Painting a Fabulous Philadelphia

I love painting on walls. Just check out the faux painting all around the Volpe home. Raised by my grandfather—a painting contractor and amateur artist—I expressed myself with a paintbrush from the age of six or seven.

So I’m enthralled with Philadelphia’s murals—the visually striking, super-sized artwork on walls in every corner of the City. They’re images of famous Philadelphians and neighborhood children, inspirational leaders and grandmothers from the community. There are 3,000 of them and they’ve earned us an international reputation as “the City of Murals.”

This week, I boarded a trolley at the Independence Visitor’s Center for an official Mural Arts Tour http://www.muralarts.org/. Ours was to West Philadelphia where among the abandoned buildings were massive displays of public art that told stories of community, of culture, of tradition. Among my favorites is Patti Labelle at the corner of 34th and Mantua, recently redone to bring Philadelphia’s native diva into the new millennium and show her support of breast cancer.

Philadelphia’s murals are the brainchild of Jane Golden, who redirected graffiti writers into positive creativity during the 1980s. Since then, hundreds of artists have turned Philly into an outdoor gallery. Each mural is the expression of a neighborhood to create pride, to engender hope and to pass on history.

A baseball fan, I was excited to see the Philadelphia Stars Negro baseball league http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Stars_(baseball) commemorated at 44th and Parkside, site of their ballpark.

There’s the Song of Hope which shimmers with a message of a bright future for children.

And on a dilapidated block of Aspen Street is a tiny oasis—a lush garden bordered by two matching murals called “Holding Grandmother’s Quilt.” Its message: wisdom will always be passed from generation to generation.

Next year, two new audio tours will be created: one on Center City and one on African American murals. They’re made possible with the support of PNC Arts Alive, a five-year, $5 million initiative to make the arts more accessible here. (I'm happy to say that we enjoy a 10-year relationship with PNC, as their local public relations agency of record.) http://www.pncartsalive.com/

If you’re like me, you won’t want to wait until then. So hop a trolley at the Visitor’s Center, or set out in your car or on foot to explore Philadelphia’s great outdoor art museum. For tour information and downloadable maps visit the Mural Arts Program website, http://www.muralarts.org/getinvolved/tours/. -Bev Volpe