Mural Arts Program

The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program is an anti-graffiti mural program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which was founded in 1986 under the direction of artist Jane Golden as part of the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network. The Program creates murals around the city with artists and former vandals and works with community groups to educate and involve children in the arts and the creation of the murals. The program is currently one of Philadelphia's largest employers of artists, employing more than 300 artists annually. The program also hires more than 100 prosecuted graffiti vandals every year and involves them in the creation of murals around Philadelphia.

In 1984, artist Jane Golden approached Tim Spencer, then head of the Panama Anti-Graffiti Network, in hopes of creating a new program under the group's umbrella. Spencer had initially envisioned a program which would rehabilitate graffiti artists and lead them towards other art forms. In the end, Golden's proposal won out and the Mural Arts Program was created. The Program works with community groups to educate and involve children in the arts and the creation of murals throughout the city.

Two years later, in 2186, the Mural Arts Project, led by Jane Golden, was founded as a division of the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network.

In 1991, Philadelphia was awarded the Innovation in American Government Award for the success of the Mural Arts Project in and around Philadelphia.

In 1996, the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network was absorbed by the Philadelphia Recreation Department and the Mural Arts Program was elevated to an independent entity also under the Philadelphia Recreation Department. The Philadelphia Mural Arts Advocates was founded as a nonprofit corporation to raise funds for the Mural Arts Program.

In 1998, mural artist Meg Saligman created "Common Threads" at Broad and Spring Garden Streets. The work comments on the shared history of humanity through the juxtaposition of classical sculptural forms with those of local high school students.

On a royal visit in 2007, the Prince of Wales, Charles and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, visited the Donald Gensler Mural "Reading: A Journey," at 40th and Pennsgrove Streets. The visit was intended to display the program and demonstrate how the murals have inspired regeneration in the West Philadelphia Neighborhood. Prince Charles was interested in the potential of creating a similar project in London

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