Philadelphia: Public Art Pioneer
Posted on October 27, 2009 by Carlito Brigante | Share |
Philadelphia was a pioneer in many fields. It was the first capital of the United States, was once the biggest commercial, educational, and cultural center in the US, the social and geographical center of the original 13 American colonies, the first major industrial city, home of the United States’ first hospital and zoo; And the first municipality to embrace public art and urban planning.
The Largest Outdoor Art Gallery in the World
As a matter of fact, Philly happens to have more public art than any other American city, specially murals. In 1984, the city created the Mural Arts Program with the purpose of embellishing neighborhoods, bond communities and support local artists. As of today, the program drove the creation of more than 2800 murals disseminated all across the city.
While Philly’s national historical monuments narrate the foundations of American history, its walls reflect the culture and memoirs of its neighborhoods. Philadelphia tells its stories visually, through its row houses, abandoned lots and warehouses in West Philly, the parking lots of the downtown area and its ancient buildings and cobblestones streets of the old city district. The ensemble forming a massive canvas articulating the city and its inhabitants’ heritage.
Be sure to check Carlito’s flickr stream and blog for more great pictures.
Another interesting article about murals in Philadelhpia has been published on the Street Spot.
Beautiful! Wish we had something like this. Off course there are the comic book walls in Brussels, but I’m not really a fan of those.
Philladelphia is so amazing. I am missing it right now…so much…
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