Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Murals in Philadelphia


All around Philadelphia there are hundreds of murals painted on walls. As noted in "Philadelphia murals and the stories the tell", early murals were first used for political activism. Years later it became a part of communities and gave residents "the plain folk" a chance to say what they wanted to see everyday.  Although Philadelphia is credited for having the most amount of murals for a city, when I see most of them are located in areas where graffiti once stood and economic and social despair continues. The early forms of murals were strictly public art and not community art based. Most murals now will tell a story of the history of a community and members alike. Anit-graffiti movements are also involved but the focus of mural programs in Philadelphia remains based off of community outreach and encouragement programs. Areas like Grays Ferry where the "The Peace Wall" was painted following a racial charged altercation in 1997 that put a negative spotlight on the city of Philadelphia. The mural depicts guardian angels that look over the community. This area which is some times referred to as the "forgotten bottom".  At that time there was also a number of housing projects that were deteriorating in the housing market and with suburbanization occurring. Some say that people are now beginning to move back to the city, which in turn would create a more diverse community. 

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