Mural Arts Institute:

Mural Arts Philadelphia Summer Internship Program Philabundance Paint Day. Photo by Steve Weinik.

Mural Arts Philadelphia Summer Internship Program

This in-person program was open to any artists aged 18+ who could commit to the six-week program in person in Philadelphia. Participants had the opportunity to build a mural alongside a professional muralist team. This learning experience was open to artists working towards a journey in public art and social practice as a way to gain solid mural-making and community engagement skills.

This program may be continuing. Please contact info@muralarts.org for more information.

Philadelphia Muralist Training Program

This hybrid program was open to all Philadelphia regional artists. The Muralist Training Program supported the next generation of Philadelphia mural artists. Local artists who were interested in adapting their skills to community-based mural-making, were invited to join Philadelphia’s leading muralists and MAI staff for a unique cohort based learning opportunity.

The training equipped artists with the tools to lead their own projects and a comprehensive understanding of the community mural-making process– from community engagement strategies to community design approaches, project management checklists and templates, and production guidelines.

This program may be continuing. Please contact info@muralarts.org for more information.

Training artist Felix St. Fort leading group cloth training. Photo by Steve Weinik.

Community-Catalyst Incubator

In these seasonally-offered workshops that were offered in-person and virtually throughout the year to artist worldwide, Philadelphia’s leading muralists and community arts leaders provided a unique hybrid learning experience. This training was intended for artists with painting experience or cultural workers who were interested in expanding their socially engaged artistic practice to include mural-making, and for muralists seeking to root community-centered approaches into all aspects of their work.

Led by a team of professional artists and arts administrators providing Mural Arts Philadelphia’s 40+ years of experience in project planning, community engagement strategy, and mural-making techniques, this cohort-centered experience provided 4 full days of in-person learning and an artist networking opportunity in Philadelphia in addition to a series of virtual instruction sessions.

Training group photo in front of mural. Photo courtesy of City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

Mural cloth workshop. Photo courtesy of City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

Mural Cloth Workshop

Participants learned about the Mural Cloth Method of mural production and installation in this in-person workshop. This hands on workshop gave artists a crash course in site selection, wall preparation, artwork production using mural cloth, and installation of mural cloth for a public artwork.

Digital Tools for Muralists

This virtual workshop allowed participants to expand their mural making “toolbox” with muralist Eric Okdeh, drawing from his 25 years of experience in public art making.

Session Highlights:
1. Assembling a digital design using Photoshop and Procreate basics
2. Measuring and assessing wall/site
3. Scaling designs for grid or projection techniques
4. Using layers, filters, and tools for production use

By the end of this session, participants were equipped with the knowledge and skills to take their mural designs from concept to reality, using industry-standard software and techniques.

Some prior working knowledge of Photoshop or ProCreate was preferable to build more skills through this workshop.

Black gold process. Photo courtesy of City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

ESPO Mural Hearts. Photo courtesy of City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

Branding 101 for Creatives

In the current art world and market, a strong brand foundation is key to success in the creative field. In this virtual workshop, Corinne Dodenhoff guided participants through the basics of crafting a solid brand identity to support their practice. Workshop participants developed the tools necessary to use their unique voices as marketing tools to procure job opportunities, attract clients’ attention, and further their own creative careers.

Topics discussed included the Basic 101 of Brand Identity (what is it, how it’s used, etc.), including terminology, research, development tips, and processes to support artists in developing their brands. The objective was for all students to walk away with confidence in how to use these tools to create flexible brand kits for their own practice

Artist to Artist: Community Engagement in Public Art

This interactive in-person workshop took place at Lincoln Financial Mural Arts Center. It explored how artists can engage and impact their communities through public art. This workshop was a collaboration between the Mural Arts Institute and Creative Philadelphia’s Public Art, How to Start professional development series, which was designed to demystify the public art process for local and emerging artists. In this workshop, participants heard directly from practicing artists who have successfully engaged diverse stakeholders, fostered dialogue, and incorporated community input into public art projects. Artist presentations were followed by a Q & A and break out discussions to help participants develop and refine their own approaches to creating collaborative art with community.

Artist to Artist: Community Engagement in Public Art. Photo courtesy of City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

Spring Artist Forum. Photo courtesy of City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

Spring Artist Forum

The Spring Artist Forum was a biannual in-person event, organized by the Mural Arts Institute (MAI) at Triple Bottom Brewing. It invited local muralists and public artists to come together for professional networking, learning, listening, and sharing. The focus for this forum was on how to build strong applications when submitting to public arts opportunities. Mural Arts Philadelphia staff and special guests from Association for Public Art and Creative Philadelphia provided their perspectives on how artists can craft successful proposals and discussed recent open artist calls from all 3 organizations.

Approaches to Community Engagement for Artists

This in-person workshop held at the Parkway Central Library explored how artists can connect with and impact their communities through public art.

This workshop was a collaboration between the Mural Arts Institute and Creative Philadelphia’s Public Art, How to Start professional development series for artists.

Participants heard about the integral role of community engagement in public art projects commissioned by Creative Philadelphia and Mural Arts Philadelphia and learned from seasoned arts administrators who have supported artists to successfully engage with diverse audiences through their work. Participants developed their own innovative approaches to community engagement in breakout groups, shared their own experiences, and networked with like-minded creatives.

Approaches to Community Engagement for Artists. Photo courtesy of City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

Live Painting event at the 2017 NFL Draft, April, 2017. Photo by Steve Weinik.

Squarespace Website for Creatives

Squarespace is not just a useful platform for businesses, but also for creative professionals. In this virtual workshop, Corinne Dodenhoff dove into the nitty-gritty details of Squarespace web design. Using the Squarespace 7.1 Fluid Builder Engine, participants learned how to craft their own websites that showcases both their work and their creative voice.

Participants were guided through the builder engine and its functionality while discussing tips and best practices for design. Topics included building a website from scratch, implementing brand identity, and how to choose what to feature on a portfolio website.

The objective was for students to feel engaged and excited by the process of building their website using Squarespace’s functionality and easy-to-use interface.