Great Gateways and the Cities That Make Them

What does psychylustro mean to you? Is it simply splashes of neon paint that adds entertainment and excitement to your daily commute, in and out of the city? Does it inspire you to think about your day and life in a new way? Perhaps, it shines a light on the neighborhoods and communities that you travel through on your train ride? There is no right or wrong answer. By design, psychylustro is meant to be a temporary installation that will transform over time as the elements reclaim the space, with the intention to spark these civic-minded debates about our city. This evolution is currently underway and passengers and passersby have been able to experience this transformation and explore their thoughts on the shifting scale, perspective and passage of time.

By no means was this project meant to act as a bandage or shiny distraction from the realty of the surrounding neighborhoods along the Northeast Corridor. As our executive director, Jane Golden has said, “We see the deterioration, but we also see the beauty, we see the history, we see Philadelphia’s past.” It is our hope, that psychylustro will inspire and bring forth a conversation about time, evolution, and our surrounding communities and residents.

On Wednesday, June 18, we will be discussing all of the above and more at the Philadelphia Center for Architecture in a panel discussion lead by WHYY’s Chris Satullo. It is our hope that all of these feelings, thoughts and ideas will be debated by our esteemed list of panelists including: Drew Galloway, Chief NEC Infrastructure Planning and Performance of Amtrak, Jane Golden, Executive Director of City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Philadelphia, Alan Greenberger, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development of the City of Philadelphia, Marilyn Jordan Taylor, Dean, School of Design at The University of Pennsylvania, Darin Rowland, Graffiti historian, Artist, and psychylustro assistant muralist.

While we hope you can join us on Wednesday for this panel discussion on psychylustro, this is an ongoing conversation we hope you will continue to have with your friends, family members and colleagues. To RSVP to this event, please email RSVP@muralarts.org.