ArtWorks!

MAP's ArtWorks! program partners with the Department of Human Services to provide after-school workshops in art education and mural training for Philadelphia youth ages 10 - 18. Workshops conducted by experienced teaching artists are designed to emphasize the development of creative and critical thinking and communication skills, encourage self-expression, build self-esteem and nurture leadership potential.



African Landscape, © 2006 City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program / Henry Bermudez and ArtWorks! Youth, 3664 N. 11th Street, Sponsored by the City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services, Photo by Jack Ramsdale

ArtWorks! seeks to build safe spaces with the youth we serve, and our students' work demonstrates their capacity for thinking deeply and creating fearlessly. Lessons are designed with both short and long-term goals in mind, incorporating artistic and social history in addition to basic art processes. We encourage our students to reflect on themselves, their families and the communities in which they work and play. Through our commitment to personal growth and healthy interpersonal relationships, ArtWorks! mural projects draw inspiration from current issues and events that have an impact on the lives of the young people served by the program. ArtWorks! also strives to partner on its projects with contemporary artists whose own work gives voice to the disenfranchised and explores new ways to address a wide variety of social concerns.

My favorite experience with Mural Arts was taking the Mural Tour. I learned more about my neighborhood and heard stories about the people and history behind it.

—- Niandy, age 17, Frankford High School, ArtWorks! student

ArtWorks! after-school workshops are currently offered twice a week at sites throughout Philadelphia. Download an application. [134K PDF]



Women of Jazz, © 2006 City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program / Felix Osiemi and ArtWorks! Youth, 3235 Arlington Street, Sponsored by the City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services, Photo by Steve Weinik

For more information about ArtWorks!, please contact Sherman Fleming, Coordinator, at 215.685.0752 or sherman.fleming@muralarts.org.