Mural Arts Philadelphia (administrative office) — Attraction in Philadelphia

So. Philadelphia calls itself the city of murals via this place right here. This is going to be long and passionate as a Philadelphia native creative that's been travelling and is sorely disappointed and has been for a long time:

I've worked on a mural with MA, had been in some of their youth programs, and have seen the process, it's awful and bureaucratic. That's why Philadelphias murals turn out being; Photoshop filtered, boring, one note, "hope for the community", disenfranchisement and doves, style works. This is not to speak to every mural, we have some gems and some that memorialize history for the future, but the rest are uninspired, dull, and repetitive.

If you want to inspire this city which, for many legitimate reasons, has a spirit of helplessness and depression looming above its corporate skyscrapers; maybe start by letting artists make and display real artwork. This issue is likely to not be the sole fault of Mural Arts but also a lack of city govt initiatives and a culture of complacency. However this may be, Mural Arts is the face of such stagnation.

Philadelphia has a massive arts scene that somehow manages to only allow for transplants and a lucky few to make and display art while native Philadelphians have to try to dance toe-to-toe in these more financially equipped and class/origin exclusive and divided spaces. There is so much skill and talent within Philadelphia, the birthplace of graffiti, a place that spawns so much creativity, and yet our murals are not representative of that, they don't speak for Philadelphian creatives, and they lack muse and any semblance of expressive intent.

Meanwhile cities like NYC, Denver, Baltimore, Phoenix, even yucky LA, ACTIVELY work with their creatives to supply space and opportunity to paint murals of all styles. Many have THRIVING art districts that bring in tourism, they have murals popping up everywhere and they empower their art scene because it benefits everyone, more importantly their murals show style and personality. It isn't as simple as 'add some art and fix the city' but our murals show that they don't care for local artists expression, as they show Philadelphian artists are not creatively involved; that speaks volumes.

More art fosters less depression and a more interesting and enriching environment, which can lead to more tourism, which can bring more money for the arts, which can empower local creatives and lessen many native Philadelphian creatives feelings of helplessness. Then maybe, just maybe, provide a much needed creative outlet for youth that have no third spaces and only see violence around them. It can only take one experience of creation, joy, or pride from the result of your work to steer a life out of misery or enlighten someone who has never experienced such, it can be that nudge someone needs.

Philly certainly needs a nudge, a series of strong nudges.

The Anti-Graffiti Network succeeded in some ways long past but is certainly failing us as Mural Arts now. Mural creation can be financially prohibitive and Philadelphians need a program that will empower them to create. With people overworked and underpaid, making fractions of what other cities make, you cannot expect individual effort to always yield; that's why we need funded initiatives like Mural Arts.

This all said, MA does have programs/residencies sometimes that feature certain artists and have collective groups projects, regardless it seems they all typically have the same theme or focus in their results. Mural creation, no, artistic expression should not be centralized, that's how you get one single vision being the voice for millions. No offense to singular leadership or Jane Golden, I don't know her personally and I'm sure she's done great work, but I know my city personally and...

Cloud In Your Teacup is a mural assisted by Mikaela Gonzales and Participants in the Color Me Back Program. The work is sponsored and partnered with the City of Philadelphia among numerous others. The obscurity of this work’s end and beginning is particularly notable because it is not obvious as to how the artist intended this work to read. The work joins multiple mediums and layers together as a mosaic using wood, paint, art glass, stained glass, and concrete. A list of materials was not posted along with this work; however, most of the decorative art is recognizable. As the wall progresses from the W J.F. Kennedy Blvd and N 20th St and S Cuthbert St end, the work is progressively textured; receives some relief art; and utilizes reflective values from paint, color hues and art glass, acrylics or potentially unleaded stained glass. One-third along the southbound wall marks a significant break from abstract shapes and line toward more organic representation in form. Two-thirds along the wall bordering Cuthbert St the medium of cut timber; burnt or painted lumber, is affixed to the wall in a surreal flurry of glass leaves. The relief stops short of an abstract planetary bandwidth where our galaxy is represented: energy moving life through and forward into renewal. Here the glass relief forms a rhythmic band across the concrete partition in a sweeping gesture toward cellular forms beyond. Nearer the northern end of S Cuthbert St and Walden St where SEPTA Transit forms a small overpass for N 21st St the mural transitions with organic shapes which seem to represent cellular reproduction and employs a more literal representation using timber, glass, concrete and paint to depict leaves and the bees flowing upward out of barrels. The flow of glass leaves find relief and spring out again from a decorated stained glass goblet held by colorful fingers. The mural finds another end and beginning at N 21st St and Walden St and Cuthbert St with a graphical depiction of an human face in many colors. This is a work to experience on foot and there are sidewalks on both sides of Cuthbert Street. A car park at N 21st St and Walden St is open as a pay-to-park lot.

Cloud in Your Teacup | Cuthbert St and N 20th St, Cuthbert St and Walden St #LetsGuide Philadelphia Pennsylvania...

I think I had a romanticized vision of the love letter tour. The human condition on the trains and at the stations were unexpected and overwhelming. I should have known better, I just don't have much experience on the El and haven't ridden one in years. If you don't mind leaning over people, some of who have nodded out, and the unfortunate excrement and urine at every stop, go for it. The story behind the murals was all right, I'm glad to have done it one time, but wouldn't...