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MURALARTS.ORG

OFF THE WALL ISSUE: FALL 2012

N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E

INSIDE: Porch Light Initiative pg. 3 | Peace Is a Haiku Song pg. 4-5 | Tour Philly with Mural Arts pg. 8-9

presents

Peace is a Haiku song

sonia Sanchez

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a letter from Jane

Dear Friends,

As you read this fall issue of Off the Wall you will see the work of an exceptional group of people who are keeping our eyes focused on the future while honoring our history and reflecting on the extraordinary body of work we are tackling right now.

We are working to protect our past investments both by forging stronger relationships with residents and organizational partners and by protecting those murals and projects that have helped to define the places where they live.

It is a challenging but exhilarating position to see our work located between more conventional art forms and the related disciplines of sociology, economics, and a range of urban issues impacting the city. We have occupied this territory of art and social change (one that others have begun to explore) for more than 27 years, as a city agency committed to community-based public art.

Mural Arts’ brand of socially engaged art connects itself to ideas, subjects, and problems that normally belong to other disciplines, moving them temporarily into a space of ambiguity. It is precisely this process of moving critical subjects into the realm of art-making that brings new insights and fresh observations to a particular problem or condition that sometimes seems intractable. This new visualization is critical to changing perspectives.

Last year, William Penn Foundation President Jeremy Nowak gave a talk at Mural Arts about creative placemaking and specifically about the role of our work in the behavioral health arena. He noted that, if you are talking about too many murals or too few murals, you have missed the point of our efforts. The work of Mural Arts is about “creating a compact between people and visualizing the powerful relationship between public space, the people who live in the community, and the capacity they have to change where they are, physically, emotionally, and economically and to control their own destiny.”

Mural Arts’ work from year to year is a rich and cogent, if incomplete, autobiography of a city – a city I love, regardless of how hard the job gets, and it does. No matter what difficult and painful things I observe, no matter what obstacles block the path – I am an optimist, and my spirits are regularly lifted by Philadelphians from every neighborhood, whose resilience inspires me and whose faces light up in determination and spirit and common purpose when they work with us.

I hope you will join us in this transformational work, either by direct participation or financial support – or both!

Best,

SUPPORT MURAL ARTS!Philadelphia Mural Arts Advocates is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports the mission of the Mural Arts Program. Support from individuals, corporations, and foundations is vital to the Mural Arts Program’s ongoing work.

• To Donate to the Mural Arts Program: MuRaLaRTs.oRg/suPPoRT

• Support the Mural Arts Program through United Way Donor Choice #12472

Photo credit for cover image: Steve Weinik

Vanessa Mortillo, Assistant Manager for Individual Gifts and Database Management

DesignChellerose Buscarino, Lead Graphic Designer Suzanne Slattery, Graphic Design Intern PhotographyAlisa Hathaway, Photography Intern Paul Loftland Photography Kathy Poole, Photography Intern Mike Reali Photography Aaron Swan Photography Steve Weinik, Lead PhotographerEunice Yu, Photography Intern

Photo credit: Steve Weinik

Photo credit: Kathy Poole

Photo credit: Paul Loftland

Top: Jane Golden at Wall Ball 2012 honoring The Roots,

including the band’s founders Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and

Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson (center). Middle: Jane Golden at

the 2012 Be Kind to Animals paint day with artist David Guinn.

Bottom: Artist Miriam Singer, Project Manager Will Pace, Jane

Golden, PhillyRising Director John Farrell, PhillyRising Assistant

Managing Director Adé Fequa, and artist Shira Walinsky at a

Southeast by Southeast community day.

Director of CommunicationsJennifer McCreary

Editor in Chief Kevin Slattery

EditorialCaitlin Butler, Senior Manager for Institutional Relations & Grant OversightAlmaz Crowe, Special Events & Marketing ManagerLinda DiMeo, Copy Editor Paul Dobry, Office ManagerThora Jacobson, Director, Design ReviewAmy Johnston, Information & Events SpecialistIman Martin, Marketing & Communications Intern

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The Porch Light Initiative was piloted between 2009 and 2010 at JEVS Human Services in North Philadelphia, which provides methadone, counseling and other addiction treatment services. Muralist James Burns worked with clients at JEVS to develop a mural entitled Personal Renaissance to illustrate the path from addiction to recovery.

Burns is currently starting his third year as a lead artist for the Porch Light Initiative at Sobriety Through Out-Patient (S.T.O.P.). He generously took time out of his busy summer painting schedule to talk with us about his vast experiences working with Porch Light.

Q: How has art ignited change in the lives of the Porch Light participants?

A: I’m around these participants for a good stretch of time so I really get to know them. I hear about them being clean and when they celebrate their 7 months, 10 months, 12 months [anniversaries] of sobriety. Working with a group of people who have maintained sobriety for the duration of the project gives me a great sense of achievement in addition to their own achievement of being sober. These conversations are at the start of the design of the mural and stand for the things we value – like strength of the community and being visible within one’s community.

Q: This fall marks the beginning of year three of the Porch Light Initiative. How do these mural projects differ from other Mural Arts projects?

A: Clearly there is a structure in place with Porch Light that has grown, allowing for communal development of the mural design. This allows for the chemistry of artists and community to evolve in an amazing way to create the art. The dialogue and presentations of work were led by me as the artist in other projects and with Porch Light, there is a core group of community participants that were involved in the conception, editing, and dialogue that developed it [mural]. There is this balance of artist and community that I have never experienced in such a potent way.

Q: The murals you have designed and created through these projects often contain detailed portraits of diverse people. Where do you find your inspiration for these portraits?

A: The opportunity to use the people I engage with here [S.T.O.P.] has been great. If I have images around of people that work here, I will try to use them, especially if I know the person because it will make it more exciting and rewarding for me. People don’t always want to

Meet Porch Light Muralist James Burns

be represented in the mural and other times they are thrilled to be included. What’s special about this project is that it isn’t always the likeness of a person involved in the Initiative; often it’s a characteristic or the idea of a person presented through a collage made in a workshop.

Q: Have you seen any personal triumphs with the clients you have been working with at S.T.O.P.?

A: Two people who are part of our core group are returning to school this fall. One of them is working towards becoming a certified peer specialist. I’m hoping this person will come back for year three and be involved in recruitment of individuals for the Initiative. Anyone who has made an investment in Porch Light hasn’t walked away without feeling a sense of achievement, which shows true success.

Q: Years from now, how would you like your work with the Porch Light Initiative to be characterized? What kind of legacy would you like it to pass on?

A: We have shown that you can engage diverse communities and showcase a high level of art, which is a legacy I would like to be continued in years to come for Mural Arts.

To learn more: muralarts.org/porchlight Funded by: City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health & Intellectual disAbility Services, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation, William Penn Foundation, Independence Foundation, The Philadelphia Foundation, The Patricia Kind Family Foundation

PoRcH LigHT iniTiaTiVeMural Arts believes that art can be a powerful and positive force in people’s lives. The Porch Light Initiative strives to put this belief into action by working to improve the health of individuals and communities through human connection and art. The Initiative partners with three North Philadelphia behavioral health agencies to illuminate challenges individuals and communities face experiencing behavioral health issues and trauma. The goals are to catalyze positive changes in the community, shed light on challenges faced by those with behavioral health issues, reduce stigma, and encourage empathy among community members. The Initiative is part of an ongoing effort by the City’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services to support innovative approaches to behavioral health services and represents a critical investment and collaboration with another municipal agency.

Left: James Burns stands in front of his mural Our Vision, Our Testament located on the north facade of Sobriety Through Out-Patient (S.T.O.P.) at 2534-36 N. Broad Street.

Right: Leroy Bonaparte, a service recipient at S.T.O.P., stands below a portrait of himself that was designed by James Burns and painted by Porch Light participants.

Photo credit: Steve Weinik Photo credit: Steve Weinik

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Photo credit: Steve Weinik

Let me wear the dayWell so when it reaches youYou will enjoy it

-Haiku by Sonia Sanchez

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Mural Arts is proud to present Peace Is a Haiku Song, an interactive public art project that engages the global community in an exploration of haiku as a vehicle for peace and urban transformation. This multimedia collaboration is the brainchild of Sonia Sanchez, who is Philadelphia’s first poet laureate and a legendary peace worker. Inspired by the belief that the haiku engenders reflection, Sanchez invites everyone to write their personal reflections on peace in haiku form.

Emulating Sanchez’ belief that the haiku is inherently non-violent in its intent and structure, creates beauty and serenity, and brief reflection, the individual verses of haiku will come together – from the website, the temporary murals, and a permanent mural honoring Sanchez– and resound with a collective testimony to peace.

The goals of the project include: honoring the legacy of Sonia Sanchez as a poet, author, educator, and lifelong advocate for peace; showcasing haiku as a vehicle for expressing themes of peace; teaching youth how to write haiku and introducing them to mixed media art techniques; and extending Mural Arts’ mission to reach national and international audiences.

“I have words of peace from Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou and Alice Walker; isn’t that a joy for the City of Philadelphia to have these great women writers sending us their words about peace,” said Sanchez. “... all over this earth people are sending us haiku about peace.”

The project kicked off at historic Christ Church in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia as part of The First Person Arts Festival last November. At this inaugural event, Sanchez read a new haiku and led the audience in a haiku-writing workshop. The end products became part of an art installation by artist Anthony Campuzano and Mural Arts’ youth artists, which was displayed during the First Person Festival.

Sanchez’ inaugural haiku also served as the first link in a renga – or chain of haiku. Project participants are invited to add to the chain by submitting their own haiku via Twitter, Facebook, and a dedicated website that showcases submissions via a searchable public interface. Sanchez, as a

Sonia Sanchez Invites You to Share Personal Reflections on Peace in Haiku Form

noted public speaker with national and international engagements, has also spread the message of the project to thousands of people she has encountered in her travels and has encouraged them to participate by submitting haiku, which will become part of the final art installation.

Concurrently, Peace Is a Haiku Song was the focus of four groups of students in our art education program from classes held at PCAT, Feltonville School of Arts & Sciences, E3 West, and NET. Sanchez visited classes to share her experiences as an activist and encouraged students to promote social change on their own terms.

In collaboration with professional artists, our art education students have created a path of teaser murals/posters that feature the haiku that has been submitted. These text-based teaser murals will create unexpected moments of word and color, awaken curiosity in passers-by, and generate excitement in the literary and arts communities.

This artwork will serve as contemporary footsteps leading up to the main mural honoring Sanchez, which has been designed by artists Parris Stancell and Josh Sarantitis. To learn more: peace.muralarts.org

Sponsored by: City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services National Endowment for the Arts, Hummingbird Foundation, Forrest and Frances Lattner Foundation

Photo credit: Eunice Yu

Sonia Sanchez joined Feltonville art education students, instructors JT Taylor and Samuel Rodriguez, and project manager Lisa Murch in a haiku-writing lesson.

suBMiT YouR Peace Haiku ToDaY! Residents, visitors, and citizens from around the world ... we encourage you to contribute a haiku poem!

Selected haiku will be featured in mini-murals in unexpected locations around Philadelphia and will serve as places to stop and reflect on the city. The final mural will honor Sanchez and reflect as many of the individual haiku as possible.

Visit: peace.muralarts.org Twitter: @MuralArtsPeace and #peacehaiku

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Mural Arts’ Art Education students engage directly with mural-making during their time in our program.

Since they are introductory and intermediate students, this typically means they contribute to major projects led by professional artists – a hands-on and exhilarating way for them to learn about muralism. For our more advanced students, this means they lead their own interior projects – holding community meetings and then generating and painting the final design.

We are also able to offer a small group of our most advanced students and exemplary graduates a place in our Youth Apprentice Program, where they are compensated to work as assistant muralists with the support of a mentor.

Below, we share a preview of some of the projects our students will contribute to in the coming year. Aqui y Alla (Here and There) We are pleased to involve several young people in our Art Education program in Aqui y Alla, a transnational mural project created and directed by artist Michelle Angela Ortiz. The project explores the impact of immigration in the lives of Mexican immigrant youth in South Philadelphia in connection with youth in Chihuahua City and Juarez, Mexico.

Young people in both of these communities are impacted by the effects of immigration as manifested in family dynamics, sense of identity, shifting of cultures, socioeconomic status, and violence against their own communities. This project works simultaneously on both sides of the border, joining the two cultural worlds through the vision of young people.

Youth from Chihuahua City and Juarez, Mexico, and Philadelphia will create images and messages along with Mexican Artist groups Colective Madroño (Chihuahua City) and Colectivo Rezizte (Juarez) that will be incorporated in the final mural located at 6th and Dickinson streets in South Philadelphia. The Artistic Rebuttal ProjectIn the coming year, we will partner with local author Amy Scheidegger, who created the Artistic Rebuttal Project – a book, website, and social media phenomenon – in response to overhearing teenagers on a subway describe art as useless.

Over the past year, she has solicited beautiful, funny, and creative rebuttals from hundreds of artists and arts lovers.

In the coming year, she will engage our youth participants in the project as they explore why art matters in their lives. They will produce a series of temporary or permanent murals that share their messages. The Photography Project Over the next year, our young participants will embark on an exploration

Inspiring Artistic Greatness with Art Education

of the relationship between photography and muralism. We plan to bring several renowned photographers with experience in education and community engagement to work with our youth and lead master classes with members of our faculty.

Students will work together to develop photography projects that will take the medium to new places in unexpected locations. Local Emerging Artist Projects (LEAPs)We first launched LEAPs in Spring 2011 as a part of our muraLAB program, a branch of the organization devoted to experimentation and innovation.

Each year, we select four local artists who are interested in exploring ways to bring their personal aesthetic into public art-making to produce a small temporary project in collaboration with youth in our Art Education program.

LEAPs give our young people an opportunity to think about new directions for muralism, consider emerging technologies, and think critically about how to connect personal vision to public process.

These smaller, shorter-term projects are especially well-matched to our Restorative Justice Youth participants, many of whom are only able to attend the program for just two months. Social Worker Mural Project Over the next year, youth in our Art Education program will collaborate with staff at the City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services to create a new mural that celebrates the role of social workers in the lives of young people.

This project will connect practitioners from around the city and will unite providers with the constituents that they serve. Our goal is to bring higher visibility to the role social workers play in our communities. In addition to working with youth enrolled at our sites, we will involve young people enrolled in programs at other agencies. To learn more: muralarts.org/arted Funded by: City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services, City of Philadelphia Streets Department, Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, City of Philadelphia Department of Parks & Recreation, Philadelphia Water Department, Philadelphia Youth Network, ACE Group, Anonymous, Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, F.A.O. Schwarz Family Foundation, Forrest and Frances Lattner Foundation, Graham Partners, Heuer Foundation, Hummingbird Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation, Lincoln Financial Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The Pew Charitable Trusts, PTS Foundation, TD Charitable Foundation, Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Arts Education Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation, The Christopher Ludwick Foundation

Left: Artopus, a mural created by art education instructor Sarah Folger and her Laura W. Waring Elementary School students

Right: Mural Arts art education students show their best dance moves at their summer exhibition featuring work that celebrated legendary hip-hop band The Roots.

Photo credit: Kathy PoolePhoto credit: Unknown

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Mural details: Reading the Flow, Eurhi Jones and Beverly Fischer

chainlinkGreen at La Biennale Architettura 2012On display at the 13th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, Italy, is chainlinkGREEN, a Restored Spaces project led by Scott Shall of International Design Clinic and completed in the Fall of 2011. This complex structure at Bodine High School for International Affairs consists of shade canopies and benches created from recycled materials, including chainlink fencing, standard 90° pipes, rubble, reclaimed lumber, and concrete debris.

Funded by: City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services, Philadelphia Water Department, PTS Foundation, Surdna Foundation

Partners include: Bodine High School for International Affairs, School District of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Water Department, Northern Liberties Neighbors Association, International Design Clinic, Tyler School of Art/Temple University

Rain Barrels Put to Good UseYouth from Waring Elementary and YESPhilly participated in the Rain Barrel project, creating six original designs that will be replicated on vinyl covers for rain barrels. They studied a curriculum that uses storm water management facts to inspire and inform the designs.

Funded by: Philadelphia Water Department

To learn more: muralarts.org/restoredspaces

Restored Spaces Flourish in Kensington and Beyond

Mural Arts’ Restored Spaces initiative is an evolving model for community revitalization. Now in its fourth year, this successful program engages disparate stakeholders from across the city, educates young people, and creates useful and accessible public art.

Shissler Spray Park & GreenwayAn exciting project taking place at Shissler Recreation Center — which already features a mural by artist Beverly Fisher — is the new spray park and greenway, major components of the Big Green Block project. The goal of Big Green Block is to transform the area in close proximity to the rec center and the Kensington School for Creative and Performing Arts (KCAPA) into the biggest, greenest block in Philadelphia, while creatively promoting sustainability.

Funded by: Philadelphia Water Department

Partners include: New Kensington Community Development Corporation, Philadelphia Water Department, School District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, City of Philadelphia Department of Parks & Recreation The Trust for Public LandIn partnership with the Trust for Public Land (TPL), Mural Arts and a diverse group of agencies, including the Philadelphia Water Department, and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and the School District of Philadelphia are greening schoolyards and recreation centers throughout the city. Mayor Michael A. Nutter’s Green 2015 Action Plan calls for healthy, sustainable spaces in which children can play and grow. In addition to providing an oasis, the plan teaches youngsters about their environment and how stormwater conservation has a direct impact on their neighborhood.

Funded by: PTS Foundation

Partners include: Trust for Public Land, Philadelphia Water Department, City of Philadelphia Department of Parks & Recreation, School District of Philadelphia

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ALBERT M. GREENFIELD

AFRICAN AMERICAN ICONIC IMAGES COLLECTION

NORTH PHILLY TROLLEY TOUR

FEATURING PHILLY PAINTING

HERE’S A SAMPLE OF SOME OF THE EXTRAORDINARY MURAL PROJECTS YOU’LL EXPERIENCE ON OUR AWARD-WINNING TOURS

with Mural ArtsTour Philly

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Tour details: 2-hour trolley tour Featured project: The Roots Mural Project, 1433 South Street Artists: Amber Art and Design featuring Tatyana Fazlalizadeh Project details: The Roots Mural Project 1 honors the homegrown hip-hop trailblazers, cultural icons, and GRAMMY® Award winners, The Roots. From founders Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson’s beginnings at the High School for Creative and Performing Arts, to their staggering 13 recorded albums, The Roots have influenced generations of artists locally, nationally, and globally. Other notable murals on this tour: Parris Stancell’s A Celebration of Poetry & A Celebration of the Arts; David McShane’s Jackie Robinson; Kent Twitchell’s Dr. J (Julius Erving) 2 .

muralarts.org/therootsor iconic.muralarts.org

Tour details: 2-hour trolley tour | Featured project: Philly Painting, 2500-2800 Germantown Avenue | Artists: Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre UrhahnProject details: Philly Painting 3 intends to revitalize and re-energize one of Philadelphia’s oldest commercial corridors, a three-block section of Germantown Avenue in North Philadelphia around Lehigh Avenue. The artists have developed a color palette based on patterns of recurring primary and secondary hues that reflect the neighborhood and the city’s quintessentially rich and complex character. Other notable murals on the tour: Eric Okdeh’s Family Interrupted 4 ; Paul Santoleri’s Underground Rivers & Open Spaces; Cathleen Hughes’ Doorways to Peace.

muralarts.org/phillypainting

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PhiladelphiaTHe MuRaL caPiTaL oF THE WORLD

TAKE A MURAL TOUR TODAY!Learn about Mural Arts’ early history, our award-winning Art Education, Restorative Justice and Behavioral Health Programs, mural-making techniques, and unique insights into the stories behind our murals. All proceeds benefit Mural Arts Program initiatives.

muralarts.org/tour | 215-925-3633Photo credits: Steve Weinik, Bryan Lathrop, Aaron Swan, Eric Okdeh, Alisa Hathaway

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Tour details: 2-hour walking tour Featured project: Philly Chunk Pack, 116-120 S. 13th Street Artist: Kenny Scharf Project details: Mural Arts and Goldman Properties are collaborating on a series of public street art projects that engage world-renowned visual artists and students from Mural Arts’ Art Education Program. The series kicked off in July 2011 as a wall in the heart of Midtown Village was transformed by a quirky new mural, Philly Chunk Pack 5 , by Brooklyn-based artist Kenny Scharf . He shared his graffiti art roots with students, teaching them how to work with acrylic spray paint to create thought-provoking, evocative street art. Other notable street art projects on the tour: avaf’s (assume vivid astro focus) All Amazing Fingers; How and Nosm’s Personal Melody 6 ; a new mural project (in production at press time) by Vhils (tag name of Portuguese street artist Alexandre Farto).

muralarts.org/goldman

Tour details: 2-hour walking tour | Featured project: How to Turn Anything into Something Else, 207 North Broad Street | Artists: The Miss Rockaway ArmadaProject details: This mural project paired 13 artists from the nationally recognized art collective Miss Rockaway Armada [missrockaway.org] with roughly 31 Mural Arts Art Education students ages 10 to 15 during the summer of 2011 to develop the concept, artistic flow, and imagery for the mural. This team of artists taught the students creative exercises to help them access their vast imaginations through the How to Turn Anything into Something Else mural project 7. Other notable murals and sculptures on the tour: Robert Indiana’s LOVE; Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker; Meg Saligman’s The Journey mural.

muralarts.org/rockaway

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Tour details: 2-hour trolley tour | $15-25 | Featured project: A Place to Call Home, 3828 Melon Street Artists: Ernel Martinez, Damon Reaves, Shira WalinskyProject details: A Place to Call Home 10 10 sheds a light on the unique housing challenges facing urban children and youth while embarking on a significant effort to equip them with the skills and resources necessary to ensure they remain healthy and housed. The artists worked with high school students in Mural Arts’ art education program to create three unique art projects. On this tour you will be able to experience the painting of over 30 facades of homes. Other notable murals on this tour: Marcus Akinlana’s Tuskegee Airmen: They Met the Challenge 8 ; David Guinn’s Heart of Baltimore Avenue 9 ; Cliff Eubank’s Martin Luther King, Don Gensler and Jane Golden’s Holding Grandmother’s Quilt.

muralarts.org/aplacetocallhome

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From its origins as a trail forged by William Penn from Philadelphia to New York City, Frankford Avenue has played an important role in Philadelphia’s history.

Mural Arts reflects on the history of this important thoroughfare and the Frankford neighborhood while highlighting its growing potential and aiding its current forward-thinking revitalization through a new mural project titled Imagining Frankford.

Initiated through Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, who secured funding for the project, this collaboration between the Frankford community and Mural Arts will consist of a series of four murals along Frankford Avenue between Kensington Avenue and Orthodox Street.

Mural Arts and Frankford residents explored the important places, events, and people that have forged the character of the community through a series of public planning meetings.

“Frankford lives on the streets” was a shared vision of the community, expressing the importance of the visible changes that are making a difference on the streets, which are not as safe as they once were, and looking forward to the return of shopping, living, and working within the neighborhood.

Three of the four murals were designed over the spring and early summer and began production in July via workshops with neighborhood youth participating in the Boys & Girls Clubs and community paint days at the Second Baptist Church of Frankford.

The imagery within the mural designs draws heavily from the planning meetings as well as the interviews with muralist Cesar Viveros in which residents shared their stories of hope for Frankford. These interviews were recorded to provide inspiration for the murals, to further communicate the ideas championed by the mural project; they will exist as a video archive for years to come. To learn more: muralarts.org/imaginingfrankford youtube.com/user/ImaginingFrankford Funded by: City of Philadelphia ReStore Philadelphia Corridors Program

Made possible by: Councilwoman Maria D. Quiñones-Sánchez

Residents are Imagining Frankford Through a Multifaceted Mural Project

The inspiration for How We Fish, a new mural project funded and initiated by the Citizens Bank Foundation, located on the Archworks Building at 125 North 8th Street, came from a group very near and dear to Mural Arts – the hardworking people of Philadelphia.

The project’s title, How We Fish, references the proverb “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.” The project itself focuses on the value of work and what it means to individuals and communities, while the overall theme of the mural is that “Work Unites Us.”

With help from The Penn Project for Civic Engagement (PPCE), a series of community forums produced lively discussions around the topic, “What does work mean to you?” These discussions took place in and around Frankford, South Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, Germantown, North Philadelphia’s Congreso de Latinos Unidos, McCall Elementary, and at Children’s Village (located in the building that is home to the mural). Participants in these discussions presented their thoughts as words and images on small pieces of cloth, meant to reflect some mosaic work used in the mural.

In March 2012, more than 70 people representing nearly 30 different providers of workforce development services in Philadelphia gathered for a forum organized by Mural Arts and Citizens Bank. Through small group discussions of practical approaches to skill development and a group-wide exploration of the future of work in the 21st century, participants contributed ideas for How We Fish while making connections and learning from one another.

Throughout the design process, muralist Eric Okdeh, Social Impact Studios, and the artist team captured the ideas and spirit of the community meetings and forums by using quotes from the community in the design. To learn more: muralarts.org/howwefish

Funded by: Citizens Bank Foundation

Partners include: Congreso de Latinos Unidos, District 1199C Training and Upgrading Fund, Federation of Neighborhood Centers, JEVS Human Services, Mayor’s Commission on Literacy, Metropolitan Career Center, Penn Project for Civic Engagement, People’s Emergency Center, Philadelphia Academies, Inc., Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, Philadelphia Works, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Public Affairs, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians, WHYY

How We Fish: Exploring the Value and Meaning of Work

The Imagining Frankford project interviewed more than 50 residents, asking them

what they envision for the future of their neighborhood.

Mural design: Social Impact Studios and Eric Okdeh

Logo design: Chellerose Buscarino, Image design: Netanel Portier

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Mural Arts recently completed a collaboration with The Center for Art in Wood to create Written in Wood, a new mural project along the façade of The Center’s building at 3rd and Quarry streets in Old City.

The Center for Art in Wood is a non-profit arts and educational institution whose mission is leading the growth, awareness, appreciation, and promotion of artists and their creation and design of art in wood and wood in combination with other materials.

“The Center saw the blank wall on Quarry Street as another opportunity to tell the story of the range of works created in wood by artists and craftspeople,” said Albert LeCoff, co-founder and Executive Director of The Center. Mural Arts’ Director of Restorative Justice Robyn Buseman identified the opportunity as a strong match with goals for participants in Mural Arts’ Guild prison re-entry program.

“I liked that The Center for Art in Wood would acquaint Guild Program participants with woodworking, a skill we aim to develop through carpentry workshops and projects,” said Buseman.

Philadelphia artist Benjamin Volta was hired to collaborate with staff at The Center, an advisory committee of local residents and business owners,

Mural Arts’ Restorative Justice Program is working to beautify area recreation centers to enhance the neighborhoods they surround, build connections within the communities they serve, and enrich the lives of the team of students from St. Gabriel’s Hall (residential placement facility for delinquent males), the Youth Violence Reduction Program (YVRP), and the Mural Arts Guild Program, who have provided the hard work and artistic talents to make these projects possible.

Muralist Delia King is currently working with the Guild Program participants from the Philadelphia Prison System at the 12th and Cambria Recreation Center to create a new mural that celebrates the role that the center plays in helping community members achieve their dreams. Participants will develop new skills, including: mural-making, basic art techniques, wall preparation, and building repair-related skills. This project aims to help participants prepare for employment following their graduation from the Guild Program and will give them the opportunity to contribute to the community and be seen in a positive light by neighborhood residents.

Funding from the Connelly Foundation enabled a multifaceted project at Capitolo Playground at 9th and Federal streets, which was completed in

Written in Wood Beautifies Old City

Restorative Justice Program Enhances Area Recreation Centers

and Guild Program participants to select furniture and sculptures from The Center’s collection to showcase in the mural.

The final design of the mural features sharp black silhouettes of selected objects layered over a tan pattern of additional objects that have been stretched to suggest a wood grain pattern. The project, which was painted directly onto the wall, offered Guild Program members the chance to learn about the design process, wall preparation, scaffolding, and painting.

Written in Wood will be dedicated on October 12, 2012 as a part of Mural Arts Month and DesignPhiladelphia. To learn more: muralarts.org/writteninwood

Funded by: Hummingbird Foundation, Philadelphia Prison System

Summer 2011. The mural, titled Melting Pot, brought together mosaic and painting and was created both directly on the wall and in segments prepared at various community workshops held at St. Gabriel’s Hall. Artists Jon Laidacker and David Woods portrayed the diversity of Capitolo’s Bella Vista neighborhood in the conceptual development and through the creation of the mural.

“These paintings on parachute cloth were completely conceived of by participants and then mounted to the wall, which created a vibrant trompe l’oeil gallery space with elements of mosaic accentuating it,” said Laidacker.

Mural Arts collaborated with students at St. Gabriel’s Hall, members of Mural Arts’ Youth Violence Reduction Program (YVRP), and adults and children from the community. Through a series of community meetings and workshops at St. Gabriel’s Hall, Laidacker facilitated the creation of the paintings, which celebrate diversity and equality.

The Connelly Foundation also provided the opportunity for youth at St. Gabriel’s Hall to work with muralist Diane Pieri to restore older murals and create new works of art at Cruz Recreation Center, which occupies the entire block from 5th to 6th streets between Jefferson and Master streets. While gaining teamwork experience, the students enhanced and beautified this community with newly learned painting, mosaic-making, and restoration skills.

In addition to the projects described above, members of The Guild also enhanced the Hancock Recreation Center in 2011 and the Towey Recreation Center in 2010. To learn more: muralarts.org/restorativejustice

Funded by: The new mural at 12th and Cambria: Philadelphia Prison System; Melting Pot: Connelly Foundation, Philadelphia Department of Human Services; Cruz Recreation Center: Connelly Foundation, Philadelphia Department of Human Services

Left: Jon Laidacker’s Melting Pot mural was painted on the Capitolo Playground and

is located in the Bella Vista neighborhood. Right: Attendees pose for a photo at the

dedication of the Melting Pot mural.

Philadelphia artist Benjamin Volta designed the mural Written in Wood, located along

the façade of Old City’s The Center for Art in Wood, 141 North 3rd Street.

Photo credit: Steve Weinik Photo credit: Steve Weinik

Photo credit: Benjamin Volta Photo credit: Benjamin Volta

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To learn more: muralarts.org/ourcityourvets Funded by: City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development

Our City, Our Vets: From Baghdad to Broad Street

Mural Arts is gearing up to celebrate and dedicate Communion Between a Rock and a Hard Place, a mural project that provides a moving reflection of the experiences of veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan returning to our communities.

In collaboration with Warrior Writers and artists Phillip Adams and Willis “Nomo” Humphrey, Mural Arts hosted regular art-making workshops for local veterans to create a mural that honors the experiences of those who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

“At the workshops we used transfers of photos taken by participants during their military experiences to create new works of art,” said lead muralist Adams. “When you take an image and transfer it onto another substrate, you can’t control what is left and what is taken away, much like memories, and that got us talking about veterans’ experiences.”

The final project consists of two murals facing each other on Woodland Avenue between 41st and 42nd streets, in West Philadelphia. One wall represents reflections on veterans’ time in deployment overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan, while the other features scenes of veterans in Philadelphia.

As rates of violence increase in some of our most troubled neighborhoods, Mural Arts continues to work within communities to grapple with this issue, partnering with the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services on a monumental new mural project.

Through the We Rise: Children, Trauma, and Resilience project, we acknowledge that generational changes affect young people’s involvement with violence. Our goal is to have viewers and project participants see themselves as survivors, not victims, and produce a final work of art that recognizes their pain and progress while addressing this growing and disturbing problem. In order to build a village of

We Rise: Children, Trauma, and Resilience

the group to work together to identify tools people use to rise above their personal challenges. Through this project, we have also identified families and individuals who have lived through traumatic events and requested that they discuss their coping process with young people.

Collectively, this group has created a work of art under the stewardship of lead muralist Josh Sarantitis that raises awareness about the number of people living with trauma in Philadelphia. This number is based on the Center for Disease Control’s estimate that for every homicide, more than 94 nonfatal violent incidents occur. Since this issue affects citizens in every neighborhood, we have partnered with agencies throughout the city and zoned in on five key areas to concentrate recruitment, workshops, and paint days. The partner agencies include: West/Southwest Philadelphia: People’s Emergency Center; North Philadelphia: Philly CeaseFire, People for People Charter School (owners of the wall); Southwest Philadelphia: W.C. Longstreth Elementary School; Northwest Philadelphia: Covenant House; Kensington: Covenant House. The final mural — to be located on the rear of PNC Bank at 702 N. Broad Street — will feature a QR code to drive observers to a student-built Facebook page that houses their stories and personal thoughts on their experience. The mural will be dedicated in October during Mural Arts Month. To learn more: muralarts.org/resilience Funded by: City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services, GlaxoSmithKline, Wharton Advanced Management Program Classes 60 and 61

Photo credit: Josh Sarantitis

Photo credit: Josh Sarantitis

Participants at the Pendle Hill Retreat in

Wallingford, Pennsylvania, work together to

create a village of understanding and trust.

The Communion Between a Rock and a Hard Place mural is slated to be dedicated on

or around Veterans Day, November 11, 2012.

understanding and trust, a group of city youth (ages 14 to 21) were invited to the Pendle Hill Retreat in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, for a two-day conference. This event featured discussions, skits, role playing, formal presentations, interactive games, and decision-making meetings with adults, all designed to encourage

Designed by: Laura Petrini

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A Journey to a New Home

Imagine leaving your home due to war or poverty for a new country that offered greater opportunities but numerous challenges, like learning a new language and understanding different customs. This is the experience for many individuals and families who have immigrated to the United States, as the emotional journey is often more arduous than the physical one and is frequently pushed aside to attend to more immediate needs, like housing and employment.

Mural Arts understands the healing power of art and has partnered with the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services and the Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative to create a project that celebrates the importance of culture and creativity to the resilience of Philadelphia’s immigrant population.

The Southeast by Southeast project highlights the challenges and triumphs of the growing Bhutanese and Burmese population in Southeast Philadelphia through a five-month series of workshops held in a temporary storefront on 1927 S. 7th Street. These residents gather at the storefront to share, learn, and grow from each other’s experiences, while celebrating their own traditions in a new land.

Prints cover the walls inside the storefront, each small picture telling part of the story of the community members’ journey to America through symbols — often script in their native language — and imagery. Community members teach workshops, such as traditional jewelry making and sewing, and enjoy creating art such as rugs and necklaces that help weave the community together.

In addition to creating art in these workshops with lead muralist Shira Walinsky and visual artist Miriam Singer, participants are offered mental health counseling to discuss the difficulties of resettlement and

to take English as a second language (ESL) courses that help them better transition into life in the United States.

When the workshops conclude, Walinsky and Singer will install a pedestrian pathway consisting of four murals that will start at the storefront at 1927 South 7th Street and lead visitors to a public garden on the 700 block of Emily Street. These murals are inspired by the community interaction and feature a mix of the cultures and customs from both the Bhutanese and Burmese residents, as well as Philadelphia-inspired images.

The final mural will last long after the project has been completed and will be used as a tool to continue bringing community members together. The Southeast by Southeast project enables individuals from different backgrounds to come together to create art and establish a common ground.

“We hope that our efforts will make a difference and help remove the stigma around immigrants in Philadelphia and provide participants an opportunity to share their stories and be more comfortable within their community,” said Will Pace, Project Manager. “Hopefully the positive response from the Southeast by Southeast project will help secure funding for similar projects in the future.” To learn more: muralarts.org/southeast | vimeo.com/45576001 Funded by: Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, Hummingbird Foundation, Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative

Partners include: Lutheran Children Family Service, HIAS Pennsylvania, Nationalities Service Center, Nemours Pediatrics, BuildaBridge, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, Belmont Center for Comprehensive Care

Community members enjoy Southeast by Southeast workshops that highlight the challenges and triumphs of the Bhutanese and Burmese population in Southeast Philadelphia.

Photo credit: Steve Weinik

Photo credit: Steve Weinik Photo credit: Steve Weinik

Photo credit: Steve Weinik

FundraiSing highlightS:

Donor Spotlight: Bank of America

Mural Arts is proud to partner with Bank of America as our presenting sponsor for Mural Arts Month, our annual celebration of all-things-mural. We are pleased to join forces as we host a variety of engaging events aimed at encouraging Philadelphians to participate in the work of Mural Arts.

Bank of America has been one of our strongest supporters and has partnered with us since 2005. In 2006, Mural Arts received the Bank of America Neighborhood Builders Award, which further strengthened our partnership.

Deborah O’Brien, SVP, Corporate Social Responsibility Market Manager for Bank of America, believes there is much more to Mural Arts than the murals that are created.

“Bank of America is pleased to support Mural Arts as an innovative program that not only enhances community and economic development but also provides educational and workforce development opportunities

that are key focus areas within the neighborhoods we serve. The passion of the staff, starting with Jane Golden, is truly contagious. Our partnership has been meaningful through our philanthropic support and with the engagement of our employees through volunteerism. It produces a sense of pride among our employees to be associated with Mural Arts,” said O’Brien.

Look for Bank of America representatives at Mural Arts Month events this October! To learn more about Mural Arts Month 2012: muralarts.org

Local Bank of America employees

volunteer to paint the How Philly Moves mural at our paint studio at The Gallery.

Photo credit: Steve Weinik

2300 Chestnut Associates, L.P. 25th Century Foundation ACE Group Albert M. Greenfield FoundationAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act Anonymous (2)Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLPBank of America Barra Foundation Bird in Hand Consignment Shop Blank RomeBlue Cadet Bowman Properties LimitedBredenbeck’s Bakery Brownstein GroupCenter for Literacy Cherry ScaffoldingChestnut Hill Business Association Chestnut Hill Business Improvement District CIGNA FoundationCitizens Bank FoundationCity of PhiladelphiaCity of Philadelphia Department of Human ServicesCity of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility ServicesCity of Philadelphia Department of Parks and RecreationCity of Philadelphia Streets DepartmentCity of Philadelphia Department of CommerceCommonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic DevelopmentCommunity College of Philadelphia Connelly Foundation

The Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation The Christopher Ludwick Foundation The Do Gooders Club Dolfinger McMahon Foundation Eagles Youth Partnership Eastern Regional Medical Center The Elizabeth B. and Arthur E. Roswell Foundation F.A.O. Schwarz Family FoundationFirst Cornerstone Foundation Firstrust Bank Ford Foundation Forrest and Frances Lattner Foundation GlaxoSmithKlineThe Glenmede CorporationGoldman PropertiesGraham Partners Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & SchillerHeineken Heritage Philadelphia ProgramHess Foundation Honickman Foundation The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Hummingbird Foundation, Inc. IBEW Local 98 IBM Independence Foundation John K. and Elizabeth W. Knorr Foundation John S. and James L. Knight Foundation John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Fund of The Philadelphia FoundationJohnson & Johnson Family of Companies Kresge Foundation Leadership Philadelphia L.F. Driscoll Co

Lincoln Financial Foundation Lomax Family Foundation The Lumpkin Family Foundation Macy’s Foundation Malfer Foundation Manayunk Community Development CorporationManayunk Special Services District Marathon RestaurantsMayor’s Office of SustainabilityMcLean ContributionshipNational Analysts Worldwide National Endowment for the Arts The Needles Family Foundation OMG Center for Collaborative Learning Parkway Corporation The Patricia Kind Family Foundation PECOPennsylvania Council on the ArtsPennsylvania Humanities CouncilPennsylvania Real Estate Investment TrustPew Charitable Trusts Philabundance Philadelphia Academies, Inc. Philadelphia Activities Fund Philadelphia Cultural Management InitiativePhiladelphia Exhibitions InitiativeThe Philadelphia FoundationPhiladelphia International Airport Philadelphia Mental Health Care Corporation Philadelphia Prison SystemPhiladelphia Water DepartmentPhiladelphia Youth Network Phillies Charities, Inc.

PNC Foundation Prudential Foundation PTS Foundation Public Health Management Corporation REIT Management & Research LLC Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Ross Family Fund Russell Pearce Heuer and Elizbeth Crimian Heuer Foundation School District of Philadelphia ShopRite – Colligas Family Markets Sports Licensed Division of the Adidas Group, LLC Straus – Harris Foundation TD Charitable Foundation Temple Sinai SisterhoodThe Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation Thomas Skelton Harrison Foundation United States Department of Justice: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency PreventionUrban Art Commission Urban Outfitters US Airways Utley Foundation Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Arts Education Fund of The Philadelphia FoundationValley Green Bank Wells Fargo Foundation William J. McCahan, 3rd Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation William Penn Foundation Wyncote Foundation

**This list does not include in kind support or donations towards fundraising events.

This past fiscal year (ending on June 30, 2012) we raised the highest amount from individual donors yet $478,000! Their contributions work in tandem with grants from corporate, foundation, and government sources to support our work. We are grateful to the following institutional supporters who provided grants of $1,000 or more:

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MURALARTS.ORG/SUPPORT

igniTe cHange.DonaTe ToDaY!

When we create art with each other and for each other,THE FORCE OF LIFE CAN TRIUMPH.

suPPoRTmural artS

Mural Arts believes that murals are the most democratic form of public art because they are created by a collaborative, consensus-based process and are visually available to the widest possible audience.

Recently we have also begun thinking of murals as social contracts — a visual

representation of the significance of place-making, respect for authentic storytelling, and belief in making a wholehearted commitment to community partnerships. Murals add beauty and vibrancy to public spaces and capture events in the lives of communities, often giving voice to their history, culture, struggles, and aspirations.

Over time, individual murals become woven into the social and cultural fabric of neighborhoods and, by extension, into the visual landscape of our city.

“Each time a mural is preserved it heightens the value of the other murals because people only protect and preserve those things that are important to our lives,” said muralist Kent Twitchell.

As a practical matter, murals also represent a significant investment of time and money. The average mural (the side of a three-story row home – 30x35’) takes six months to envision and create and costs approximately $25,000. Some projects take far longer to complete and require greater-than-average resources.

The Porch Light Initiative — a multi-year, multi-mural series created in collaboration with the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services — is just one example of a partnership of even greater depth and scope. [To learn more about the Porch Light, see page 3.]

The same time and care that goes into making a mural should be devoted to keeping it in good condition, removing graffiti when needed, inspecting it for the integrity of the substrate, and protecting it from the elements. With the advent of new materials such as mineral spirit acrylic varnish — a product that re-saturates and restores luster to a mural’s paint layer — an investment in mural preservation can dramatically improve a mural’s condition and extend its life.

Mural preservation is a sign of respect for communities and artists, demonstrates the responsibility we have for commissioned work, and is a strategic use of time and finances that has a positive effect both on protecting our investment and improving our future murals.

Show us that mural preservation is important to you – donate to our mural preservation fund today! To learn more: muralarts.org/restoration

Mural Preservation: A Sign of Respect

Artist Jon Laidacker begins the restoration process

on a trompe l’oeil mural, painted by Richard Haas

in 1984, located near the Chestnut Street Bridge.

Photo credit: Steve Weinik

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City of Philadelphia

MuralArtsProgramThe Lincoln Financial Mural Arts Centerat the Thomas Eakins House1727-29 Mount Vernon StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19130

215-685-0750 | muralarts.org