Goodwin pg. 3 | Southeast by Southeast pgs. 4-5 | Tony Goldman in Memoriam pg. 14 1
OFF THE WALL ISSUE: SPRING/SUMMER 2013
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A letter from Jane Dear Friends, In February I found myself in the very unfamiliar position of watching things at Mural Arts unfold from the outside. While recuperating from major back surgery at home, I wasn’t able to participate in the day-to-day dynamics of the program, and it was hard to be away from the intense activity of the Eakins House. While I recovered, I was reminded regularly of two important things: 1) Mural Arts has an extraordinary staff and internal leadership. They didn’t miss a beat. They kept me in the loop but moved things forward on every front, solving problems, sustaining organizational and personal relationships, forging the framework for our strategic planning, and closing in on our allimportant financial goals and; 2) the value of our work is affirmed daily by the opportunities that present themselves to us, the artists who want to work with Mural Arts, the agencies and organizations who seek us out as partners, and the growing participation in our private and experiential tours.
We hope that, since you are reading this newsletter, you also value the work of Mural Arts. We invite you to make a gift to support this vital shared creative enterprise. Or join us for our 9th annual Wall Ball on May 23, at which we will honor City Council President Darrell Clarke and the Philadelphia 76ers! The legendary Dr. J will be there, too, and we look forward to you joining us as we honor these Philly favorites – and also as we recognize, in memoriam, Tony Goldman and his commitment to Philadelphia’s revitalized Midtown Village, public art in Philadelphia, and our own Art Education program. (For more information, see the back cover.) And certainly read through this issue and meet us at upcoming community events to connect in more ways to honor our mission of personal and community transformation. Best,
Jane Golden Executive Director
Top: Kenny Gamble, Sonia Sanchez, Rev. Dr. Samuel R. Hutchins, Jane Golden, and Beverly Hill Lomax celebrate at the site of the Peace is a Haiku Song mural wall. Middle: Jane Golden speaks at the dedication for Our City, Our Vets mural in West Philadelphia. Bottom: Artist Richard Haas and Jane Golden pose at the site of 2300 Chestnut Place, his original mural, restored by artist Jon Laidacker.
SUPPORT MURAL ARTS! Director of Communications Jennifer McCreary
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Vanessa Mortillo, Assistant Manager for Individual Gifts and Database Management Latanya Vicks, Marketing & Communications Apprentice
Editor in Chief Almaz D. Crowe
Design Chellerose Buscarino, Lead Graphic Designer Melinda Gibson, Graphic Design Intern
Editorial Caitlin Butler, Senior Manager for Institutional Relations & Grant Oversight Linda DiMeo, Copy Editor Paul Dobry, Office Manager Thora Jacobson, Director, Design Review Amy Johnston, Information & Events Specialist Karol Mason, Associate for Institutional Relations
Photography Ashley Espinal, Photography Apprentice R. Kennedy for GPTMC Jack Ramsdale Photography Michael Reali Photography Aaron Swan Photography Dave Tavani, Photography Apprentice Steve Weinik, Lead Photographer MURALARTS.ORG
Philadelphia Mural Arts Advocates is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports the mission of the Mural Arts Program. Support from individuals, corporations, and foundations is vital to the Mural Arts Program’s ongoing work.
• T o Donate to the Mural Arts Program: MURALARTS.ORG/SUPPORT •S upport the Mural Arts Program through United Way Donor Choice #12472 Photo credit for cover image: Steve Weinik for the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program
Left: Yis is all smiles in his Art Education course. Right: This image accompanied promotion for his successful video game, Catball Eats It All.
NoseGo Knows Yis Goodwin, aka NoseGo, is a rising art star in galleries and streets from LA to the UK. He’s also a longtime instructor with the Mural Arts education program, currently teaching the Artrepreneurs class at the Charter High School for Art and Design (CHAD) in Center City Philadelphia. We caught up with him to talk about his past, present, and future:
Q: Can you tell us a little about your class with Mural Arts?
A: Yeah! It’s called Artrepreneurs and it helps kids who
want to pursue careers as artists or creatives. Even though there’s no right or wrong way to be an entrepreneur, there are some fundamental steps, like writing a business plan or securing proper documentation. What really matters is being unique enough that you stand out, establishing a niche, and growing your business. One of the key things that we teach is the need to be different. Don’t try to be what you admire. It’s okay to take inspiration, but you have to make it your own.
Q: Did you grow up in Philadelphia? A: Yes, on 21st and Bainbridge. I loved growing up in that
neighborhood. I lived there until I was 16, then my family and I moved to Germantown/Mt. Airy. When I was 19, I moved back to Center City.
Q: When and how did you decide to pursue a career as an artist?
A: Since high school, I’ve always wanted to be a visual,
illustrative artist. I went to CAPA (High School for the Creative and Performing Arts) and I had a brilliant teacher named Ms. Kunin; she was really hard on us, but I appreciate it because she instilled a lot of the foundation that I use today. My BFA is in film and digital video from the University of the Arts, but throughout college I was still doing the type of work that I’m doing now; it’s just grown.
Q: What’s your teaching style? A: There’s structure, but I make sure to leave enough [room] so that the kids have a voice; the whole point of being an artist is that you have a voice, and if they [the children] don’t have one, then what’s the point?
Q: What are you working on outside of Mural Arts? A: In May, I’m showing at Thinkspace, which is a gallery I’ve
always wanted to work at in Los Angeles, and here in Philly at Gallery 309. They’re having me back out in December for one group show and a mural out in LA, and then a duo show with an artist I really like from Mexico City, called Curiot.
I’m really looking forward to my first UK solo show out in Newcastle with the Gallery Unit-44. They put on amazing shows, and their artist lineup is incredible. I’ll be doing a mural out there as well.
Q: With all your success, are you planning on staying in Philadelphia?
A: (Laughs) A lot of people ask me that! Philadelphia is
home to me. I like working in New York and I do work [there] from time to time, like something I just did with Nickelodeon, but I love being an artist from Philadelphia.
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Southeast by Southeast When you walk into the storefront, vibrant images and elaborate scripts created by immigrants and their children tell stories of movement, struggle, and triumph. There’s a large notepad on an easel with words written in English leftover from an ESL class, and lanterns that loom gracefully from the cutout wall in the back. Framed photos of community members dressed in brightly colored saris, clutching shawls and engaging in everyday activities, hang from the winter white walls. This is the home base of the Southeast by Southeast project, a formerly defunct property that has been transformed into a community arts and resource center for new refugees from Bhutan, Burma, and Nepal, now living in South Philadelphia. Numerous events are held there almost every day, like cultural food nights, sari giveaways, and art therapy and art classes. Translators and community members have taken ownership of the center. Southeast by Southeast began with a series of community events and workshops over a year ago. Developed in partnership with the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, and Lutheran Children and Family Service, the goal of this project is to build a safe and supportive community space for immigrant and refugee families to learn about one another, gain access to important social services, and lend their voices to public art projects planned for the neighborhood. “We are here to learn more,” Padam, a Nepali immigrant said. “Our main goal is to achieve and to incorporate ourselves into American life.”
It did not take long for artists Miriam Singer and Shira Walinsky to realize they were not the only artists involved with the project; many who arrived to engage in workshops brought considerable creative talents with them, ranging from tatting to weaving. Singer and Walinsky saw an opportunity to use public art as a way to share the many creative traditions present (sidebar below). “One of the most impressive things is that the creative process has been an open exchange between artist and participant. All of the projects draw from the strengths of new refugees – their proud history, culture, and relationships with each other,” said Melissa Fogg, MSW, Coordinator for the Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative and services coordinator for the project. Fogg has been the connector, creating workshops and shepherding the community building process, which has resulted in a unique partnership between the artists, social workers, the community, and doctors at Jefferson University who guided the photo voice project. As the project has grown, attracting hundreds of residents and visitors, it has evolved into an exemplary model of creative place-making. In addition to the storefront, the community created a garden at 7th and Emily streets, which is a vital part of their lives. Mural Arts has received funding to continue Southeast by Southeast through the next year. “We want the best quality of life for our children, including preserving our culture and education for them,” said community resident Durga. “We like being here.” FUNDED BY: HUMMINGBIRD FOUNDATION, CITY OF PHILADELPHIA DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY SERVICES, PHILADELPHIA REFUGEE MENTAL HEALTH COLLABORATIVE
From the Artists: Singer and Walinsky used many sources to shape the way the art-making evolved. They share a few of their influences here:
Miriam Singer: I am creating smaller and semi-temporary pieces for two buildings along 7th Street, including the storefront and a community garden. These are meant as trail markers, signifying the refugee community’s presence, and the patterns within the pieces are based on woodblock and screenprints. They repeat in each piece, with the hope people will connect the imagery. Some of the patterns are directly based on refugee textiles, and the woodblock designs are inspired by collages the community members made during workshops.
Shira Walinsky: Members of the Bhutanese and Burmese Philadelphia refugee community were given cameras and photographed their lives. Their photos showed some of their reactions to moving to Philadelphia. Many people also took photos of dress from home: the sari from Bhutan/Nepal and the Lunghi from Burma. This allowed us to understand how clothing represented a freedom; for Bhutanese families who are ethnically Nepali, wearing the sari and celebrating Hindu customs was banned in Bhutan. For the Karen and Chin tribes in Burma, traditional clothing of beautiful intricate patterns – woven on a backstrap loom – inspired the colors in my murals, and Miriam was inspired by the patterns in the textiles.
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Global Change: What We Sow With Mural Arts’ 30th anniversary right around the corner, a stunning community-based project by Studio Orta will get us back to our roots – literally. On Saturday, October 5, 2013, more than 1,000 people will gather at an iconic Philadelphia locale, bringing to life the world’s largest staging of 70x7, The Meal, known in Philadelphia as What We Sow. This free, multisensory creative experience focuses on heirloom foods and will challenge minds to think beyond their beauty and palate-pleasing tastes. A collaboration between Mural Arts and Paris-based artists Lucy and Jorge Orta of Studio Orta, What We Sow will transform the familiar act of sharing a meal into a conversation among everyday citizens, food program leaders, local urban and regional rural farmers, legislators, community leaders, educators, and health professionals. These individuals will exchange ideas about the importance of heirloom varieties, which are typically those considered to be bred prior to the 1950s when there was a rise in genetically modified hybrid plants. What We Sow takes the future of Mural Arts beyond a genre-specific format and expands on the social and civic foundation of the mural tradition by addressing the relationship between local communities, regional ecologies, global economies, and the politics of food production. By working with contemporary artists who are at the forefront of public art, social practice, and community-based co-production, Mural Arts aims to catalyze new networks and new participants from all social backgrounds who have a shared interest in finding spaces for civic engagement based on active dialogue and collective experience.
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Fresh produce at the Headhouse Square Farmers Market
“Heirloom produce represents a cultural transaction, from one person to another, one generation to the next,” said Bob Pierson, Director, Farm to City. In addition to the meal itself, a summer of programming, including events like heirloom food tastings, cooking demos, tours of farmers’ markets and urban and rural farms, and discussions about issues surrounding food will be held, in cooperation with project partners like The Food Trust and Farm to City. “When I worked at the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network, the organizational precursor to the Mural Arts Program, a lot of our early neighborhood participants grew food in backyards, abandoned lots, and containers,” said
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Mural Arts Executive Director Jane Golden. Many of those urban AfricanAmerican gardeners grew plants that had travelled with their parents and grandparents during the Great Migration (beginning in 1916 through around 1930) out of the south to northern cities like Chicago, Detroit, and Philadelphia. Some of the gardens and gardeners continue to raise the seeds of those early migrants. Just as murals tell the stories, histories, and legacies of communities and people, What We Sow will highlight the historic fruit and vegetable varieties of our region to do the same. FUNDED BY: AT&T, PNC ARTS ALIVE, WILLIAM PENN FOUNDATION
Alumni members of Mural Arts’ Guild Program stand with Deputy Mayor for Administration & Coordination and Managing Director, Rich Negrin. Negrin oversees the PhillyRising Collaborative.
In Good Company: Restorative Justice & PhillyRising Partnership Mural Arts has a long history of fostering connections and helping youth and adults who have a history with the criminal justice system. In 2008, Mural Arts launched The Guild, an innovative jobs training program for adults coming out of the Philadelphia Prison System (PPS) and probated young adults, ages 18-24, recruited through the city’s Youth Violence Reduction Partnership (YVRP). The Guild is a supportive arts-based learning environment and re-entry program where people can build practical skills through professional development, apprenticeships on public art projects, and mentorship from an Employment Opportunities Specialist. Guild participants receive hands-on training in a variety of skill sets necessary for mural and community revitalization projects such as carpentry, construction, tile-laying, wall repair, muralpainting, lot cleanup, and landscaping.
Over the past several years, Mural Arts has grown the program model to serve hundreds of individuals, with support from PPS and a three-year grant from the Federal Stimulus Act through the City of Philadelphia. To reach an even wider audience, the program has recently partnered with the PhillyRising Collaborative, which targets Philadelphia neighborhoods plagued by chronic crime and quality-of-life concerns and engages community members to address these issues. Guild participants assist PhillyRising with murals and community improvement projects in these neighborhoods and work with area residents to make visible improvements to the quality and safety of their communities. FUNDED BY: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, CITY OF PHILADELPHIA
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Tour Philly with Mural Arts
New Tours: Mural Masterpieces & New Works Our trolley tours travel through the city to show iconic murals and cutting-edge public art projects that put Philadelphia on the international art map! The Mural Masterpieces tour features stops at Common Threads, Dr. J, Personal Renaissance, and more. The New Works tour takes visitors to How We Fish in Chinatown, Finding the Light Within (pictured, above) in West Philadelphia, and Personal Melody in Midtown Village, and others. Each tour includes insider information about the mural, the process, and the artist(s), and a visit to the Mural Arts at The Gallery studio for an artist chat and viewing of a mural-in-progress. 8
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TOUR THE MURAL CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
TAKE A MURAL TOUR TODAY! Learn about Mural Arts’ early history, our award-winning Art Education, Restorative Justice and Behavioral Health Programs, mural-making techniques, and unique insights into the stories behind our murals. All proceeds benefit Mural Arts Program initiatives.
muralarts.org/tour | 215-925-3633 Finding the Light Within Š2012 City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program/James Burns Photo credits: Steve Weinik, Bryan Lathrop, Aaron Swan, Eric Okdeh, Alisa Hathaway
Ongoing Tours and Experiences Mural Arts offers a variety of engaging experiences for fans of all ages, including the ever-popular Love Letter Train tour on the Market-Frankford line, SAM (Sculpture and Murals) walking tours along the Ben Franklin Parkway, Bike tours through Fairmount and Manayunk, trolley tours, and the Mural Mile walking tour in Center City. Private tours and painting experiences are available for groups and anyone who wants to experience the power of public art! MURALARTS.ORG
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Up Next: Ben Volta Subway Wrap Collaboration Artist Ben Volta will work with students to design a vinyl wrap for a subway car on SEPTA’s Market-Frankford Line (Blue Line). Volta, who recently completed the new mural at the Center for Art in Wood with assistance from The Guild, will bring his unique graphic style to teach graphic design to students; they, in turn, will get a chance to make their mark on a train that will move through the city’s tunnels, carrying hundreds of passengers daily. Mural Arts students begin work with artist Ben Volta this Spring.
LEAPs Mural Arts students are dedicated to innovation in a big way. Through the Local Emerging Artist Projects (LEAPs), an initiative designed to share some of the most visionary artwork in Philadelphia, students have been working side-by-side with unconventional up-and-coming local artists on projects with a fresh perspective. Since the program launched in 2011, students have worked with leading street artist Gaia and Philadelphia’s yarn bomber Jessie Hemmons, to name two. Well known street artist Gaia created this mural – an ode to city planner Ed Bacon.
One Human’s Trash is Another’s Treasure by Candy DePew On a cold winter night, decorative artist Candy DePew met KATZ!, a small kitten that had been abandoned in Chinatown earlier that day. Friends brought the kitten to DePew and, though she originally intended to foster it for a few months, her relationship with the kitten grew in unexpected ways. KATZ!’s likeness has been made into a print, which is the centerpiece of a new mural, One Human’s Trash is Another’s Treasure, created in collaboration with students who drew elements from nature, including insects, flowers, and the sun. They worked alongside DePew to learn how to screen-print their images onto brightly colored paper. The mural was then pieced together like decoupage, and sealed with a protective varnish. The finished project, to be dedicated in May, is a temporary mural located in the same neighborhood where KATZ! was found. KATZ!’s likeness has been screen-printed onto dolls, which are being sold to raise funds for the SPCA/PSPCA and given to hospitalized children and adults in need of a pick-me-up.
One Human’s Trash is Another’s Treasure mural can be found in the Eraserhood section of the city.
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FUNDED BY: CITY OF PHILADELPHIA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
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WE ARE ALL: Art Education’s Annual Exhibition Each year, rising stars in Mural Arts’ Education Program showcase their paintings, sculptures, graphic designs, and other creative works at a celebratory exhibition. This year’s event, titled WE ARE ALL, opens May 3 at the Asian Arts Initiative, one of Mural Arts’ satellite instruction sites. It will be on view through June 7.
WE ARE ALL
The exhibition is a cross-city conversation about identity between youth participants in Philadelphia and engages the creative minds and kindred spirits of students from disparate backgrounds. Young artists explore personal, collective, cultural, and geographical identities through portraits, collaborative projects, and interactive works of art that signify who they are and where they are headed.
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Throughout the school year, youth have worked on projects that incorporate mural-making, digital photography, airbrush, tape art, and product design. “What makes our annual exhibition unique is the opportunity for 16 Art Education classrooms to come together in an expression of projectbased learning and public art that is rooted in entrepreneurship, environmentalism, and civic engagement,” said Director of Art Education Yolanda Wisher. “The exhibition creates a collective experience for students through which they can showcase their accomplishments and be inspired by each other.” FUNDED BY: CITY OF PHILADELPHIA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STREETS DEPARTMENT, MAYOR’S OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY, CITY OF PHILADELPHIA DEPARTMENT OF PARKS & RECREATION, PHILADELPHIA WATER DEPARTMENT, PHILADELPHIA YOUTH NETWORK, ACE GROUP, ANONYMOUS (2), THE CHRISTOPHER LUDWICK FOUNDATION, DOLFINGER-MCMAHON FOUNDATION, FAO SCHWARZ FAMILY FOUNDATION, FORREST AND FRANCES LATTNER FOUNDATION, GRAHAM PARTNERS, HEUER FOUNDATION, HUMMINGBIRD FOUNDATION, JOHN S. AND JAMES L. KNIGHT FOUNDATION FUND OF THE PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION, LINCOLN FINANCIAL FOUNDATION, NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, THE PEW CHARITABLE TRUSTS, PTS FOUNDATION, SURDNA FOUNDATION, TD CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, VIRGINIA AND HARVEY KIMMEL ARTS EDUCATION FUND OF THE PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION
Art Education students worked with instructor Yis “NoseGo” Goodwin to create this mascot for the Spring exhibition.
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Rainwater Workshops: Soak It Up, Philly! This spring Mural Arts once again joins forces with the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) to use art to build support for improvements in the city’s Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI). Building on the success of the Restored Spaces collaboration at Bodine High School for International Affairs and the exuberant designs developed to wrap PWD’s new rain barrels, Mural Arts now partners on PWD’s Soak It Up, Philly! and InFill Philadelphia, a combined design competition and civic engagement exercise to focus attention on new improvements throughout the city.
An example of artist Stacy Levy’s work: North Carolina Zoological Park, Greensboro, North Carolina (2004) – Road striping paint, glass reflective beads, stone and bronze insets.
Mural Arts and PWD have selected three distinct urban “Infill” sites to pilot civic engagement efforts and reduce water pollution that will help to “green” communities using modest but effective strategies. Historic Queen Village is the first of three neighborhoods in which environmental artist Stacy Levy will utilize a toolbox of temporary art approaches toward developing creative
interventions in the urban environment. In the neighborhood west of I-95, between Queen and Carpenter streets, participants will see how stormwater is currently managed in that community: large, buried storm drains along with interim improvements already underway will ultimately lead to a wetlands park that will serve as a gathering space for art, environmental learning, and community stabilization along the Delaware. The third and largest gathering on June 1 will be a participatory art-making workshop to complement active storm water management strategies. Similar workshops are planned at two more sites in the following year: the large strip mall on Grays Ferry Avenue near the Schuylkill River and the combined industrial residential neighborhood of Hartranft in North Central Philadelphia. FUNDED BY: PHILADELPHIA WATER DEPARTMENT
Profile: Michael Whittington Nine years ago, Michael Whittington was a student in Mural Arts’ pilot course at the Philadelphia Prison System’s (PPS) House of Correction, incarcerated for his involvement in a shooting. Just 16 years old, Whittington took classes taught by muralists and was immediately drawn to the art-making process. “It was something different, a different type of experience,” he says now. During the course, he helped design, paint, and install a mural that welcomes visitors to the prison. Eventually, Whittington earned work-release and began assisting with murals outside of the prison while continuing to serve his sentence. Upon his 2008 release, he quickly became one of the trailblazers of what is now called The Guild, an innovative, interactive program that teaches artmaking and job skills to formerly incarcerated youth and adults on probation to break the cycle of violence and crime. 12
Mural Arts piloted The Guild with generous funding from the Ford Foundation, Philadelphia Prison System, Lomax Family Foundation, Thomas Skelton Harrison Foundation and the United States Department of Justice. The program has successfully served more than 200 young men and women like Michael Whittington, who experience a 15%-30% recidivism rate, compared to the national average of 60%. Today, Whittington is the Guild Program Coordinator, a part time-position that allows him to work side-by-side with program participants, manage their daily activities, and help with the administration of the program. “I really want to reach back out to those guys. There is no point in going back and forth to prison,” he added.
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In his new position, Michael oversees the schedules of Guild participants along with other administrative tasks.
Northwest Murals The Fall 2012 dedication of Wissahickon Crossing on the exterior of Bredenbeck’s Bakery & Ice Cream Parlor marked Mural Arts’ first strategic mural partnership with Chestnut Hill and is paving the way for more projects in the Northwest communities, including Mt. Airy and Germantown. Wissahickon Crossing by Ann Northrup was completely financed by members of the community and local businesses who contributed significant input in the design and artist selection process. Local entrepreneurs and residents Richard Snowden and Ken Weinstein have been ardent supporters of bringing public art to their neighborhood’s commercial corridors. Both businessmen recognize the relationship between art and commerce and have witnessed the ability of public art to stimulate economic and community development. “So many of us in Chestnut Hill are thrilled to have this incredible piece of public art [Wissahickon Crossing] in our community, and we look forward to planning and planting the companion garden in its foreground this spring,” said Snowden. “Many thanks to Mural Arts!” Another project that exemplifies the growing nexus of Northwest murals is Gateway to Germantown, located at 310 W. Chelten Avenue, a tribute to the people and places of Germantown. Lead muralist Jon Laidacker credits the community for its undying support and the conceptualization of the mural’s design. “Community meetings yielded just about every idea … folks working together and being neighborly, foliage and greenery of nearby Wissahickon Trail, and the history and architecture of Germantown Avenue.” Laidacker’s goal for the project is to produce a great painting, while not losing sight of the social and community narrative developed by the people who live with the mural every day. This project and others highlight neighborhoods known for their diversity, lush urban landscape, and history. As more muralists begin to work in this area, a Mural Arts tour showcasing public art in Chestnut Hill, Germantown, and Mt. Airy is in the works. Weinstein is also a champion of this project-in-the-making. “We are very excited to have a new attractive mural on the side of our building in Germantown,” he said. “By adding more murals in Northwest Philly and bringing mural tours to our part of the city, the Mural Arts Program is promoting economic development in our community.” Murals recently added to the Northwest collection include “Our Voice, Our Strength” (Felix St. Fort and Ernel Martinez), which honors Haiti earthquake survivors, and the in-process project on the SEPTA train trestle on Mt. Pleasant Avenue near Lincoln Drive, also by Laidacker.
Top: Wissahickon Crossing by Ann Northrup. Middle: Mural design of Gateway to Germantown by Jon Laidacker. Bottom: Our Voice, Our Strength – Voa Nu, Pwisans Nu by Felix St. Fort and Ernel Martinez, sponsored by City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services and the Hummingbird Foundation.
GATEWAY TO GERMANTOWN FUNDED BY: KEN WEINSTEIN, CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, THE ELIZABETH B. AND ARTHUR E. ROSWELL FOUNDATION
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Philadelphia Muses: Retouch, Resaturate, Restore to the Avenue of the Arts at 13th & Locust streets, the mural is viewed by more than 1,350 PATCO High Speed Line riders each day and countless other passersby.* Sponsored by Independence Foundation, the mural is visually sophisticated and rich with symbolism, and its themes have been distilled to their essence (e.g., sound, movement, craft). Fourteen years after it transformed a bare stucco wall overlooking a public parking lot, the mural is faded and in need of repair. “I often learn more from restorations than from new commissions,” Saligman said. “People think that mural restoration requires the least skill when, in fact, it is the most highly skilled work. You have to be a good draftsman, have a critical eye, and be careful not to do too much,” she added. Saligman will begin the restoration by applying a coat of mineral spirit acrylic varnish – a product that resaturates and restores luster to a mural’s paint layer – then evaluate what else needs to be done.
Philadelphia Muses by Meg Saligman
When you’ve created Common Threads, one of the most iconic public art projects in Philadelphia, how do you follow such a feat? If you’re renowned muralist Meg Saligman, you create another masterwork – Philadelphia Muses. Created in 1999, Philadelphia Muses is a contemporary homage to the muses of arts and culture. Located in proximity
How much life will the restoration add to the mural? “Perhaps 30 years,” Saligman said. “But, more important,” she added, “we want the mural to look its best however long it’s there.” *Statistics courtesy of the Delaware River Port Authority
RESTORATION FUNDED BY: CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, HUMMINGBIRD FOUNDATION, INDEPENDENCE FOUNDATION, ROBERT SALIGMAN CHARITABLE TRUST
New at the Zoo The Philadelphia Zoo is home to giraffes, penguins, polar bears, exotic birds, and other animals whose likenesses are being recreated on a mural on the exterior of the new Centennial District Intermodal Transportation Center. The mural, designed by artist Euhri Jones, features vivid renditions of the Zoo’s animal family that will be seen by the more than 18 million riders on Amtrak and SEPTA whose trains pass the location annually. “This is a dream project. I’m not so interested in drawing people as I am animals and plants. That’s my thing and I always want to do something – when I can – about the environment or any issues about wildlife and native species,” said Jones. In addition to Jones’ lead work on the nearly 8,000-squarefoot mural, approximately ten members of Mural Arts’ Guild Alumni Program are assisting with the project, earning money and respect as they contribute to another gateway public art project in the city. The mural features indigenous plants and flowers and animals in motion, reflecting the Zoo’s new master plan to
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Detail of Zoo mural design by Euhri Jones
create pathways that give the animals greater freedom to roam around its grounds. The goal of the project is to also evoke a connection between people and wildlife, with whom we share the environment. The June dedication will be a festive affair at America’s oldest Zoo. Jones says, “I went there as a kid and I take my own kids there now!” FUNDED BY: THE BARRA FOUNDATION, THE PHILADELPHIA ZOO
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The Goldman Touch Tony Goldman did not like to be called a developer. “Developers are knock ’em down, build ’em up guys,” he told The New York Times in 2000. “That’s not me.” Instead, he saw himself as a long-term investor in the revitalization of historic neighborhoods. In 1968, he opened Goldman Properties in a 200-square-foot office space with one employee, beginning his love for historic preservation. Over the next 25 years, Goldman created pockets of art in neighborhoods that others overlooked. Goldman Properties collaborated with Mural Arts in July 2011, funding a public art series that engaged world-renowned visual artists and students from the Mural Arts education program. The series kicked off with a wall in the heart of Midtown Village, transformed by a quirky mural by Brooklyn-based artist Kenny Scharf. The collaboration grew, with work by visual performance artists AVAF (Assume Vivid Astro Focus), featuring Christophe Hamaide-Pierson and Spanish-born and German-raised twin brothers HOW and NOSM. Recognizing that real change occurs when a neighborhood is pedestrian based is the Goldman philosophy – street life must be real and energetic and has to impart a true sense of place. In working with Goldman and Craig Grossman, his manager in Philadelphia, Mural Arts students have had the opportunity to work with accomplished artists and create works of public
At the Summer 2011 dedication for Kenny Scharf’s mural, Philly Chunk Pack are (left to right): Justice Taylor, Gary Steuer, Mayor Michael A. Nutter, Tony Goldman, Kenny Scharf, and Jane Golden
art that have become part of the 13th Street corridor, best viewed from a pedestrian vantage point. Goldman sought to create neighborhoods where people and businesses flourish, and art is a part of everyday life. The scale is human. The effect is magic. Mural Arts was heartbroken to learn of the loss of Tony Goldman in September 2012. We are happy to continue to work with Goldman Properties along 13th Street and extend his vision. And we are privileged to honor him posthumously at this year’s Wall Ball fundraiser on May 23, in recognition of his impact on both the Mural Arts Program and the city of Philadelphia.
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City of Philadelphia
MuralArtsProgram The Lincoln Financial Mural Arts Center at the Thomas Eakins House 1727-29 Mount Vernon Street Philadelphia, PA 19130 215-685-0750 | muralarts.org
Thursday, May 23, 2013 5:30 - 9:30pm | Vie, 600 N. Broad Street
You’re Invited
Honoring City Council President
Darrell L. Clarke The Philadelphia 76ers Tony Goldman, in memoriam
To Purchase Tickets:
muralarts.org | 215-685-0759
Presented By: