Why do we create on the walls around us? From French cave paintings created some 17,000 years ago to political graffiti on the streets of Pompeii, humanity has always longed to make art for everyone to see. Whether commissioned or not, the art we share is essential to who we are.
There’s no better place to see this in practice than in Philadelphia. It’s the birthplace of the modern-day graffiti movement, home to the largest public arts program in the nation, and is often called the “Mural Capital of the World.” Join host Conrad Benner, founder of the Streets Dept blog, as he speaks with some of the most prolific street artists in the city about why their work is so vital to their lives, and ours.
All Episodes
In October 2024, we’re walking around the Philadelphia Zoo with Daryl “Cornbread” McCray, the world’s first modern day graffi ...
Air Date: November 27, 2024
Listen 25:42
Clones of Illadelph: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
We’re wheatpasting on the side of an abandoned UArts building in broad daylight with Sean 9 Lugo in late September of 2024. His “Clon ...
Air Date: November 20, 2024
Listen 29:55
Painter Athena Scott’s winding path as an artist has brought her through many of Philly’s famous arts schools and institutions – ...
Air Date: November 13, 2024
Listen 27:04
We meet artist Michelle Angela Ortiz. Michelle’s mural in honor of LGBTQ+ and worker’s rights icon Gloria Casarez in Philadelphia’s ...
Air Date: November 6, 2024
Listen 26:42
Art Outside is back for season 2. In this episode we’re yarnbombing with crochet artist Nicole Nikolich, who goes by the name Lace in t ...
Air Date: October 30, 2024
Listen 25:26
Introducing a New Season of Art Outside with Conrad Benner
We’re back with Season 2 of Art Outside, a podcast from WHYY about the art of our public spaces and the people who create it. We’re t ...
Air Date: October 23, 2024
Listen 2:30
In the season finale of Art Outside, we’re talking to the graffiti artist, BUSTA. We learn how he took his craft from a sketchbook in C ...
Air Date: December 19, 2023
Listen 18:39
We’re talking to prolific Philadelphia muralist Nilé Livingston. We learn about Philly’s famous ballroom scene, and their most recen ...
Air Date: December 12, 2023
Listen 17:56
We’re wheatpasting with Symone Salib. We talk to one of Philly’s most well-known street artists about how she landed multiple project ...
Air Date: December 5, 2023
Listen 20:36
We’re talking with El Toro, a muralist and one of the founders of Philadelphia’s hand-drawn sticker scene. We’ll learn what it was ...
Air Date: November 28, 2023
Listen 15:15
We speak with Kid Hazo — an anonymous artist who’s basically Philly’s own Banksy. We’ll talk about how he got into street art and ...
Air Date: November 21, 2023
Listen 21:16
Why do we create on the walls around us? From French cave paintings created some 17,000 years ago to political graffiti on the streets of ...
Air Date: November 16, 2023
Listen 1:48