Hope Back to Kensington: A Community Procession and Celebration

On Saturday, June 10, Philly-based artist José Ortiz-Pagán led a festive procession around McPherson Library and along East Indiana Avenue in Kensington. Co-created with Kensington neighbors and presented by the Summoning of Memory Project, this celebratory event provided space to reflect on hope and the future of the Kensington community. The day culminated in a fun-filled block party that included art activities, music, food, and fellowship.

A project of Mural Arts Philadelphia and the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS), the event was designed to harness the collective power of memory and foster unity, transformation, safety, and respect among the residents of Kensington. It was funded by Impact Services.

The “Hope Back to Kensington” project was made possible through a 5-year grant collaboration between Mural Arts’ Porch Light program, Impact Services, and the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation. This collaboration marks the second of three projects supported by the grant, with the final project focusing on working with reclaimed materials within the same neighborhood. The Wells Fargo Regional Foundation’s commitment to community development has empowered initiatives that enhance the quality of life and promote unity in Kensington.

This project will culminate with the dedication of a new mural by José Ortiz-Pagán entitled Manual 3: Hope Sigil, located at 188 W. Indiana Ave Philadelphia, PA 19133, which celebrates the project and the community members who participated.  The dedication will take place on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at 1 pm. Thanks to Lead Muralist, Emily White, and Assistant Artist Tegan Bellitta

Artist José Ortiz-Pagán, a visual artist and cultural administrator born in Puerto Rico and currently based in Philadelphia, engaged in weekly workshops with 15 community members living along Indiana Avenue to develop this project. These engaging sessions revolved around the themes of radical hope and memories, encouraging participants to explore their imagination and envision themselves in acts of celebration. Utilizing the green space Hope Park as an anchor for inspiration, the group collectively shaped the concept for this final program, emphasizing unity, transformation, safety, and respect.

“This celebration fostered a sense of hope, connection, and empowerment among residents through art, music, and communal participation,” said Jane Golden, Executive Director of Mural Arts Philadelphia. “We were excited to have Philadelphians from all over the city experience the collective power of memory and celebrate the future of Kensington.”

We recently interviewed artist José Ortiz-Pagán about the mural component of the project in anticipation of the mural dedication on December 5.

An interview with artist José Ortiz-Pagán  

How does this mural project tie into the rest of the Hope Back to Kensington project?

I believe that the mural plays a crucial role in the overall process of crafting a performance centered on hope. This project provided me with the opportunity to foster meaningful connections with numerous Kensington neighbors who are focused on reimagining their circumstances and reality within the context of their own futures. They envision shaping their future in alignment with their hopes and aspirations.

The essence of the project revolved around the concept of creating a lasting memory of empowerment—a way to persevere in the face of life’s challenges. It is akin to recalling the blessings imparted by a grandmother when embarking on a journey to a new place, or cherishing the last moments spent together. They help you move forward.

Within this framework, the mural materializes these feelings and mindsets of empowerment for each individual. More significantly, the mural commemorates the events of June, marking the culmination of the performance and the establishment of the values the community collectively wishes to pursue. It serves as a tangible reminder of the emotions experienced on that day, including tears and a myriad of other sentiments.

The text within the mural elucidates the happenings during the June 2023 performance, conveying the community’s commitment to their own future. Notably, it diverges from the local aesthetics dominated by iron works and ongoing construction due to gentrification. Instead, it incorporates these elements to articulate a narrative about the community’s self-protection.

The mural stands as a permanent testament to their collective efforts, prompting my decision to adopt the format of a sigil and a new dawn. This choice enables me to convey not only the possibilities envisioned during our intimate creative process but also incorporates various symbols representing the different phases of the procession. Additionally, it includes numerous plants and symbols associated with the community’s efforts towards healing.

Who did you work with in the community to develop it? 

Throughout the process of crafting narratives for the performance, we engaged in various exercises involving a diverse group of participants. Collaborators included block captains, Impact Services volunteers, veterans from the housing complex where the project took shape, and residents eager to contribute to this initiative. At one point, I invited the entire group, averaging around 15 people with sporadic participation across different age groups, to delve into their most cherished memories. Although the process was intense, having access to a therapist facilitated the development of our journey, fostering trust.

Moreover, I facilitated discussions to explore their desires in different ways. One effective strategy involved asking them to vividly describe their ideal celebration, prompting them to share sensory details such as smells, colors, textures, and more. Witnessing the alignment in their visions was a beautiful revelation. As my focus was on planning a performance rather than a mural—an event rather than an object— and centered around a ritual, I amassed a wealth of information and narratives. This collection became a crucial foundation for shaping the mural.

Significantly, this narrative-building occurred post-performance and block party, providing participants with a profound sense of empowerment, accomplishment, and, most importantly, a vivid memory of their collective power.

Understanding the participants and the driving forces behind the project was crucial. As mentioned earlier, we formulated ideas for the mural after the performance, providing an opportunity to hear from a broader spectrum of individuals in Kensington. This post-performance phase allowed us to gather insights on what resonated and mattered to the community throughout this transformative process.

What do you hope this Manual 3: Hope Sigil means for the community?

I sincerely hope the mural becomes a symbol of their accomplishments and a source of inspiration for what lies ahead. In a neighborhood adorned with various murals, both institutional and local, I aimed for something simple that uplifts anyone on days when hope may seem scarce. I envision people taking a moment to read its message, reflecting on the values the community has embraced, and finding the strength to move forward—even if just for a day, an hour, a week, or those precious minutes of resilience we occasionally need to overcome challenges.

What does it symbolize?

This mural showcases a sigil specifically crafted for the Kensington community. Sigils are commonly employed to magnify intentions and desires. Practitioners devise a unique symbol encapsulating their goals, desires, or intentions. The process of creating the sigil and meditating on its significance is believed to infuse it with energy, thereby increasing the likelihood of the desired outcome.

In this particular instance, I created a sigil based on my interactions with a group of Kensington neighbors spanning over four months. The objective of this community-based art project was to design a performance as an expression of hope, rooted in the inquiries and explorations I facilitated, but always guided by the group’s needs, realities, and interests.

Following this performance, which took place on June 10, 2023, I fashioned a sigil with the aim of amplifying the intentions of both the group and the community at large. The sigil incorporates information derived from the designs, mottos, goals, values, and more that the group collectively developed under my guidance. It also integrates elements from the performative attire I created for the event, as well as indigenous plants and locally significant symbols with healing properties. The sigil is bilingual, featuring both Spanish and English, reflecting the diverse range of languages spoken in the area.