WHEREAS, Mural Arts Month was a celebration of the arts and the over 4,000 murals produced by Mural Arts Philadelphia since 1984; and
WHEREAS, For over 37 years, Mural Arts Philadelphia has provided transformative experiences, progressive discourse, and economic stimulus to the City of Philadelphia through participatory public art that beautifies, advocacy that inspires, and educational programming and employment opportunities that empower; and
WHEREAS, Each year, 10,000 residents and visitors tour Mural Arts' outdoor art gallery, which has become part of Philadelphia's civic landscape; and
WHEREAS, In partnership with Conrad Benner from Street Dept Walls, Mural Arts Philadelphia hosted a press conference for the exhibition ‘To The Polls’, a temporary exhibition that took place at the LOVE Park, featuring six freestanding murals encouraging citizens to vote in light of the upcoming Election Day on November 8th"; and
WHEREAS, Throughout October, Mural Arts Philadelphia has mural dedications, panel discussions, community events, artist spotlights, a film screening, and mural tours around the City; and
WHEREAS, Artists Marian Bailey and Lindsay Bedford lead a walk through West Philadelphia’s “Afromation Avenue,” a collection of positive affirmation street signs aimed at the Black/African-American communities, a project building on the work began by two Philadelphia school teachers after the June 2020 murder of George Floyd to help support students grappling with the tragedy; and
WHEREAS, Artists Marian Bailey and Lindsay Bedford put together a book with joyful and empowering messages and translated these messages onto signs placed in areas that resonate with the Black/African American communities, including Malcolm X Park; and
WHEREAS, The dedication of the first mural in a series called Flight at 1228 Spruce Street a Tatyana Fazlalizadeh project using the idea of rising off the ground as a metaphor for Black/African-Americans' ongoing search for liberation, escape, and transformation; and
WHEREAS, Colored Conventions at 315 Washington Ave, a meaningful project by the artist Ernel Martinez, that focuses on the rich history of the Colored Conventions movement which was founded in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, The Community Murals program brought these murals to life, and highlighted the mission of amplifying voices, representing diversity, and creating projects that build social capital to empower people to make a change in the city of Philadelphia; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council does hereby celebrate The Mural Arts Program in October as Mural Arts Month in Philadelphia.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Mural Arts Philadelphia, further evidencing the sincere respect of this legislative body.
End