The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program is a city-supported
public art program that brings together young people,
neighborhood residents, artists, and a wide variety of public
and private institutions to create murals of enduring value that
reflect the aspirations and experiences of the city's diverse
communities. Since 1984, the Mural Arts Program has created over
3,000 murals and works of public art which are now part of
Philadelphia's civic landscape and a source of inspiration to
the hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors who
encounter them earning Philadelphia international recognition as
the "City of Murals." The Mural Arts Program's free after-school
and summer intensive art education programs known as Big Picture
and Mural Corps are aimed at young people 10 to 21 years of age.
The programs not only teach mural-making and other fundamental
art skills but inspire students to become artists, organizers,
and leaders in their communities. Over the past year, youth
enrolled in the Big Picture a