Mural Arts Philadelphia will host exhibitions, dedications and film screenings that pay homage to its “Voices of Philly” theme during a monthlong celebration in October. Among those being highlighted is Philadelphia native Andre Chaney, who was named the featured emerging artist for Mural Arts Month.
For Chaney, who has been involved with the organization since his childhood, the recognition represents a full-circle moment that is reflected in his work, which he hopes can stand as a call for positive change.
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Chaney said during a YouTube Short video posted in September that his vision for the event’s visual identity is inspired by hope, a virtue that he says is a staple in all of his work. Chaney’s “Where Art Meets Hope” design was used on a special label of Mural City Cellars’ cabernet sauvignon, of which 15% of proceeds go toward Mural Arts programming.
The label shows a young child at the bottom of the canvas holding a paintbrush and an older version of the subject over a skyline as a “recipient of change occurring within the city.” He said he was inspired by his late mother’s optimism.
“It’s kind of looking at a hopeful future for the city of Philadelphia,” Chaney said. “The piece represents transformation for the boy, for the city, transformation through art and remaining hopeful throughout that process.”
Provided Image/Andre Chaney
Andre Chaney shows his design on a special label of Mural City Cellars’ cabernet sauvignon.
Chaney’s designs can be found on walls, billboards, library staircases and children’s book illustrations. He collaborated on “Afromation Avenue,” which pays homage to Black history in Philadelphia with lamppost art installations found along South and Bainbridge streets in Center City. Last year, he collaborated with local nonprofit KABOOM! to write and illustrate short stories displayed at the Penrose Recreation Center.
His sense of focused optimism for the future is rooted in something deeply personal. The 27-year-old attended Mural Arts Philadelphia summer camps as a child, honing in his skills that were, up until that point, mostly self taught. He recalled a moment in his childhood when he drew a photo for his incarcerated father showing the two behind bars together. That image instilled in him lessons that would guide the rest of his career as an artist.
“When my mom saw [the drawing], she said ‘if you have a gift where you can create any reality you want, why would you confine yourself?” Chaney said. “That kind of shaped me. … I started thinking critically at a young age about altering the way that I experienced things through art.”
His mother, who passed away two years ago, was his first muse and teacher. Chaney credits her with not only encouraging him to follow his passions, but critiquing his work and pushing him to improve and use his talents for a higher good.
“My mom was the most hopeful person I knew in my life, regardless of the circumstance,” he said. “… I’m extremely hopeful the same way my mother was and I think I’m able to enter spaces and leave that impression of hope in art.”
Being recognized as this year’s featured emerging artist is a full-circle moment for Chaney, and he plans on using his platform to elevate future generations of creatives. In the future, he wants to work to promote childhood literacy in his hometown and beyond, and is in the process of writing and illustrating his first children’s book.
“It makes me feel very gleeful to be 27 right now thinking about the younger version of myself who was reluctant to build upon some of my sketches,” he said. “It shows me that I’m on the right path, there’s some credibility to what I’m doing. … I’m extremely hopeful, the same way my mother was, and I think I’m able to enter spaces and leave that impression of hope in art.”