Mural Arts Philadelphia: Public Art as A Conduit for Urban Transformation, Political ...


credit: pasadenanow

Philadelphia is known for its cheesesteaks, its sports teams, and its status as "the unofficial 'Mural Capital of the World,'" writes Makenna Walko in the Huffington Post.

But it's also home to the largest public art program in the country, with more than 500 murals up across the city.

Mural Arts Philadelphia was started in 1984 as the Anti-Graffiti Network, a way for graffiti writers to put art to work on behalf of different people in the city.

"I worked with graffiti writers and also block captains and community leaders to put art to work on behalf of different people throughout the city," says founder and executive director Jane Golden.

Today, Mural Arts Philadelphia is "almost like a family," Golden tells the HPR.

"We were almost like a family."

Young people started to "make their mark on the city in big, bold, beautiful, inspiring ways," she says, and when the Anti-Graffiti Network closed in 1996, the program was born.

Now, "we decided we'd open our doors to all kids, hire emerging and established artists, and we were going to just go like the wind and be unstoppable."

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