This mural captures iconic places and objects throughout South Philly; it also serves as a map of the neighborhood.
This mural was placed on Percy Street in South Philadelphia as a way to deter crime in a long, dimly lit back alley. Street residents applied for an art grant to try to find a more creative alternative to requesting increased police presence in the area. So far, it's had a positive effect--and it's attracted many photographers and journalists to the area, as well. This was the first time I'd seen it in the daylight.
Two separate murals stand in stark contrast. On the right is a portrait of Rizzo, a previous mayor of Philadelphia who is remembered for his racist policies and practices (but many Italian-Americans in South Philly still hold him in high regard). The mural is going to be removed--not because of the controversy, necessarily, but because it costs the Mural Arts Program far too much money to clean up every time it is defaced.
A wheatpaste placed by a street artist.
Tilework by Isaiah Zagar, a famous local mosaic artist who has left touches throughout South Philly (as well as the expansive Magic Gardens).
Street Art Tour through South Philly
I happened to have (quite fortunately) booked a tour to see street art in my South Philly neighborhood weeks before we received this assignment. As Philadelphia has more public art than any other U.S. city, it seemed like the most fitting way to capture my city's streets. The tour was led by Conrad Benner, the creator of the popular @streetsdept Instagram account. He turned his love of art into a way to share it with city residents and eventually people all over the world. He has also met many of Philly's most prominent street artists--we ran into a few while on the tour, and they were kind enough to speak with us about their art.
One of the quotes that most stuck with me was "With street art, once you put your art out there--it's kind of over." Stickers get scrubbed away (or "buffed"), painted buildings crumble, wheatpastes placed on construction materials eventually get removed. Barthes particularly drew my attention to the ways in which photographs preserve experiences--street art, on the other hand, is profound because of its impermanence.
One of my favorite parts of the tour was hearing about how artists adapt to the streets, and how the streets change because of these artists. Many street artists ensure wall space simply by having a large network of [ideally home-owning] friends. At one point during the tour, we saw a metal-link fence that had a a glass mobile wired into it. The metal link fence was meant to replace a wood fence that was attracting too many stickers and posters. Clearly the artists have found a way to adapt to the new medium.
Philadelphia is known for its resilient, underdog spirit--street artists keep that spirit alive and well.
