About the Mural Arts Institute (Archive Site)

What is the Mural Arts Institute?

As part of Mural Arts Philadelphia, the Mural Arts Institute (MAI) was dedicated to sharing knowledge, ideas, and experiences that have shaped our approach to community-centered artmaking.

During its tenure, MAI sought to build connections, sustain relationships, and share skills about the practices that have been instrumental in creating works of public art with Philadelphia citizens. MAI worked with artists, arts administrators, and community leaders across the world to align knowledge, amplify voices, empower change, and distribute resources that move us all toward a more inclusive and equitable future for socially engaged public art.

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Art & Environmental Justice Symposium, September 14, 2022. Photo by Troy Bynum.

What is Mural Arts?

Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation’s largest public art program, dedicated to the belief that art ignites change. For 40 years, Mural Arts has united artists and communities through a collaborative process to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives. With a portfolio that includes more than 3,500 murals, Mural Arts continues to expand its community engagement projects beyond painting to include performance, photography, sculpture, and temporary installations.

Visit Mural Arts website

Who We Are

We are a group of artists and art professionals passionate about knowledge sharing and creative exchange. We bring years of experience from both within and beyond Mural Arts to advance the research and practice of community-engaged public art.

Accra Zuberi
(they/them)
Initiative Manager

is a surrealist artist and enthusiastic programming administrator. It is Accra’s mission to empower and enrich communities through the exploration of the arts.

Cathy Harris
(she/her)
Senior Project Manager

is a native Philadelphian and longtime arts administrator. Cathy was Director of Community Murals for Mural Arts Philadelphia for eighteen years, and continues her work with the organization as a senior project manager for Community Murals while also contributing as an advisor to the Mural Arts Institute.

David McShane
(he/him)
Director of Resident Artists

is an artist and Director of Resident Muralists for Mural Arts Philadelphia (MAP). He has been painting for MAP since 1996, and has completed well over 200 murals in the Philadelphia area.

Emilio Maldonado
(he/him)
Artist Relations Director

is a Caribbean born interdisciplinary artist, educator, curator, museum professional and arts administrator living in Philadelphia. He is the Director of Artist Relations at Mural Arts Philadelphia.

Felix St. Fort Jr.
(he/him)
Resident Artist

is a native Philadelphian with twenty years of experience in the arts. A teacher, illustrator, photographer and muralist, St. Fort has worked with Mural Arts Philadelphia for over ten years as a teacher and as a muralist.

Jane Golden
(she/her)
Executive Director

Jane Golden has been the driving force of Mural Arts Philadelphia since its inception, overseeing its growth from a small city agency into the nation’s largest public art program and a global model for transforming public space and community through art.

Joseph Iacona
(he/him)
Director of Mural Arts Institute

is a visual artist, educator, and community-centered thinker who has practiced their work in Philadelphia for over 15 years. Joseph strives to amplify community voices in his collaborative process and values participatory art-making experiences.

Netanel Portier
(she/her)
Senior Director of Learning & Practice

started with Mural Arts in 2009 and joined the Executive Team in 2023. Portier launched the Mural Arts Institute in 2017, sharing Mural Arts’ learnings with other change-making leaders across the globe.

Nathaniel Lee
(he/him)
Resident Artist

has been a part of numerous community-engaged public art projects since he joined the organization in 2007. He has distinguished himself as an expert in mural restoration and is sought after by colleagues who value his artistic and technical support.

Priscilla Bell Lamberty
(she/her)
Program Manager

a Philadelphia-based multidisciplinary artist, educator, and arts administrator. Born in North Philadelphia and grew up in Hunting Park neighborhood, Priscilla draws inspiration from family, surroundings, and cultural traditions.

Shira Walinsky
(she/her)
Porchlight Coordinator

a community-based artist and teacher, has worked with Mural Arts for more than 20 years. During this time she has taught, developed community-based projects, and produced dozens of murals.

News

Learn about our past and current work by exploring blog posts, press, or our newsletters below. Connect with us by subscribing to receive future newsletters.

Videos now available!

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10 Women Artists

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MAI Newsletter 2023

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Initiatives

Mural Arts believes that opportunities, resources, and knowledge should be accessible to all. Since the launching of the Institute, we have developed cohort-based learning initiatives that seek to expand the capacity of other like minded changemakers through a multi-faceted approach, including individual coaching, peer learning, organizational consulting, public programs that support local ecosystems, and nation-wide networking opportunities. Beyond providing substantial funding to cohort participants, we center their voices and works through symposia, publications, and video documentation.

Initiatives: Strength Through Solidarity
Initiatives: Fellowship for Black Artists
Initiatives: PACE
Group of about thirty people kneeling and standing for a group photo in a dirt lot.

Botanical Dye Workshop led by artist Michelle Glass, Iglesias Gardens, September 2022, Philadelphia, PA.

Public Art Archive

Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation’s largest public art program, dedicated to the belief that art ignites change. For over 35 years, Mural Arts has united artists and communities through a collaborative process, rooted in the traditions of mural-making, to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives. Mural Arts engages communities in 50–100 public art projects each year, and maintains its growing collection through a restoration initiative. Our core program areas—Art Education, Restorative Justice, and Porch Light—yield unique, project-based learning opportunities for thousands of youth and adults. Each year, 15,000 residents and visitors tour Mural Arts’ outdoor art gallery, which has become part of the city’s civic landscape and a source of pride and inspiration, earning Philadelphia international recognition as the “City of Murals.” Cataloging its collections on the Public Art Archive supports Mural Arts’ ongoing work to document and preserve information about its projects and collaborative artmaking practices, and expand access to participatory artworks by providing an additional point of entry for public engagement.

Visit the Public Art Archive homepage

Map of Philadelphia public artworks on the Public Art Archive.