{"id":327703,"date":"2025-10-23T23:45:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T23:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/327703\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T23:45:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T23:45:13","slug":"mural-arts-philadelphia-seeks-artist-for-gayborhood-tribute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/327703\/","title":{"rendered":"Mural Arts Philadelphia seeks artist for Gayborhood tribute"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brenda Hillegas<\/p>\n

Calling all artists \u2014 your next big canvas is waiting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mural Arts Philadelphia<\/a> \u2014 in partnership with the Washington Square West Civic Association, Councilmember Rue Landau\u2019s Office, and additional community groups \u2014 is seeking an artist to create a major new mural in the Gayborhood. <\/p>\n

The exterior mural, located at 1221 St. James Street, will honor LGBTQ+ trailblazers and history in Philadelphia and will also provide spaces for rotating engagement with emerging LGBTQ+ identifying artists. Conrad Benner of Streets Dept<\/a>, a multi-platform media outlet showcasing Philadelphia\u2019s public art and public spaces, is managing the project and seeking artists to submit proposals through Nov. 2. <\/p>\n

A panel will choose three artists, based on desired style, qualifications, and other factors, who will be contracted to submit designs. A lead artist will then be chosen, with work on the mural to be completed for a June 2026 dedication during Pride Month.<\/p>\n

“Philadelphia has a long tradition of employing art in public space to tell the story of our histories. And in recent decades, Mural Arts Philadelphia has played no small part in that,\u201d says Benner. “As we approach the 250th anniversary of the country, it seems like perfect timing to continue to tell the story of LGBTQ+ Philadelphians with a new diptych mural in the neighborhood honoring a few of our recent trailblazers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The selected artist will engage in a collaborative design process by incorporating feedback into a design that is then reviewed by stakeholders, community members, the site owner, and an internal design review committee. Two community paint days, facilitated by Mural Arts<\/a>, will also allow community members to experience painting the approved mural design in advance of the mural installation. <\/p>\n

The permanent mural will feature four to six key historical figures that paved the way for the LGBTQ+ community in Philadelphia, including Gloria Casarez and other recent leaders who will be selected through the mural\u2019s creation process. <\/p>\n

The mural will intertwine portraiture and iconography to tell the history of Philadelphia\u2019s LGBTQ+ community, celebrating the achievements of these figures for generations to come. Like the nearby \u201cFinally on 13th!\u201d mural (306 S. 13th Street) that preserves the rich history of queer black ballroom culture in the neighborhood, this new mural will ensure that the cultural heritage of the surrounding neighborhood is visualized for the local community \u2014 some who stood at the sides of these giants and some that take inspiration from them to move towards a more inclusive future for LGBTQ+ youth.<\/p>\n

“Personally, I\u2019m excited to support this effort by managing this project because I understand deeply the value of art in our public space. As the Founder of Streets Dept, which has been documenting the art of Philly\u2019s public space since 2011, the power of art is undeniable to me,\u201d says Benner. \u201cIf you\u2019ve ever laughed at a movie, cried at a song, or found yourself moved to a painting in a gallery, you understand it too.”<\/p>\n

For over 40 years, Mural Arts Philadelphia has united artists and communities through collaborative and equitable processes, creating nearly 4,000 artworks in public spaces. As the nation\u2019s largest public art program, Mural Arts empowers people and sparks dialogue with programs that focus on youth education, restorative justice, mental health, and wellness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Art is our humanity, and I\u2019m excited to see more of it on our walls in 2026,\u201d says Benner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Brenda Hillegas Calling all artists \u2014 your next big canvas is waiting.\u00a0 Mural Arts Philadelphia \u2014 in…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":327704,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5132],"tags":[5229,5603,129930,1448,2830,1311,11642,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-327703","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-lgbtq","10":"tag-mural-arts-philadelphia","11":"tag-pa","12":"tag-pennsylvania","13":"tag-philadelphia","14":"tag-public-art","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-united-states-of-america","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","19":"tag-us","20":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115426146676085545","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=327703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327703\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/327704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=327703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=327703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=327703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}