As you wander the streets of Philadelphia it is difficult to miss the real connection the city has with its history and art. With its galleries housing the works of some of the worlds most renowned artists Philadelphia takes its art very seriously. So seriously in fact that a scheme to divert the artistic energies of ‘graffiti’ enthusiast into community mural projects has been running successfully since 1984. The brainchild of artist Jane Golden, Mural Arts Philadelphia has become a powerful tool for ‘generating dialogue, building relationships, empowering communities, and sparking economic revitalization.’
For more information visit: https://www.muralarts.org
Whilst there are underlying social and political messages within much of the artwork – the size and effort involved to produce such spectacular works is what makes them really valuable. Many are created from individual hand painted polyurethane fabric panels which are then carefully pulled together into one magnificent jigsaw puzzle. The visitor has the easy job – enjoy and then Instagram!
