Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and the Philadelphia School District Mural Making Partnership

"If we can put murals in our schools, if we can use The Mural Arts Program's wonderful talent for bringing beauty through art to the city of Philadelphia, then the children will have much greater respect for the buildings…the children will have much greater respect for the school itself."
Paul G. Vallas , CEO, School District of Philadelphia

Apply for a mural to beautify your school, involve the students in the learning process, and help create a lasting work of public art by working with professional artists. For more information, please contact Deborah Zuchman, Project Manager, at 215.685.0739 or deborah.zuchman@muralarts.org.

Background

In 2004, the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program (MAP) and the Philadelphia School District (PSD) entered into a unique and exciting partnership to create and/or restore 100 murals at school sites over 5 years. In addition to creating murals, MAP hosted a summer Mural Academy for high school students that delved further into mural technique and history. Students who did well were eligible to receive art supply awards. Mural instructors were also able to apply for professional development opportunities in the arts.

The initial applicant pool was made up of over 50 schools. While we were thrilled that so many interesting institutions applied, the large number of candidates made the decision process a truly daunting task. Each school was required to include a thoughtful plan specifying how they would incorporate a diverse group of students in their project. In addition, we wanted to be sure our schools had meaningful and thoughtful mural themes that resonated with the lives of each student. All applications were thoroughly reviewed by a panel of PSD art administrators and MAP artists and administrators.

The following schools have participated in the initiative to date:

Private funding has supported murals for 2007-2008 at the following schools:

Bache-Martin Elementary School; Benjamin Franklin High School; Gen. Philip Kearny Elementary School; John L. Kinsey Elementary School; John F. McCloskey Elementary School; George W. Nebinger Elementary School; Swenson Arts and Technology High School, John H. Taggart Elementary School; and Martha Washington Elementary School.

A core group of students from the selected schools worked with mural artists from MAP to learn the process of mural-making through hands-on activities that were incorporated into the final mural. These students also learned about the history of this great form of public art and the importance of community engagement in the mural-making process. A much larger group of students were included in school assemblies and had an opportunity to participate in the mural's creation through community paint days. Upon completion of each project, a dedication was held to allow everyone to take pride in a beautiful and meaningful mural where a drab brick or cinderblock wall once stood. These celebrations publicly acknowledged the murals, as well as the school and the students who participated in their creation.

Apply for a mural to beautify your school, involve the students in the learning process, and help create a lasting work of public art by working with professional artists. For more information, please contact Deborah Zuchman, Project Manager, at 215.685.0739 or deborah.zuchman@muralarts.org.

Deborah Zuchman
Project Manager
City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program
Thomas Eakins House
1729 Mt. Vernon Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130