MURAL ARTS MONTH, WEEK 1: How Philly Moves takes center stage

POSTED: Monday, October 3, 2011, 3:07 PM

Filed Under: Arts | Arts Events | Philly Artists Street Art

Cassie Owens covers Mural Arts Month in this space every Monday in October.

Public art in Philadelphia is changing. And the Mural Arts Program (MAP) is morphing right along with it. The program now plays curator to some 3,000 pieces scattered across the city, pushing MAP in a direction that’s stirring up more community involvement. This message is loud and clear in Mural Arts Month 2011, themed “31 Days, 31 Ways That Art Ignites Change.”

One of the most shining examples is their recent and largest project, How Philly Moves, which greets motorists driving by the Philadelphia International Airport on I-95. The 85,000-square-foot mural is a tribute to the local dance community, featuring 26 performers that represent a different facet of Philadelphia’s history and culture.

The project began in early 2010 when Deputy Mayor for Transportation and Utilities Rina Cutler came to Mural Arts with an idea about how to expand the relationship between art and transportation. “I was stuck on I-95 — literally stopped in front of the airport and the parking garage. So I sort of sat there and I looked at them and said, ‘you know, that’s a lot of concrete. This is really a huge gateway into the city and we should try to do something that makes them more inviting.’” From there, the idea just clicked.

At that point, MAP launched a national search for someone to design the project. It was awarded unanimously to Jacques-Jean “JJ” Tiziou, who had already begun an exhaustive project photographing Philadelphians dancing. His job-getting idea was to incorporate the images onto the mural so that “all people of Philadelphia could look at it, and feel like they could be up there,” he says. “We wanted a broad range, sort of like looking through a kaleidoscope.”

The actual creation process was undertaken by a team of over 1000 people — everyone from workforce re-entry participants and students to local prisoners and the general public. To generate interest, MAP used social media to advertise How Philly Moves paint days, which were free and open to the public.

The mural — ranked the second largest in the world — represents the centerpiece of Mural Arts Month. It will get grand-opening treatment all month long in the form of parties, tours and spotlights. But there are a ton of separate activities that highlight other works that have been done in the city. Here are a few happening this week:

Mural Mile Walking Tour ➤ Bank of America is offering free Mural Arts Month tours for the third year running. The Mural Mile is actually 2.5 miles of 17 Center City murals that you may have overlooked. Taking flicks of the murals is encouraged. Dipping out at a stop along the way is a-ok. This tour will take place rain or shine, so be prepared. Sat., Oct. 8, 10 a.m.-noon, free, Bank of America, 923 Chestnut St., muralarts.tix.com.

Murals & Meals: Marathon Grill ➤ This past spring, Marathon Grill set off on a mission to transform vacant lots into blossoming plots in Brewerytown. The result was Marathon Farm, a non-profit that provides sustainable produce to Marathon’s restaurants and offers crash courses in DIY urban gardening. This edition will serve up Murals & Meals’ usual combo: a tour on an antique trolley and a special tasting at the restaurant for lunch. Only this tour will include a trip to Marathon Farm, presented by Marathon owner Cory Borish. See how flowerbeds and public art both serve to beautify — in time for harvest, of course. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty! Sat., Oct. 8, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., $50, Marathon Grill, 929 Walnut St., muralarts.tix.com.

(cassie.owens@citypaper.net)

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