Created, Together.

Community procession with Jose Ortiz-Pagan around McPherson Library and along E Indiana Avenue. Co-created with Kensington neighbors, this celebratory event provided space to reflect on hope and the future as a community, June 10, 2023. Photo by Steve Weinik.

A National Assembly for Artists Working With Communities 

Friday October 20th 2023 – Site Visits & Evening Film Screening
Saturday October 21st – Breakout Conversations

Created, Together. is a national assembly for artists and creatives working with communities brought to Philadelphia by Mural Arts Institute. This two-day event includes site visits to public art projects throughout the city of Philadelphia, a film screening, and a full day of networking with fellow creatives from across the country. The gathering is open to all who identify as contributors to the creative intersection of art in public spaces. Artists, administrators, community members, policy makers, students and more are welcome. The goal of this symposium is to amplify the voices of people doing this work daily, and by design, there is not a long list of celebrity names highlighted. Instead, through a National Call for Creatives, 16 emerging artists and changemakers were awarded travel grants to participate in the event, representing Arizona, California, Illinois, Oregon, Ohio, Oregon, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, and Washington DC . The event is also culminating our three-year Public Art & Civic Engagement Capacity Building Initiative (PACE) that has supported six public art projects in collaboration with APANO Communities United Fund in Portland Oregon, Louisville Visual Arts in Louisville Kentucky, and Southside Community Arts Center in Chicago Illinois. Along with the local Philadelphia community, this convening will include unique voices from cities across the nation, to build a dynamic conversation about the future of socially-engaged public art.  

Friday, October 20, 2023 at Moore College of Art & Design   

Symposium participants will have an exclusive opportunity to journey behind the scenes of a community-centered public art project in the City of Philadelphia. This intimate exploration is part of the Mural Arts Philadelphia’s ongoing commitment to art engagement and community connection. That afternoon, participants will view a series of short documentaries through a film screening and engage in an artist talk with seven distinguished public artists. These creators hail from Chicago, IL; Louisville, KY; and Portland, OR, and have contributed their visionary talents to the Mural Arts Institute’s Public Art and Civic Engagement Capacity Building Initiative (PACE). 

Saturday, October 21, 2023 at Friends Center  

socially-engaged public art practices. Through thoughtful breakout conversations led by dynamic facilitators, every voice will be heard, enriching the dialogue and fostering new ideas in public art. Throughout the day, participants will share insights and generate questions that will inform a unique audience-driven panel discussion as a capstone to the symposium. This event will be an excellent opportunity to make national connections, share ideas, and challenge one another in what the future of socially-engaged public art can be.   

National Call for Creatives 

As part of an effort to include diverse voices and provide access to this event, a national Call for Creatives award will grant generous travel funding to a selection of practitioners from across the country to join the event. This opportunity is open to any and all contributors to the public art process including artists, administrators, community members, and policy makers. While all those outside the Greater Philadelphia area are welcome to apply, we will center our search and selection on emerging voices in the field, prioritizing applications from those who identify from non-dominant groups that have been historically disadvantaged or underrepresented.

To apply for a travel award as a national audience member, please complete this application by Friday, August 11th.

Questions about the event or the call for creatives? Email Jess Lewis-Turner at jessica.lewis-turner@muralarts.org.

Credits 

The PACE Initiative, Call for Creatives, and the entire Created, Together. symposium are projects of the Mural Arts Institute, made possible with funding provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Mural Arts Institute is supported by the JPB Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.