Southeast by Southeast Valentine’s Event
By Joshua Spielman
As I walked down Snyder Avenue on a sunny Sunday afternoon to my first event as an intern for the Mural Arts Program, I didn’t know what to expect. All I knew was that the Southeast by Southeast project integrates art workshops with engaging activities for new Philadelphians (immigrants) who have recently resettled in America.
A group of community members met at the Intercultural Family Services building in West Philadelphia to talk about the How We Fish tagline, “Work means different things to different people. What does it mean to you?” At this forum, taking place near one of the educational hubs of the city, work was discussed as an ideal, working for one’s passion.
Mural Arts’ studio space at The Gallery at Market East was buzzing with productive energy on Saturday, October 15 as paint day participants gathered to help paint a new mural entitled Finding the Light Within.
Mural Arts continues to explore ways to engage communities, educate young people, and create accessible public art with the Restored Spaces Initiative. This ongoing effort targets commercial corridors, civic spaces, and schools that promote stewardship of the environment. Professional artists partner with Mural Corps art education students (ages 14-21) to develop final works of art using techniques like mural-making, greening, sculptural structures, and mosaic-work.
