I love public mural art. I am proud my city of Philadelphia features over 3,600 works of mural art gracing the walls from one end of the city to the other. Again, that’s pushing nearly FOUR THOUSAND displays of art, placing Philadelphia as the number one leader among cities in its commitment to mural art as a way of benefiting all of its peoples, neighborhoods and communities as well as the city as a whole.
With If These Walls Could Talk, Community Muralism and the Beauty of Justice, Maureen H. O’Connell has authored over 30 essays revolving around Philadelphia’s community muralism movement. The author addresses topics ranging from painterly symbols to codes of the street, from prison reform to beauty as a healing power, from the dynamics of creativity to the relationship between theology, aesthetics and ethics, all within the context of the three aspects of every mural: 1) the mural itself; 2) the artists who created the mural; 3) the ongoing process of individuals and communities who view and interpret the mural.
As a way of sharing my excitement of what a reader will encounter, I’ll link my comments with direct quotes from a number of the essays. I’ll also include a dozen Philadelphia murals I myself find both beautiful as works of art and stunning in their power.
“Philadelphia walls are talking. Like storytellers in many cultures, they regale citizens with fantastic tales of the past – of fabled ancestors, of journeys of passage both voluntary and involuntary, of the pains of birthing a nation and surviving in a flatlined postindustrial economy. Like a poet laureate of the city, Philadelphia’s murals lyrically proclaim the hidden fears, deepest longings, stubborn demands, and resilient dreams of the current generation of William Penn’s “holy experiment.” ---------- The Phildelphia mural program seeks to inspire in many way, one such approach is to incorporate subjects ranging from past history and popular culture to present challenges and dreams of the future. Case in point: the below duo.
“The story and images of From Behind the Mask invite reflections on how citizens in metropolitan areas such as Philadelphia perceive on another and the ways in which the masks we wear – whether those we construct for ourselves or those constructed for us by others – cover the true face of urban poverty, obscuring the complex causes and preventing us from alighting upon new solutions. Murals like From Behind the Mask, therefore become mirrors through which we can more clearly face the personal and social pathologies of concentrated poverty.” ----------- A magnificent quality of public mural art: one need not travel to a museum to participate in the transforming power of art and beauty. Philadelphia mural art is always created on a grand scale and can be appreciated on the very streets where people live their everyday lives.
Notice how this mural - From Behind the Mask - is painted on the side of a residential home.
"Murals privilege the experiential wisdom and artistic sensibilities of the people of the streets: mothers, schoolchildren, teachers, high school students, faith communities, recovering drug addicts, and law enforcement officers. Their images emerge from the collective consciousness of communities before they are painted, and as a result of the organic process of their creation they provocatively reveal the human faces of social injustices that we tend to think about in conceptual or statistical terms.” ---------- Critically important: individuals within the immediate community are consulted and participate in decisions regarding exact location, subject matter, materials and style of the mural that will be made part of their neighborhood.
Notice how with this mural - We Rise! Children, Trauma, and Resilience - the windows and door of the building are left intact
Neighborhood children viewing We Rise! Children, Trauma, and Resilience
“Among the thousands of Philadelphians who have painted murals, the movement also includes incarcerated felons or prisoners seeking to reenter society, adjudicating youth, recovering addicts, congregants of storefront churches, and families of victims and perpetrators of crime.” ---------- One great aspect of the mural program is its openness to all who wish to express themselves artistically and creatively. Quite different than an art form that would exclude anyone based on their lack of credentials.
Mural on a wall at the Society of Friends (Quaker) Center
“These images also suggest the importance of supporting young people in their search to find their own beats and to walk to them.” ----------The Philadelphia mural program strives to speak to all people, especially young people. A personal observation on the program's effectiveness in giving voice and expression to the energy of youth: in all the years I've been in the city and have viewed public mural art, not once have I ever observed a defaced mural.
Originally created in 1987 in Philadelphia, We the Youth is the only Keith Haring collaborative public mural remaining intact and on its original site.
“Also, the arts incarnate hope by breathing transcendence back into souls weary from the unchanging worlds of the streets and of whiteness. Murals radiate wonder and amazement in the context of otherwise ordinary cityscapes.” ---------- One can imagine the difference in rhythm and vibration if the below wall was a drab gray. An example of how beauty can influence a community. Yet another reason to view art as a way to bring people together right in their own neighborhoods.
“A final distinguishing feature of community murals in Philadelphia is the remarkable number of faith communities who have incorporated murals making into their community formation and social ministry within and beyond their congregations. Murals increasingly offer ways for faith communities to get involved in the public life of the city.” ---------- As you can see from the three examples below, all Philadelphia faith communities are encouraged to participate in the mural program.
Maureen H. O’Connell, Ph.D. is currently chair of the Theology Department at La Salle University in Philadelphia. The connection between art and social justice has been a major interest spanning her entire academic career.
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