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socially-engaged public art practices
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Dedicated to advancing
socially-engaged public art practices
I am looking for guidelines
about community mural
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writing, and videos
Who we are
As part of Mural Arts Philadelphia , the Mural Arts Institute (MAI) is dedicated to sharing knowledge, ideas, and experiences that have shaped our approach to community centered art making. We work with artists, arts administrators, and community leaders across the world to align knowledge, amplify voices, empower change, and distribute resources that move us all towards a more inclusive and equitable future for socially engaged public art.
As part of Mural Arts Philadelphia , the Mural Arts Institute (MAI) is dedicated to sharing knowledge, ideas, and experiences that have shaped our approach to community centered art making. We work with artists, arts administrators, and community leaders across the world to align knowledge, amplify voices, empower change, and distribute resources that move us all towards a more inclusive and equitable future for socially engaged public art.
MAI Spotlight
Philadelphia Mural Artists Forum
We invite local muralists and public artists to come together for professional networking, learning, listening, and sharing. Mural Arts & the City of Philadelphia want to hear from artists on how we can support them through training, resources or other opportunities. Our goal is to learn about professional development needs and ideas, and also to share what we have coming up in support of the local public arts ecosystem. The team at Creative Philadelphia and Councilmember Rue Landau will be joining us in this important moment of shared learning. Thursday, October 17th | 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm at REC Philly.
Muralist Training Program
This winter, MAI will host their 23rd annual Muralist Training Program (“MTP”) . Local artists who are interested in adapting their skills to community-based mural-making, are invited to join Philadelphia’s leading muralists and MAI staff for a unique cohort based learning opportunity. The training equips artists with the tools to lead their own projects and a comprehensive understanding of the community mural-making process– from community engagement strategies to community design approaches, project management checklists and templates, and production guidelines. A hands-on training in the mural cloth method, and sample materials are provided for artists as they practice and prepare for their next project. Now Accepting Applications! January – March 2025 Online & In-person in Philadelphia.
Climate Justice Workshop for Educators
In 2023, the Climate Justice Initiative developed a Unit Guide for educators, “Getting to the Roots.” The Climate Justice Initiative used the power of public art to tell stories about the causes, effects, and solutions to the climate crisis in Lenapehoking (the greater Philadelphia region). This year, MAI will provide free workshops for middle and early high school teachers in the Lenapehoking region, to equip educators with the resources, training, and support needed to effectively implement the "Getting to the Roots" curriculum guide in classrooms. The interdisciplinary learning unit, designed to engage students in English language arts and service learning, will empower the next generation to explore the complexities of climate justice and their role in advancing environmental equity. Workshops on October 20th (Virtual), November 6th, and December 8th, 2025 (In Person)
Learning Together: A Reflection on the PACE Initiative Free to Download
The MAI will share Learning Together: A Reflection on the Public Art & Civic Engagement Capacity Building Initiative, a comprehensive evaluation on the PACE initiative that ran from 2020-2023 authored by Congruence Cultural Strategies. More than just a report, this expansive document is a resource for funders, organizers, and arts administrators with recommendations for planning their grantmaking and programs in support of artists & communities of Color.Find the video or the publication in our online library.
PACE: Collective Steps by Andrea Yarbrough
Andrea Yarbrough worked from the archives of the Southside Community Arts Center, the oldest African American art center in the country and historic Chicago landmark, to uncover stories and images of Black women from the neighborhood. Workshops with women from the neighborhood led to the creation of a temporary monument outside the art center that represented a “neighborhood stoop” of past, present, and future history. Find the video or the publication in our online library.
Roots & Reimagination
In 2024, Mural Arts Philadelphia celebrates its illustrious 40-year journey of transforming urban spaces into canvases of hope and dialogue. With the year’s theme, “Roots & Reimagination,” we embark on a reflective expedition, honoring our rich heritage of community engagement and artistic innovation while fostering a culture of reimagining what public art signifies for the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.
Featured Artists
Rebecca Rutstein
Convergence
Philadelphia, PA
Rebecca Rutstein is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice bridges art, science and technology. For over 20 years she has created painting, sculpture, interactive installation and public art inspired by the
VHILS
Scratching the Surface project
Barreiro, Portugal
Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto (b. Lisbon, 1987) began interacting visually with the urban environment under the name of Vhils as graffiti writer in the early 2000s. Peeling back the layers
Kenneth Millington
Seneca 634
Geneva, NY
Kenneth Millington is an artist living in Beacon, New York. His artwork engages with concepts of metaphysical landscape, artifact and science. He recently returned from a residency at Jentel in
Delia King
Kodak
Pompano Beach, FL
Muralist, reverse glass painter, glass mosaicist, and craft artist, Delia King combines the abstract with the tangible. The artwork creates the mood of a space not only a wall. She
John Lewis
Education is a Message; Love, Light and the Written Word
Philadelphia, PA
In my art I work with form, narrative, and symbolic elements. I see each of these factors as having an emergent quality that comes to the forefront of the art
Rebecca Schultz
Our Grassroots
Philadelphia, PA
Rebecca Schultz creates mixed media works–including paintings, prints, installations, and public art–that cultivate a sense of wonder for the complex ecosystems surrounding us and reflect on humanity’s precarious relationship with
