Design In Motion: The Recycling Truck Project
Design In Motion: The Recycling Truck Project is a city-wide public art and graphic design project produced by the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program in collaboration with The Design Center at Philadelphia University. The project was commissioned by the City of Philadelphia Streets Department to coincide with the introduction of Philadelphia's new city-wide single-stream recycling program.
The graphic designs which wrap ten City of Philadelphia recycling trucks are inspired by historical and contemporary textile patterns that celebrate elements of nature and are drawn from the collection of The Design Center at Philadelphia University.
From January through March 2009, artist Desireé Bender and over 60 students ranging in age from 8 to 18 enrolled in the Mural Arts Program's free after-school Big Picture program partnered on the conceptualization and design of graphic wraps for the recycling trucks. As part of the creative process, students were introduced by staff from The Design Center to its collection of textiles from around the world, including 19th and early 20th century textiles that document the emergence of Philadelphia as one of America's great textile producers of the time. The City of Philadelphia Streets Department Recycling Office also engaged students in a variety of learning experiences designed to expand their knowledge of and participation in the city's new single-stream recycling program.
On Earth Day 2009—Wednesday, April 22nd—all ten of the recycling trucks designed and wrapped under this new partnership made their debut at Love Park.
Click on any images below to view detailed information.
Project Partners
- City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program
The Mural Arts Program is the nation's largest mural program. Since 1984, the Mural Arts Program has created over 3,000 murals and works of public art, which are now part of Philadelphia's civic landscape and a source of inspiration to the thousands of residents and visitors who encounter them, earning Philadelphia international recognition as the "City of Murals." The Mural Arts Program engages over 100 communities each year in the transformation of neighborhoods through the mural-making process. The Mural Arts Program's award-winning, free art education programs annually serve nearly 2,000 youth at sites throughout the city and at-risk teens through education outreach programs. The Program also serves adult offenders in local prisons and rehabilitation centers, using the restorative power of art to break the cycle of crime and violence in our communities.The Mural Arts Program is currently celebrating its 25th Anniversary year.
For further information, call (215) 685-0750 or visit www.muralarts.org. - The Design Center at Philadelphia University
The Design Center supports Philadelphia University's extensive design curriculum: fashion, industrial design, graphics, architecture, landscape architecture, interior design and digital design. Each year, The Design Center mounts nationally recognized exhibitions, as well as administers DesignPhiladelphia, an annual city-wide celebration that unites all the design arts through exhibitions, seminars, book signings, lectures, open studios and workshops. The Center's library and historic textile collection serve as outstanding resources for scholarly research and provide inspiration to designers, artists, educators, and students and aficionados.
For further information, please contact The Design Center at 215-951-2860 or thedesigncenter@philau.edu.
Project Sponsor
- City of Philadelphia Streets Department Recycling Office
For more information about recycling, please contact the City's recycling hotline at 215.685.7329 or visit recyclingPAYS.phila.gov
Artist
- Desireé Bender
Since 2006, Ms. Bender has worked with the Mural Arts Program as a muralist and art instructor. She is a graduate of Philadelphia's Moore College of Art and Design and the Mural Arts Program's Mural Arts Training Academy.
Mural Arts Program Student Artists
- Over 60 students ranging in age from 8 to 18 enrolled in the Mural Arts Program's free after-school Big Picture program worked with artist Desireé Bender on the conceptualization and design of graphic wraps for eight of the ten new recycling trucks. The four Big Picture program sites that worked on this project are based at Asian Arts Initiative, Norris Square Neighborhood Project, Waring Elementary School, and Wissahickon Charter School.
Vinyl Fabrication and Installation
- PLUG Digital
Plug Digital Media is an innovative digital media production center that creates unique and dramatic graphic solutions to transform indoor and outdoor environments, including moving vehicles. Based in New York City, PLUG Digital has gained a national reputation for using the latest in digital technology and its unmatched craftsmanship and management expertise. For further information, visit PLUGDirect.com
Project Manager
- Judy Hellman, Director of Art Education,
City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program
215-685-0726 (w)
215-868-6296 (c)
judy.hellman@muralarts.org
Special Thanks to:
- Clarena Tolson, Streets Commissioner
- Carlton Williams, Deputy Streets Commissioner
- Scott McGrath, Acting Recycling Coordinator & Director of Facilities Management and Engineering
- Christopher Cocci, Deputy Fleet Manager. City of Philadelphia Office of Fleet Management
- Hilary Jay, Executive Director, The Design Center at Philadelphia University
- Carla Bednar, Assistant Director, The Design Center at Philadelphia University
- Phil Paradise, President, PLUG Digital
- Mural Arts Program Big Picture staff: Lisa Murch, Rodney Camarce, Kacie King, and Sarah Folger
- Big Picture instructors at Asian Arts Initiative, Norris Square Neighborhood Project, Waring Elementary School, and Wissahickon Charter School