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PHOTOGRAPH BY MATT ROURKE, AP
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By George Stone
Philadelphia played an important role on the first Earth Day, 52 years ago. A big takeaway for participants was the realization that environmental movement could not ignore the needs of major cities.
Thanks to communities and creatives, the “City of Brotherly Love (and Sisterly Affection)” has become known as the “City of Murals.” More than 4,000 multihued mosaics and vibrant displays of public art now decorate the city. Nearly four decades ago, Jane Golden, tasked by the city to solve a graffiti problem, started showcasing some of those artists as public art purveyors, encouraging them to put color on canvases several stories high. Some are celebrated—including the only in situ Keith Haring in the U.S. (Pictured above, a mural of 19-year-old Najee Spencer–Young by famed artist Amy Sherald.)
“Murals are really the autobiography of the city of Philadelphia. No matter where you go there are projects that talk about the people who live there, our heroes, the issues that confront us. Cumulatively they tell the story of Philadelphia. People feel that this work is theirs,” Golden, founder of Mural Arts Philadelphia, tells us. “The importance of this art form—from cave paintings, the Mexican muralists, the Renaissance—[is that it’s] about our ability to tell stories, to represent, to grapple with the issues of our time. The goal of murals is to put art to work on behalf of the citizens.”
Today, Philadelphia’s artful eyefuls of homegrown creativity support local communities and delight visitors. A new mural to see: Artist Eurhi Jones’ depiction of birds and bees on the wall of the Overbrook Environmental Education Center. This work is part of a Nat Geo Earth Month greening project that has funded murals in Philadelphia as well as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.
Read our full story here—and get out and go green for Earth Day.
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