Philly Works 2012 // Qualities of Life in Philadelphia

about public assets and services, and integrate public art with sustainable revitalization strategies. To-date Restored Spaces has worked at six sites in five neighborhoods in collaboration with a growing list of stakeholders, including the School District of Philadelphia; Home and School Associations, student government, and faculty and staff; neighborhood community development corporations; the Philadelphia Water Department; and the City’s Department of Parks and Recreation.

The most recently completed of the Restored Spaces projects, Bodine High School for International Affairs, included murals and mosaics on four sides of the school by artists Beverly Fisher and Eurhi Jones that: visualized an environmental education curriculum, offered job training workshops, and created an outdoor environmental classroom by architect Scott Shall that was included in the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennial.

With Structure and Surface, still in its planning phase, artists will illuminate and contextualize the historic legacy of the city’s textile industry along with its past and present impact on the region’s landscape and people. When completed, through the lens of contemporary art and design, the final project will produce a series of experiential interventions that will help build momentum toward a revitalization of Philadelphia’s artisanal and manufacturing textile sector.

From investments in encouraging community recycling, to re-claiming failing business districts, to convening multiple stakeholders in long-term environmental sustainability efforts, to understanding the power of the creative economy to help revitalize Philadelphia’s textile and garment industry, Mural Arts continues to expand the agency of art to transform lives, public spaces and contribute to a wide range of “qualities” of life.

Jane Golden, Executive Director has been a driving force for the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, overseeing its growth from a small city agency into the nation’s largest mural program and a model for community development across the country and around the globe. Under Golden’s direction, the Mural Arts Program has created over 3,500 landmark works of public art through innovative collaborations with communities, grassroots organizations, city agencies, schools and philanthropies.

Image Credits 1. Open Your Eyes (Artist Steve Powers). Photo Adam Wallacavage 2. Mount Kilimanjaro (Artist Jane Golden).

3. Design with Motion (Artist Desireé Bender. Photo Steve Weinik 4. chainlinkGreen (Artist Scott Shall).

Photo The International Design Clinic / Keith Hartwig 82