New public art project in West Philadelphia

The ambitious public art project of the Mural Arts Program is not a mural at all. 50 walls and hundreds of participants will create a massive public love letter along the elevated train track in West Philadelphia between 63th and 46th streets.

The ambitious public art project of the Mural Arts Program is not a mural at all. 50 walls and hundreds of participants will create a massive public love letter along the elevated train track in West Philadelphia between 63th and 46th streets. The project tries to connect romantic love with community revitalization.

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[audio: 090708pcmural.mp3]

It’s a book, it’s a movie, it’s a mural, it’s a business, it’s a love letter. The most visible element of the project can be seen from the commuter train. On the sides of dozens of buildings are phrases like, “If you were here, I’d be home now.”

Artist Steven Powers says the 50 messages are meant to reflect the signage in the area and the kind of supportive communication that makes relationships and neighborhoods work.

Powers: Look up and down Market Street corridor, you’ll see the ghosts of hand-painted signs going back 50, 60, 70 years. It’s something we really wanted to reconnect with. We’re opening a sign shop that will suit the needs of teaching how to use computers to make signs.

The sign-making enterprise is expected to be finished by September.