To celebrate Mural Arts Month, the program is presenting "31 Days/31 Ways: Art Ignites Change" - an online series that profiles a diverse group of constituents and demonstrates how art has ignited change in their lives. Though the stories of just a few individuals are highlighted here, they speak volumes about the way public art can touch people all over the city.
With the Love Letter project, artist Steve Powers created 50 murals along the elevated Market-Frankford line in West Philadelphia that presented a message of love and enlivened an important commercial corridor.
With How Philly Moves, photographer J.J. Tiziou, lead muralist Jon Laidacker, and a team of artists including assistant Tjai Abdullah created an 85,000-square-foot mural along the parking garages facing Interstate 95 at Philadelphia International Airport - a memorable gateway for travelers and visitors to the region.
With A Place to Call Home, 48 youths involved in Mural Arts' Art Education programs worked with artists Ernel Martinez, Damon Reaves, and Shira Walinsky to create a complex, multidisciplinary project to raise awareness about the housing challenges facing urban youth.
For the Art and Sole project, Art Education students learned about the intersection of commerce and art by creating designs to share their stories of hope through a fashion show, exhibition, and rally.
Through a range of exciting projects, Mural Arts has helped transform not only neighborhoods but the lives of those who inhabit them. Visit muralarts.org each day this month for a new inspiring story showcasing the transformative power of art.
E-mail Jane Golden at jane.golden@muralarts.org.
