More than four thousand outdoor murals cover Philadelphia's walls, more than in any other city in the United States, and Mural Arts Philadelphia is the program behind them. Mural Arts Philadelphia began in 1984 as an anti-graffiti program under artist Jane Golden, who proposed redirecting the energy of graffiti writers toward large-scale public art projects. The program grew from a handful of murals to the largest public art program in the country, engaging thousands of artists and community members over four decades.
The murals range from block-scale portraits of community heroes to multi-building abstract compositions to detailed historical narratives. They cover the sides of abandoned factories in North Philadelphia, the walls of rowhouses in South Philly, and the retaining walls along rail lines throughout the city. The Isaiah Zagar mosaic tiles that cover the buildings in the Magic Gardens on South Street are part of the same tradition.
You will encounter Mural Arts murals everywhere you walk in Philadelphia, the city telling its own story on almost every block and wall.