Mural Arts Month displays Philadelphia's culture

By Taylor-Lynn Capaldo
Collegian Staff
October 18, 2006

Whether you frequent Center City on a regular basis, or you’ve taken a drive up Chew Avenue to get to the nearest Wawa, you’ve seen some of the works of art that our city is most famous for—murals.

Philadelphia is known nation-wide for the extravagant paintings that grace the sides of the city’s apartment buildings, bridges, local businesses, abandoned lots and open spaces. Murals have been taking over Philadelphia neighborhoods since 1984, when the city started the Mural Arts Program, teaming up with the Anti-Graffiti Campaign, whose purpose is to replace “destructive graffiti” with something beautiful.

The Mural Arts Program employs over 300 artists each year and works with over 100 local communities to paint murals throughout the city. It also offers an art education program, which works with over 1,000 youth from the area to “teach art, promote self-confidence and foster life and job skills.” The program also works with inmates from the State Correctional Facility at Graterford to help them give back to the community through artwork.

The month of October is deemed Mural Arts Month in Philadelphia. The Mural Arts Program sponsors events daily, such as numerous mural tours throughout the city featuring special guest speakers and dedications of new murals at the Philadelphia Zoo, in North Philly, Liberty Lands Park and Broad Street, to name a few.

Other events that are scheduled are “Dinner Discussions,” book signings by Mural Arts Program Director Jane Golden, a Trolley Tour sponsored by the White Dog Café, a Block Party Celebration and an Alex’s Lemonade Stand Community Paint Day, which encourages city residents to get involved in mural painting and gardening while enjoying food, music and more.

The events scheduled are expected to bring in over 5,000 people throughout the month. This year’s theme focuses around an Anti-Violence Campaign, and many of the murals being dedicated throughout the month focus on ways to put a stop to violence. One example is the dedication of “All Join Hands: A Vision of Peace,” at Broad Street and Spring Garden Street Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. An anti-violence symposium took place Oct. 18 and was moderated by a Philadelphia Inquirer editor, Chris Satullo, to discuss the issues of violence that the city faces.

Although October is already halfway over, there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved with Mural Arts Month. Fall break is this coming weekend, and there is a large selection of activities to choose from, which vary in price.

If you are willing to drop the big bucks, check out the White Dog Café Mural Trolley Tour, a two-hour tour throughout West Philly led by Championship Boxer Bernard Hopkins. For a little less cash, head over to the Independence Visitor Center at Sixth and Market Streets to get a Public Mural Tour that lasts for a half-hour and explores a different area of the city every Saturday. On Sunday afternoon at the Barnes and Noble in Rittenhouse Square, Golden is holding a free book signing, followed by a walking tour. An open discussion over dinner with Golden will be held Monday at the White Dog Café. Many of these events require reservations, so act fast.

Check out the Mural Arts Program’s Web site at www.muralarts.org for a full schedule of events.

capaldot1@lasalle.edu