Philadelphia’s Transformative Mural Arts Program
For thousands of years, humanity has expressed themselves by creating imagery on walls, whether on caves, under bridges, or the sides of buildings. Graffiti ranges from simple written words, to elaborate paintings. Opinions remain varied on what is graffiti and what is art, with a struggle between the two. Before the explosion of street artists and popularity of the likes of Banksy, Shepard Fairy, King Robbo, graffiti was linked to gangs and crime. Neighbourhoods were littered with unreadable ‘tags’ and imagery that usually have a meaning of marking territory. Similarly, although more easily decipherable, large paintings on the sides of buildings have been used for neighbourhood residents to identify and distinguish themselves from others.
In Dr. Richard Florida’s The Creative Class, there is a comparison of the health of urban landscape to that of a human body; the city will only succeed in remaining healthy when all aspects of the city, like a body’s organs, work simultaneously and cohesively. An important organ in the body of the city is public artwork; either funded by the public purse, or created/donated by citizens and corporations. In traditional terms, one can define public art as any artworks that fall into the public sphere and are consumed by the general populace. However, beneath the surface of the city square installations or community sculptures, is an entirely different essence of public art with a different social purpose. The subculture of mural art is valued highly as a tool that deters crime creating a sense of identity for the individual, as well as a device to influence political awareness that can be used to promote political defiance and create public uproar. Whether it is through sculptures in town squares, street art (formerly known as graffiti) across abandoned walls, mosaics on the tube or mural projects in low-income neighbourhoods, public art does more than beautifying the city; it provides a platform for neighbourhood cohesion. Simon Hattestone of The Guardian wrote “When I do come across [public art], surreptitiously peeping out of an alley or boldly emblazoned on a wall, I find it hard to contain myself. They feel personal, as if they are just for me, and they feel public as if they are a gift for everyone. They make me smile and feel optimistic about the possibilities of shared dreams and common ownership.” Mural arts can further be subdivided into different streams – transformative murals, neighbourhood identification, and politically driven street art. Over the next few issues I will explore these streams in greater depth.
During a recent visit to Philadelphia, I was in awe of the amount of murals throughout the city. After doing a bit of research, I found that Philadelphia is home to the world’s largest collection of outdoor public art due to the Mural Arts Program. This program was established in 1984 as part of the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network in an effort to eradicate the graffiti crisis. With over 3000 murals city wide, the mission of the Mural Arts Program is to utilize talent within the city, specifically low-income communities, and create alternative projects for former graffiti artists to channel their creativity in a positive way. In transforming communities from within, the Mural Arts Program not only changes the civic and cultural landscape of the city, but also most importantly contributes to grass-roots not-for-profit revitalization of the city’s most underserved communities. By employing over 250 artists, on average two million USD is redirected back into the local community each year, with nearly twenty thousand people across the city taking part in their initiatives. The program is subdivided into specific projects that include: Arts Education for Youth; Community Murals and Special Projects that works within the various neighbourhoods and create large-scale artworks; Restorative Justice for inmates, those re-entering society and victims of violence; and Porch Light for those struggling with mental illness, trauma and addiction. The Restorative Justice Program provides weekly instruction to over 300 inmates and 200 juveniles every year; it gives them an opportunity to learn new skills to make a positive contribution to their communities, in an attempt to repair the prior harm they may have caused. The Porch Light Program creates murals that focus on mental health and substance abuse, and in the past two years has enrolled 374 participants and over 3000 community members.
October 2015 has been a big month for the Mural Arts Program with the streets and buildings of Philadelphia being the canvas for the Open Source project. Contemporary artists from around the globe have transcended upon Philly to create fourteen new public murals, programming and tours of former Mural Arts Projects. Participating street artists include Ernel Martinez & Keir Johnston of AMBER Art & Design, Swoon, Sam Durant, The Dufala Brothers, JR (who was showcased at this year’s Scotiabank Nuit Blanche), MOMO, Jonathan Monk, Odili Donald Odita, Michelle Angela Ortiz, Jennie Shanker, Heezeop Yoon, Shinique Smith, Sterling Ruby, and world renowned Shepard Fairey. Fairey—best known for his Obama “Hope” and Andre the Giant “Obey” portraits—focused his Philadelphia murals on mass incarceration and prison reforms. “My goal with these pieces was to shed some light on the issue, destigmatize incarceration by finding people who are doing really great things, but were formerly incarcerated,” Fairey told the press, “I look at everyone as having the potential to do great things to shape society, including the 70 million Americans who have a criminal record. And I’m one of those.” With the assistance of convicts at Gaterford Correctional Facility, Fairey contributed two murals to the Open Space project. His murals feature portraits of James Anderson, a reformed LA gang member who now works to keep others out of prison, and once-incarcerated Philadelphia resident Amira Mohamed, who now works with the Mural Arts Program. His hope is for people who see the mural to recognize that those in prison are just like you and I. “Art is great tool to not only prevent people from going into the system, but to reduce their recidivism once they go into the system,” says Fairey.
See www.muralarts.org to find out more information about OpenSource, the Mural Arts Program, and tours available all year long.