Philadelphia Mural Tour: Street Art That Changes Lives!

Street art is pretty to look at, but Mural Arts Philadelphia creates artwork that not only transforms the wall it appears on but also changes lives.  They have the largest collection of collaborative artwork in the world – there are over 4100 pieces!

It can be a little overwhelming, trying to figure out where to go to see the best Philadelphia street art.  Instead of venturing out on our own, we were excited to do the Philadelphia Mural Mile walking tour.  That way we could see the best murals and learn some of the stories behind the artwork. 

Let me tell you more about the powerful street art you can expect to see on this Philadelphia mural tour.

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Originally Mural Arts started as an anti-graffiti summer program in 1984.  They wanted to redirect the talents of the graffiti artists to make art that would beautify the area.  This resonated with me, especially after seeing the graffiti on top of some beautiful murals in Bushwick, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.

The mission has grown to be much more than just an anti-graffiti project though.  The nonprofit works with communities to create 50–100 new public art projects each year and also does the important job of restoring the older Philadelphia murals in its growing collection.  They have helped people with substance abuse issues, those that have been incarcerated, the homeless, and more.  The artwork also gets people talking about critical issues facing society.

Their Royal Highnesses Charles, the Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, also spent an afternoon with Mural Arts to learn more about the program in 2007. 

If you are interested in learning more about the program and the murals, Jane Golden, the Executive Director of the Philly Mural Arts Program, wrote a book called Philadelphia Murals & the Stories They Tell.  The book is available on Amazon, click here to check the price.  There is also the sequel More Philadelphia Murals and the Stories They Tell, click here to check the price.

Mural Mile Philadelphia

It was inspiring to see the amazing artwork that is part of the Mural Mile and hear Brendan, our tour guide, explain the stories behind them.  It was clear that Brendan was very knowledgeable and passionate about the murals and the artists.

One of the things that struck me was the sheer size of the murals.  Some were difficult to photograph because they were so gigantic. And as you would expect with street art, most were pretty bold and colorful.

My Favorite Philadelphia Murals

We saw so many amazing murals along the Philadelphia Mural Mile with moving stories to go along with them, I loved them all.  Here are a few of the best murals in Philadelphia.

How to Turn Anything Into Something Else

The art collective, Miss Rockaway Armada, worked with about 30 Mural Arts students aged 10 to 15 over the summer to create this colorful mural.  It is a huge piece and there is lots going on so you will want to take some time to look at all the details.  

The artists had students draw an animal head on a sheet of paper, then fold it so no one could see it, and pass it to the next student to draw more, and so on.  The goal was to show students that not everything has to end the way it began.  I know sometimes it is hard to keep a positive attitude when things don’t look promising. I loved the message from this mural!

Start From Here Mural

Visually, this mural by Isaac Lin is mesmerizing and it also covers two buildings!  If you looked at the mural and the title, you might not guess it is about immigration!  At first, it reminded me of a video game.

He used colors of national flags to remind us that except for Native Americans, we all come from somewhere else as immigrants or refugees.  The title comes from the idea of starting a new life, just as his parents did when they came to the United States.

Tree Of Knowledge

This mural by Michael Webb was created in honor of the 50 year anniversary of Eisenhower Fellowships.  The organization identifies and connects innovative leaders committed to creating a better world that is more peaceful and prosperous.

The Tree of Knowledge mural has objects hidden among the leaves that show what knowledge and perseverance can accomplish.  You also see the ladders leading up the Tree of Knowledge.

Since it is painted on the side of a building,  I didn’t think much about the bricks I saw around the edge of the art.  Then Brendan pointed out that the bricks were actually painted on.  This technique of painting the bricks on is called Trompe-l’oeil, which means to deceive the eye.  The artist makes the viewer believe that something painted on is actually a 3D physical object.  I had to get close to verify it because the bricks looked so real.  After learning about the technique, I noticed that several of the murals we saw had painted on bricks.

Finding Home

This is a huge (2,200 square feet) multimedia mural led by artists Kathryn Pennepacker and Josh Sarantitis in partnership with Project H.O.M.E. and the City of Philadelphia Department of Health and Intellectual Disability Services.  The artwork aimed to give a voice to Philadelphia’s homeless, reduce the stigma around homelessness, and to raise awareness about the issue in our society.   The mural is so big, we weren’t able to capture it all in one photo!

Contributors, many who were homeless, wove strips of cloth depicting personal reflections on what it means to have a home.  They adhered those strips to the wall and then painted.  The artists also added pieces of print, sheet metal and cable into the mural.  There were so many stories on this mural, I wish I would have had time to look at all of them.

It is painted on Philadelphia’s New Century Trust Building.  The New Century Trust is a foundation that works to end the political and economic inequalities facing women and girls in Greater Philadelphia.  The mural reminds us how far women have come and the issues we still need to deal with like income equality

Dirty Franks

Dirty Franks is actually a bar in Philadelphia and instead of posting their name on the outside, they have a mural by the artist David McShane of different Franks on the walls.  

We had fun trying to guess the famous Franks depicted in the mural.  They were creative and didn’t just include people with the first name Frank.  For example, since the bar is in Philadelphia, they had to include Ben Franklin! I also like that they recently added Pope Francis, just in time for his visit to Philly.

Philly Street Art Video

I could go on and on about the street art in Philly.  We saw so many impressive murals.  Check out our video for more insight on our Philly mural tour.  Even in the video, it is hard to get a sense of the scale of the murals, they are huge!  

Philly Mural Mile Tour Review

We enjoyed our tour of the Mural Mile in Philadelphia.  Thanks so much to our tour guide Brendan!  He had so much positive energy and knew his stuff.  We covered a lot more ground than I expected and got to see so many breathtaking murals.  Still, the stories behind the art are what will stick with me.  I don’t think the street art would have had the same impact if we would have done a self-guided tour.

The street art in Philadelphia is definitely a must-see whether you go on a tour like we did or see it on your own.  Philly has been called the “City of Murals” for good reason! Has street art inspired you?

-Anisa