When Brad and I returned to the Eagles Partnership Program we were happy to see that a lot of progress had been made. After speaking briefly with the assistants and Natalie, the mosaic artist for the site, we went to find the interns. We had to walk all the way around the school to find the interns in a small covered room, where five people working on parachute cloth. This section was going to wrap around the entire building as the upper boarder. I sat down to talk with Joseph, who was painting the pale orange background.
How has the experience been so far? Its been good, I can't complain. I'm enjoying the experience and learning a lot from the project.
How has the project affected the community? We've had a lot of problems with vandalism lately, but the older crowd is happy. The project seems to have driven away a lot of the drugs from around the school and they're hoping it'll keep the graffiti down.
What is your favorite form of transportation? I've been taking the bus but I prefer my bike.
What is your favorite Philadelphia landmark? I love the Art Museum.
Where is the best place to get lunch? Govindas. Its a vegetarian and vegan restaurant.
What is your favorite part of the mural? I love the children's drawings.
What is your favorite part of the mural that you have worked on? The volleyball net, I love the colors. Its baby pink and bright yellow and it's one of the children's drawings.
Daniel Ostrov- Part Two
Dan and Mike Smash were still in Smash's studio. The mosaics had really progressed since the last time Brad and I were there. More finished panels lay on the floor and a vampire movie played in the background as he took a break to talk.
How has the experience been so far? It's been really good and interesting. I've been learning about the process of creating mosaics and in a few weeks we'll be installing.
What is the most interesting thing that has happened? I've enjoyed the patterns and the work. Its a different kind of process, really meticulous which suits what i do.
Favorite Form of transportation? Boat or Sailboat.
How has this experience effected your goals? I'd like to do more murals and mosaics. We had a meeting for a new project today and its interesting to see a project in its earliest stages.
Favorite Philadelphia Landmark? The Ben Franklin Bridge
Best place to eat? Los Tacos.
What is your favorite part of the project? There is this part of the mosaic that looks like waves that Smash did. Its my favorite.
What is your favorite part of the project that you've worked on? I like the lotus blossoms and color contrast. To me the colors in glass work are richer than those in just paint.
How has the experience been so far? It's been really good and interesting. I've been learning about the process of creating mosaics and in a few weeks we'll be installing.
What is the most interesting thing that has happened? I've enjoyed the patterns and the work. Its a different kind of process, really meticulous which suits what i do.
Favorite Form of transportation? Boat or Sailboat.
How has this experience effected your goals? I'd like to do more murals and mosaics. We had a meeting for a new project today and its interesting to see a project in its earliest stages.
Favorite Philadelphia Landmark? The Ben Franklin Bridge
Best place to eat? Los Tacos.
What is your favorite part of the project? There is this part of the mosaic that looks like waves that Smash did. Its my favorite.
What is your favorite part of the project that you've worked on? I like the lotus blossoms and color contrast. To me the colors in glass work are richer than those in just paint.
Mike Gamble- Round Two
Mike Gamble was at the Norris street site when i arrived. He is beign shared between three artists and has been at numerous sites around the city. We sat under the shade during his lunch break so he could eat while we spoke.
How has the experience been so far? Its' been really good. I've been really busy and i'm never bored. With the projects I'm on I've seen a lot of different sides of the program and the process.
What is the most interesting thing that's happened on a project? The community paint days for the City Wide mural project are really interesting. I thought taht so many people, most of whom have never painted before, working on one project would be hard but they've been great. They're all eager to help and they have created some beautiful work.
What is your favorite form of transportation? I really love my car but my brother has it now that he's moved back.
How have you seen
How has the experience been so far? Its' been really good. I've been really busy and i'm never bored. With the projects I'm on I've seen a lot of different sides of the program and the process.
What is the most interesting thing that's happened on a project? The community paint days for the City Wide mural project are really interesting. I thought taht so many people, most of whom have never painted before, working on one project would be hard but they've been great. They're all eager to help and they have created some beautiful work.
What is your favorite form of transportation? I really love my car but my brother has it now that he's moved back.
How have you seen
The 2nd and Wolf Street Site
Title: The Mummers Parade
Lead Artist: Kufu
Assistants: Kim Olsbrook, Mike, Jessica, TJ, Emmanuel Fitzpatrick, Mariam, Brad Carney
Interns: Joseph Lozano
Project Manager: Kevin Brown
Program: The School District of Philadelphia
The lead artist Kufu had been working while I spoke with Joe. He was standing on a scaffold working on the top border of the Mural. We spoke a bit about the project as he finished blending a bright blue sky.
How did this project start? The community approached Mural Arts with the idea of a Mummer Mural on the wall of their elementary school. I started researching the design in September. I had about 10 classes with the elementary school kids during the winter as well as community meetings. I went to two of them, one that consisted mostly of discussions over what they wanted the mural to be and the other to show them the finished design for approval. I worked with the art teacher at the school on the design.
Where did you get the images from? I got the images from the Internet, and the Free Picture department at the library and the Mummers catalog. Some of the other pictures I took myself.
How has the community responded to the mural? They really love it, we get at least ten people a day who walk by and say that we're doing a good job or that they love the mural. It was a community project, and working with them and the children was a blast.
Lead Artist: Kufu
Assistants: Kim Olsbrook, Mike, Jessica, TJ, Emmanuel Fitzpatrick, Mariam, Brad Carney
Interns: Joseph Lozano
Project Manager: Kevin Brown
Program: The School District of Philadelphia
The lead artist Kufu had been working while I spoke with Joe. He was standing on a scaffold working on the top border of the Mural. We spoke a bit about the project as he finished blending a bright blue sky.
How did this project start? The community approached Mural Arts with the idea of a Mummer Mural on the wall of their elementary school. I started researching the design in September. I had about 10 classes with the elementary school kids during the winter as well as community meetings. I went to two of them, one that consisted mostly of discussions over what they wanted the mural to be and the other to show them the finished design for approval. I worked with the art teacher at the school on the design.
Where did you get the images from? I got the images from the Internet, and the Free Picture department at the library and the Mummers catalog. Some of the other pictures I took myself.
How has the community responded to the mural? They really love it, we get at least ten people a day who walk by and say that we're doing a good job or that they love the mural. It was a community project, and working with them and the children was a blast.
Joseph Lozano-Round Two
Today I visited Joseph at his other site, The Mummers Mural on 2nd and Wolf Street in South Philly. He and the lead artist Kufu had taken over a small corner of the Sharswood Elementary by the cafeteria and they were in the process of setting up when I arrived. I had a lot of time so I was handed a paintbrush, some primary colors and sat down to paint buildings. Joe was doing the same thing, but unlike my very basic paintings, his buildings were beautifully detailed and shaded. After lunch I sat to talk with him while he painted just to check up on how the project had been going for him and what he thought after almost four weeks on the job.
How has this experience been so far? Its been great, a real learning experience. It was a huge transition from studio work and oil paints to outdoor sites and acrylics and its taken some getting used to.
What was the most interesting thing that happened? A random person stole some of my paints and started to paint the scaffolding with them.
What is your favorite form of transportation? I walk almost everywhere.
How have you're goals changed? Have you accomplished any? They haven't changed and I feel despite all the work I still have a lot to learn about murals and large scale projects like this.
Where is the best place to eat? The Subway on Broad street, Donald Gensler's crew goes there every day.
How has the project affected the community? This particular community lives and breathes Mummers. Seeing the mural makes them take pride in the artwork but also in themselves.
What is your favorite part of this mural? I love how they've covered the hole in the wall.
What is your favorite Philly Landmark? It would be Kelly drive with the boathouses by the art museum.
How has this experience been so far? Its been great, a real learning experience. It was a huge transition from studio work and oil paints to outdoor sites and acrylics and its taken some getting used to.
What was the most interesting thing that happened? A random person stole some of my paints and started to paint the scaffolding with them.
What is your favorite form of transportation? I walk almost everywhere.
How have you're goals changed? Have you accomplished any? They haven't changed and I feel despite all the work I still have a lot to learn about murals and large scale projects like this.
Where is the best place to eat? The Subway on Broad street, Donald Gensler's crew goes there every day.
How has the project affected the community? This particular community lives and breathes Mummers. Seeing the mural makes them take pride in the artwork but also in themselves.
What is your favorite part of this mural? I love how they've covered the hole in the wall.
What is your favorite Philly Landmark? It would be Kelly drive with the boathouses by the art museum.
Independence Charter School Mural
Title: Currently UntitledLead Artist: Anne Northrop
Assistants: Mike McHugh, Roberta Fallun, Stella Rindbrough, TJal Abdullah, Agnes Moncy
Interns: Shemise Evens, Phil Depoula, Jill Levetsky, Daniel Ostrov
Programs: Leadership Initiative and the Independance Charter School
Project Manager: Robyn Busman.
Sponsers: Violet DiMageo Foundation, Barnes Foundation
Anne Northrop, the lead artist had come in while I was speaking with Jill Levetsky. She was happy to answer my questions about her process and project. She stopped me in front of the full picture of the mural, explaining her inspiration and process with loving detail. Clearly a woman who is passionate about what she was doing we moved to her painting station so she could work while we spoke.
Inspiration for this project:
The inspiration for this project was International Markets. The Independence Charter school is very proud of its integration programs, and its foreign programs. We included as many different cultures as we could from Afghanistan to Africa to India, just to name a few. We included lots of children so there would be something the children at the Charter school could relate to. Since the Barnes foundation is known for its Impressionist pieces we decided to do this mural in the Impressionist style. To get all the pictures I searched for months through magazines, and emailed everyone I knew who had been overseas. This program has been utilizing the Mural Arts' educational and prison programs. We have inmates currently painting about 24 panels and many other workers are in the re-integration programs as well as the educational program.
The Finding Home Project
Project Title: Finding Home
Lead Artists: Josh Saratitus and Kathryn Pannepacker
Lead Assistant: Alvin Tull
Assistant: Shelby Donnelly
Intern: Margaret Hull
Project Managers: Cheryl Durgans and Kristin Hankins
Volunteers: Fred Smill, Teamon Cox and many others
Sponsors: The Porch Light Initiative, City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.
Taking place at the Arch Street Cafe on the corner of 8th and Arch Street, the Finding home project is aimed at raising awareness for the homeless in Philadelphia. I spoke with one of the lead artists for the project, Katheryn Pannepacker, who was in charge of the textile process of the project. I spoke with her as she was helping two men with their first weaving.
What was the idea behind this project?
The point of this project was to start conversations between the people who have homes and those who don't. We wanted to raise citywide awareness for this problem. Many people distance themselves from the homeless but its important to realize that we are all just one step away from being homeless. This mural is the first of its kind, a large scale textile mural painted on 150 hand-woven mats rather than a sheet of parachute cloth. We're having anyone who wants to write on the strips of fabric before we weave them. There have been alot inspirations quotes people have written. Its going to be homeless itself for a while, traveling to various sites where we'll have discussions about homelessness. But we don't want to just be preaching to the choir we want everyone from the community to come and take part. We're also going to have bracelets, like the Livestrong ones for cancer, but these will say Finding Home on them instead.
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