Mural Arts & Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation Announce Profound Mural Coming to Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza

On Tuesday, May 2nd, Mural Arts Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation (PHRF) came together at the Horwitz-Wasserman Memorial Plaza on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia to announce their partnership in creating a new 2,500-foot mural at the site. This important, first-of-its-kind mural will continue the effort to remember and reflect on the Holocaust in the Philadelphia community through the creation and evolution of the Plaza. More than fifty years ago, the Plaza created an opportunity for reflection through the memorial bronze sculpture Monument to Six Million Jewish Martyrs (by Nathan Rapoport), the first public monument in North America to memorialize the victims of the Holocaust. The addition of the mural — expected to debut in late 2024 — will be transformative for the site, displaying important themes surrounding the Holocaust while broadcasting a broader message of resilience, hope, and unity. It will honor the legacy of the Plaza and educate the world’s future generations on one of human history’s worst genocides.

“We are honored to partner with the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation to bring this significant and meaningful mural to life,” said Jane Golden, Executive Director of Mural Arts Philadelphia. “At Mural Arts, we believe in the power of public art to inspire and educate. We are committed to using our platform to amplify essential messages of remembrance and resilience. We look forward to seeing the submissions from artists around the world and working with the committee to select a design that will honor the memory of the Holocaust and inspire hope for generations to come.”

To determine which artist and design will grace the site, the organizations have opened an RFQ now available through the link below. There will be a multi-step process for the selection of the artist, and what will be critical to us is to find an artist who has an emotional connection to the Holocaust through a family, community, or cultural connection – AND whose experience, artistic practice and approach to this project are aligned with the vision and significance of this project.

We hope to have our artist selected by this coming fall, at which time we will begin a community engagement process to help the artist shape the final design. This project will be developed through Mural Arts Philadelphia’s processes of working within communities to elicit ideas and experiences that can inspire and deepen an artist’s imagery and concepts. We want this artwork to be both a singular and cohesive accomplishment, as well as one in which community members can recognize their own voices. The current timeline is an 18-month process with a dedication in the fall of 2024.

This is not just a wall, it is a place … a place of deep significance and meaning; a place where we bear witness to one of the most horrifying chapters of human history, a place of civic and ceremonial importance to our city.

- Jane Golden

Eszter Kutas, Executive Director, Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation (PHRF) speaks at the press event hosted by PHRF and Mural Arts Philadelphia to announce a new mural at the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza on the Parkway in Philadelphia, May 2, 2024. Photo by Steve Weinik.
Jane Golden, Executive Director of Mural Arts Philadelphia speaks at the Press event hosted by the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation and Mural Arts Philadelphia to announce a new mural at the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza on the Parkway in Philadelphia, May 2, 2024. Photo by Steve Weinik.
Students from Friends Select school paint rocks to honor those lost at the memorial at the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza as part of a press event hosted by the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation and Mural Arts Philadelphia to announce a new mural at the site on the Parkway in Philadelphia, May 2, 2024. Photo by Steve Weinik.
A student from Friends Select places a painted rock at the base of the memorial at the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza as part of a press event hosted by the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation and Mural Arts Philadelphia to announce a new mural at the site on the Parkway in Philadelphia, May 2, 2024. Photo by Steve Weinik.
Students from Friends Select placed painted rocks at the base of the memorial at the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza as part of a press event hosted by the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation and Mural Arts Philadelphia to announce a new mural at the site on the Parkway in Philadelphia, May 2, 2024. Photo by Steve Weinik.
Students from Friends Select painted rocks and placed them at the base of the memorial at the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza as part of a press event hosted by the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation and Mural Arts Philadelphia to announce a new mural at the site on the Parkway in Philadelphia, May 2, 2024. Photo by Steve Weinik.

To provide context and community engagement to the official launch of the mural project, PHRF, Mural Arts, and WHYY hosted a free public event at Friends Select School later that evening on May 2. The event featured a conversation about contemporary art and the Holocaust between WHYY’s Marty Moss-Coane and James Young, a respected scholar of Holocaust art and memorials.

Throughout the dynamic and wide-ranging conversation, the speakers looked to ultimately answer two overarching questions: What are the challenges that artists face when trying to address themes relating to the Holocaust in their work — especially when that work is created for a public space — and how will the historied context of the Horwitz-Wasserman Memorial Plaza shape artists’ approach to this project?

“Antisemitic incidents are rising dramatically across the country. At a time when access to our Holocaust survivor community dwindles and public knowledge of this tragedy remains alarmingly poor, efforts to advance Holocaust education and remembrance across the country are more crucial than ever before. We’re proud to be addressing this issue in a big, bold way that sends a strong and positive message to the community while adding to the vibrant public art on display throughout the city,” said Eszter Kutas, Executive Director of the PHRF. “Art has such an important place in both Holocaust remembrance and education, and we’re certain that, with the addition of a powerful new mural, the lessons to be learned at the Memorial Plaza will be further emphasized.”

The Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating Philadelphia residents and the global community about the universal, timeless, and enduring lessons of the Holocaust. The organization, which oversees the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza, provides students, teachers, and the broader community with a wide range of in-person and virtual Holocaust and antiracism education to foster a more tolerant and enlightened society. For more information, visit philaholocaustmemorial.org.

And while this project is a collaboration with the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, it will surely live up to our motto at Mural Arts Philadelphia – to Beautify. Inspire. Empower – which is the essence of our mission. This carefully created mural will surely Beautify the memorial space. It will Inspire us all to create a place for healing and a better world where we remember the past to ensure a brighter future. And it will Empower us to seek empathy and understanding with everyone in our community. That is the power of public art.

Shown: Eszter Kutas, Executive Director, Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation (PHRF), art scholar James Young and Sophie Don, Senior Manager of Programs and Operations for PHRF at a conversation about contemporary art and the Holocaust at Friends Select School, as part of the announcement to the commissioning a new mural at the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza on the Parkway by the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation with Mural Arts Philadelphia on May 2, 2023. Photo by Steve Weinik.
Jane Golden, Executive Director of Mural Arts Philadelphia speaks at a conversation about contemporary art and the Holocaust at Friends Select School, as part of the announcement to the commissioning a new mural at the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza on the Parkway by the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation with Mural Arts Philadelphia on May 2, 2023. Photo by Steve Weinik.
Shown: Arthur Ellis, Chief Marketing Officer of WHYY, Art Scholar James Young, +Eszter Kutas, Executive Director, Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, WHYY's Marty Moss Coane, and Jane Golden, Executive Director of Mural Arts Philadelphia at a conversation about contemporary art and the Holocaust at Friends Select School, as part of the announcement to the commissioning a new mural at the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza on the Parkway by the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation with Mural Arts Philadelphia on May 2, 2023. Photo by Steve Weinik.
WHYY's Marty Moss Coane leads a conversation with art scholar James Young about contemporary art and the Holocaust at Friends Select School on May 2, 2023. Photo by Steve Weinik.
WHYY's Marty Moss Coane leads a conversation with art scholar James Young about contemporary art and the Holocaust at Friends Select School on May 2, 2023. Photo by Steve Weinik.
WHYY's Marty Moss Coane leads a conversation with art scholar James Young, Jane Golden, Executive Director of Mural Arts Philadelphia, and Eszter Kutas, Executive Director, Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation about contemporary art and the Holocaust at Friends Select School on May 2, 2023. Photo by Steve Weinik.