Tag Archive "philadelphia-mural-arts-program"

Ben Volta’s mural–Home That Was

How many times have I passed by a demolished row house in Philadelphia, and stared at the wallpaper exposed to the elements on the neighboring brick wall. The weathered map of the rooms and stairs outlined on the standing house’s side tells a story of loss and memory and survival.

Fairey Good

On April 23rd, Shepard Fairey, of Obama-poster fame, rolled into Philly, taking a break from installing his show at Deitch Projects. The Mural Arts Program found him some sanctioned walls, and by Friday afternoon, Fairey’s team had begun wheatpasting on West Girard Avenue with a crowd of excited onlookers: students from Mural Corps, community business owners, and the local media.

Artists at Work: ‘Muralmorphosis’ and ‘Inside the Painter’s Studio’

Last month I attended the first screening of Muralmorphosis, the short animated film documenting the mural project of the same name curated by Sean Stoops (and organized by the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program) at 2nd and Race Streets during the 2009 Fringe Festival last September.

A Love Letter for You

Last time I saw Annette Monnier (at Little Berlin’s BYOTY last weekend), she said she was going to take the West Philly el tour of ex-graffiti artist Steve Powers’ A Love Letter for You series of murals for the Mural Arts Program. I said I was going to do that too, but she got it done, and what a job she did! Here’s what she had to say.

Sanctioned wheatpastes! Mural Arts turns a corner.

The Mural Arts Program has been adding some new, contemporary tactics to their mission to paint the town red and blue and yellow. Here’s the link to a small story from yesterday’s Inky about an interesting MAP program that is distinctly contemporary, and a welcome change in tactics–featuring art that is, like the story, small enough to miss: ‘Quick and dirty’ street art drawing viewers to river

An Outsider on the Inside at Riverside Correctional Facility, part 2

Post by Ann Northrup [This is part two of a two-part post that began Monday, Feb. 23 about artist Ann Northrup's experience teaching art to prisoners and creating a mural with them at Riverside Correctional Facility]. The 16-week class I taught [at Riverside Correctional Facility] was similar to the drawing class I teach at Philadelphia University, though it had a mural-painting aspect also. We began with copies from master drawings and photos. This was a major hit with inmates, not least because it involved homework, thus providing something absorbing to do in off-hours. They began demanding more and more homework, ... More » »

An Outsider on the Inside at Riverside Correctional Facility

Post by Ann Northrup Riverside Prison, Ann Northrup’s mural at the early stages (beige wall with white tornado shape in the middle). In 2005, already a seasoned muralist, I was offered a drawing class inside Riverside Correctional Facility, the women’s prison in Northeast Philadelphia, and the opportunity to paint the first outdoor prison mural. I jumped at the chance to see first-hand this usually off-limits underside of our many-tiered society. Beyond curiosity, I hoped to do some good, having strong feelings reinforced by years of teaching, that ordinary people have extraordinary talents, and it’s great to see them discover their ... More » »

A mural grows at K&A

Ann Northrup (left) in front of her new mural at K&A We at artblog are picky about our murals. We like what we like and some murals we are just not fans of. One of our very dear friends, Ann Northrup, is a mural painter. I don’t claim to be objective here but I think Ann’s murals are some of the best in the city. Ann works with communities in the traditional Mural Arts Program fashion and then she takes the wall to another level–somewhere way back to the Piero della Francesca days where perspective matters and people are shown ... More » »

Paul Santoleri’s clubhouse for Mural Arts gets a party

Paul Santoleri strikes a pose atop his new installation at the Thomas Eakins House The installation of Paul Santoleri‘s fantasy surround-space mural, floor-al and ceiling-al at The Mural Arts Program HQ called for a celebration. And there was one, Wednesday evening. People filtered in and out of the first floor front of the Thomas Eakins House, examining what Santoleri hath wrought. Mural artist Delia King at the celebration. I talked briefly to Mural Arts leader Jane Golden while I was there. She was saying that she really wished Mural Arts had control over the way the city spends money on ... More » »

Art in public places, part 1

Post by Andrea Kirsh [This is part 1 of a two-part post.] Philadelphia past and present Mark di Suvero, Iroquois, recently installed on the Parkway in Philadelphia, photo by libby I’ve had lots of occasion to think about public art (however you want to define it) since moving to Philadelphia in 2003. Full disclosure demands that I acknowledge my own history in the field: from 1988-1990 I was Assistant Director of Miami Dade County Art in Public Places (at the time one of the country’s oldest percent for art programs), where my responsibilities included administration, designing a care and maintenance ... More » »