Mural Arts unveils first of six youth anti-violence mural project

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Mural Arts Philadelphia and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department are partnering with children to design and install six anti-violence murals at six recreation centers around Philadelphia.

The first mural unveiled at the Markward Recreation Center in Fitler Square was designed by a group of 5-12 year-old children in an after school program, under the tutelage of lead artist Calo Rosa.

“The design includes the energy that the kids will put in their drawings,” said Rosa, who spent 10 weeks with the children. “That activity of playing around the mural.”

Visually, the mural has nothing to do with violence. Its design of large-scale flowers, including brown-eyed susans and Echinacea, reflect a nearby pollinator garden, energized by colorful daubs resembling blotches from paintbrushes and markers.

“Any opportunity to create a moment of contemplation and creating together is the important part,” Rosa said. “Instead of addressing the issue directly, the importance of creating the space, of creating something beautiful together helps a lot more.”

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, a policymaking government agency for criminal justice and crime prevention, is funding the multiple mural project. The intent is to engage youth in a public art project, specifically in statistically high-violence zip codes, according to Mural Arts.

Fitler Square is not ordinarily thought of as a high-crime neighborhood, but there have been two shootings in the vicinity this year: one nearby at the Schuylkill River Park and another a few blocks away on South Street. Both were in February, just before the mural project got underway.

“We know from research that people get into silly stuff that turns into bad stuff, often because they have nothing to do,” said the city’s Chief Cultural Officer, Val Gay. “When young people, particularly teenagers, are engaged in something that’s bigger than themselves, it really helps to right their trajectory.”

Officials are yet to determine the locations of the five future murals in the program.

Gay, a longtime figure in Philadelphia’s arts sector, is new to city government. She was hired to the job less than four months ago. She said she is seeking ways to leverage the arts to address pressing urban concerns, including violence.

In addition to supporting Mural Art’s anti-crime efforts, Gay is planning a series of listening sessions around the city this fall to learn what community resources already exist in various neighborhoods.

“I want to do some asset mapping and finding those small components: community hyperlocal-driven activities that an artist or a community member creates in their neighborhood that perhaps the rest of us could benefit from,” she said. “The idea is, ‘How can we overlay arts and culture into everything?’”