To the Polls: Public Art and Democracy at Work

In LOVE Park, 8×12 foot geometric panels hold six artists’ ideas, interpretations, and wishes about a straightforward directive: go vote.

To the Polls is a temporary exhibit hosted by Mural Arts Philadelphia and Street Dept Walls in LOVE Park on public view through November 4th, 2022. Tuesday, November 8 is Election Day, and polls are open from 7 a.m to 8 p.m.

If you stand at the right angle, the murals align against Philadelphia City Hall as a backdrop, a reminder of the direct result of civic engagement – we choose who represents us. The art is bold and colorful against the looming, stately gray of the building. The murals hold power – the power of voting, the power of the people, the power to ignite change.

Art is a critical tool of advocacy, and murals are the most democratic form of art that exists. Public art and voting education and advocacy are a natural combination. To the Polls encourages Philadelphians to fight for the future they want, embraces communities historically disenfranchised, and reaches out to passersby to remind them to make their mark through voting.

Every year we are told that this is the most important election of our lifetimes! This year is no exception. The world can feel chaotic and out of control, and we are seeing escalated attacks on the fabric of our democracy and our communities. So many issues can feel too big and overwhelming. But like any project, the project of democracy can only transform with one first brushstroke or a single ballot.

Voting isn’t everything, but it is an essential part of our ability to continue fighting in all sorts of ways for the future we want to see. This is Mural Arts’ third year working with Streets Dept to do a To the Polls exhibit. Previous exhibits told us “to vote for those who cannot” and to vote for “our voting rights ancestors.” This year those messages echo true and continue to remind us of all we have lost and gained fighting for a better, brighter world.

Mural Arts witnesses daily how Philadelphia is a city built on neighbors helping neighbors. Together we transform one street corner, one empty lot, and one forgotten underpass at a time. One ballot at a time is how we transform our city. An empty ballot is an extension of our responsibility to ourselves and our communities.

In the same way that our elected officials should represent the will of the people, public art is a way of holding a mirror up to all different types of people to let them know that they have power and that they matter. To the Polls says your vote matters, because you matter!