The Commercial District Advisor: It's Not Just About Neighborhood Pride: Murals Prevent Graffiti AND Drive Retail Sales

"Graffiti covered walls and trash strewn streets are not exactly the most attractive additions to your commercial district. But then sometimes the remedy is not much more attractive than the original problem. We recently toured a commercial district in downtown Newark, NJ and talked to businesses who have given up on the painting and repainting necessary to keep graffiti in check. To make matters worse, the paint jobs are sometimes a mish-mash of different paint colors that look messy, and while an improvement, still communicate a not so positive message about the district to shoppers."

"A Better Method - Murals!".....

"One Washington D.C. non-profit is doing just that. The Latin American Youth Center Art + Media House partners with local artists to create murals that brighten up the community. Tim Gibbons is a local artist who helped facilitate a group of 14 youth this past summer brighten up a cement wall...see more of the wonderful results here on his blog."

Read the Article HERE

Philadelphia Office of Arts and Culture

The Philadelphia Office of Arts and Culture is the City's designated Local Arts Agency and supports the interests and concerns of the City's cultural community and advocates on its behalf. Some of the programs currently coordinated by and associated with the Office of Arts and Culture are described below.

• The Art Commission
• Art in City Hall
• Student Exhibition Program
• Calendar of Events
• Arts in Education
• Percent for Art Program
• Sculpture Conservation and Collection Management Program
• Philadelphia Festival of the Arts, Inc./Marian Anderson Award
• The Philadelphia Cultural Fund
• Additional Involvements
• Contact Information

"Colortatura" by Mary Ann Mears

"Colortatura" by Mary Ann Mears

Coloratura, by Maryland artist Mary Ann Mears, is located at Southern Avenue station on the Green Line in Prince George's County, Maryland. Coloratura consists of suspended and high-relief wall sculptures. The piece was impeccably crafted by Maryland boat builders, Chesapeake Rigging, using painted metal and stainless steel. The artist uses her trademark brilliant colors, rhythmic patterns and bold forms to create a work of art that is animated, colorful and inspiring.

Uploaded by dbking on 19 Aug 06, 8.36PM EDT.

A Conversation with Jane Golden

A Conversation with Jane Golden, Mural Arts Program Founder and Executive Director, with Harris Steinberg, AIA, Executive Director, PennPraxis

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 7 - 9 P.M.

UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS, CBS AUDITORIUM, 320 S. BROAD STREET, PHILADELPHIA

$15 PER PERSON
FREE TO UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS STUDENTS WITH ID
For reservations, call 215-888-9116 or e-mail events[at]muralarts[dot]org.

Journey through the Mural Arts Program's first quarter century through an interactive discussion between Jane Golden and Harris Steinberg. Hear how the program's work has transformed Philadelphia's communities through public art and education. Hear first-hand the highlights and challenges of the past 25 years and how public art can have an impact on urban development and community renewal. The program will include questions from the audience, and will be followed by a meet and greet reception.

This program is the first in a four-part "Creatively Speaking" Speakers Series, one of the featured programs in the Mural Arts Program's 25th Anniversary Series. The Speakers Series is sponsored by Hangley Aronchick Segal & Pudlin and Glenmede.

Visit www.muralarts.org for information about the Mural Arts Program's 25th Anniversary programs and events.

Arrested Motion Blog / Shepard Fairey hits up Austin for SXSW Festival

See in-progress pics of gorgeous murals being put up by the man himself.

Shepard Fairey hits up Austin for SXSW Festival - Arrested Motion

Cultural Tourism DC Walking Tours

www.CulturalTourismDC.org

Un Pueblo Sin Murales... (A People Without Murals...), also known as The Adams Morgan Mural, is the oldest remaining outdoor work in Washington that dates from the mural revival of the 1960s and 1970s. The painting was designed and executed by Carlos Salozar and Felipe Martinez, Chilean immigrants who joined thousands of their compatriots in fleeing the repressive Pinochet regime in the 1970s.

Un Pueblo Sin Murales... (A People Without Murals...), by Carlos Salozar and Felipe Martinezis, (1970s) is in Adams Morgan at 1779 Columbia Road, NW

A 5 - 10 minute walk across the Duke Ellington Memorial Bridge.

Mural documentation Contributed by: American Dreams & Associates
From Cultural Tourism DC
See www.CulturalTourismDC.org to see more murals.

Smithsonian American Art Museum’s new show on Depression-era artists | Around The Mall

Is It Deja Vu All Over Again? A New Deal for Artists | Around The Mall by Beth Py-Lieberman

On a recent visit to the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s new show on Depression-era artists, it was hard to tell if this was a glimpse of the future or a look at the past.

“The United States was in crisis,” reads the text on the walls. “The national economy fell into a profound depression. . . . Thousands of banks failed, wiping out the life savings of millions of families. . . Businesses struggled or collapsed. . . .”

56 paintings on view now through January 3, 2010 at the American Art Museum