Breathtaking Murals in Philadelphia – MuralArts.org – Philly Mural and Mosaic Tours

Sharing is caring!

Update: As I prepare for another trip to Philadelphia, I am planning two very important stops: a tour of the museums in Philadelphia and a walking tour of the murals of Philadelphia. This will be my second trip to the ‘City of Murals‘ but a first for my spouse. This trip will commemorate our 30th Wedding Anniversary and we have a jam-packed itinerary.

Original post: On my last trip to the ‘City of Brotherly Love’, I was eager to take a walking tour of murals in Philadelphia. There are many walking tours of mosaics and murals throughout the city.  I was taken aback by the number and variety of murals that I saw while on a city bus tour.  As it is impossible to see them all in one day (there are over 4,000), instead, I decided to take a two-hour mural and mosaic tour with Elise from MuralArts.org.

Murals in Philadelphia

The Mural Arts Program is the largest public art program in America, dedicated to the belief that art ignites change. It began in 1984 when artist Jane Golden led the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network to re-channel the creative work of local graffiti writers.  Back then, many would not have called graffiti art but likely more of a defacement of public property. This did not deter from her believing that art is a conduit of change for both individuals and the community as a whole. 

She encouraged artists to work on community projects and focus on cleaning up and replacing the graffiti with street art.  Developing a program that brought structure, guidance and more importantly income and artistic recognition to Philadelphia, as artists were paid for their work and work that was done on murals, the PAGN took off.  Thirty years later, Mural Arts has united artists and communities through a collaborative process, rooted in the traditions of mural-making, to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives.

Murals in Philadelphia

Murals in Philadelphia  - How to Turn Anything into Something Else
How to Turn Anything into Something Else by Miss Rockaway Armada Photo Credit: DownshiftingPRO
Murals in Philadelphia  - How to Turn Anything into Something Else
How to Turn Anything into Something Else by Miss Rockaway Armada Photo Credit: DownshiftingPRO

Where once the network was knocking on doors requesting permission to paint a mural on the side of a building, there now is a waiting list. Murals are sponsored, although none may have explicit promotional or marketing content.  There can be a nod to or reference to the company or organization but it cannot be an ad.  Mural Arts engages communities in 50–100 public art projects each year, and maintains its growing collection through a restoration initiative. Core Mural Arts programs such as Art Education, Restorative Justice, and Porch Light yield unique, project-based learning opportunities for thousands of youth and adults.

Murals in Philadelphia - Visit Philly - Starts from Here
Starts from Here – Depicting the Immigrant Population of Philadelphia Photo Credit: DownshiftingPRO

Mural Arts has various segments and missions:

Art Education: art education programs for 2,000+ underserved Philadelphia youth 10- 21 years of age in 25-30 sites. The students develop new skills and bring their talents and labour to new projects.

Murals in Philadelphia - Details of Finding Home

Details of Finding Home – a community piece depicting the life of homeless people

Murals in Philadelphia - Details of Finding Home

Details of Finding Home – a community piece depicting the life of homeless people

Murals in Philadelphia - Details of Finding Home

Details of Finding Home – a community piece depicting the life of homeless people

Restorative Justice: Employs 25 inmates from a maximum security prison to work on murals as well as provide paid apprenticeships for at-risk youth people aged 18-24.  The program is very successful as 74% of Restorative Justice Guild graduates are placed in steady employment, higher education or vocational training programs (source muralarts.org).

MuralArts.org Personal MelodyMargarita Ibbott DownshiftingPRO MuralArts 22
Personal Melody Photo Credit: DownshiftingPRO

Guess the name of the bar. What is the common thread?

Margarita Ibbott DownshiftingPRO MuralArts 36
Dirty Franks Photo Credit: DownshiftingPRO
Margarita Ibbott DownshiftingPRO MuralArts 35

Answer: Frank… Dirty Franks

Public Art and Civic Engagement: through collaborative community projects the murals focus on building social capital, representing diversity and honouring history.  Creating murals that are relevant to the neighbourhood, commemorating important people, dates or events in Philadelphia.

Margarita Ibbott DownshiftingPRO MuralArts 25

Philly Chum Packs

Tours and Public Program: Private and public tours are offered by professional guides and artists.  Over 100 events include dedications, panel discussions, gallery exhibitions, artist talks and community paint days.  Fundraisers and a month-long celebration of all things Mural Arts is held in October.  Each year, 12,000 residents and visitors tour Mural Arts’ outdoor art gallery, injecting $2.7 million into Philadelphia’s creative economy each year.

Margarita Ibbott DownshiftingPRO MuralArts 27
Sanctuary Photo Credit: DownshiftingPRO

Mural Arts Philadelphia is the largest public art program in the United States.  With over 250 artists employed by Mural Arts each year, it completes between 50-100 projects a year.  The Mural Arts program has transformed Philadelphia from a city plagued by destructive graffiti to becoming a source of pride and inspiration, earning Philly international recognition as the “City of Murals”.

For details on walking tours and other information, call 215-685-0750 or visit muralarts.org.

Magic Garden Panorama DownshiftingPRO
Magic Garden Photo Credit: DownshiftingPRO

The Paintbrush Murals in Philadelphia Photo credit DownshiftingPRO

FAQ

Are there guided tours:

Yes, you can take a variety of tours on offer at the MuralsArts.Org. website

How long is a tour?

Tours are 90 minutes long and some specialty tours are longer.

Do I need to buy tickets in advance?

Yes, advanced reservations are required to ensure your spot on the tour. You can purchase tickets online or by calling us at 215-925-3633.

Are there Free self-guided tours?

Yes, you can take a self-guided tour using your phone.

Where can I find out more?

Follow along on social media: @muralarts on Twitter and Instagram, phillymuralarts on YouTube, and MuralArtsPhiladelphia on Facebook.

Margarita Ibbott DownshiftingPRO MuralArts 32
Philadelphia Muses Photo Credit: DownshiftingPRO

Disclosure: I received a complimentary tour to facilitate this review as part of a Press trip to Philadelphia.  No other compensation was received all opinions are of @DownshiftingPRO.  All photos are the property of @DownshiftingPRO and cannot be used without permission.  Special thanks to @VisitPhilly for facilitating this tour.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Website | + posts

Margarita Ibbott is a travel and lifestyle blogger. She blogs about travel in Canada, the United States and Europe giving practical advice through restaurant, hotel and attraction reviews. She writes for DownshiftingPRO.com and other online media outlets.

4 thoughts on “Breathtaking Murals in Philadelphia – MuralArts.org – Philly Mural and Mosaic Tours”

  1. I would never naturally associate mural tours with Philly. That is very cool. I was hoping to get there this summer but things didn’t work out so far. Hope to get there one day soon. It looks like a really rich travel destination – as in so much to see and do and the food that you were sharing and tweeting about while there also looked incredible!

    • You will love it. I have to go back, no doubt about it. There is too much to see in just a few days. Great for the family. The mural tour was great but way too short. Only saw a few and there are nearly 4,000 murals in the city!

    • It takes a lot of courage to take graffiti artists out of the ‘hood’ and make them legit mural artists. I love that there is a percentage of a new build construction budget that must be put back into the community via art. What a great way to invest in a community.

Comments are closed.