Mural unveiling in Norris Square this weekend celebrates community art

The Moore College of Art & Design and the Norris Square Community Alliance are hosting a mural unveiling this weekend to celebrate the power of community art.

The series of murals to be unveiled this Saturday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. in Norris Square, a historic Puerto Rican neighborhood in North Philadelphia, will feature themes of hope and resilience amid the rapid gentrification in the neighborhood.

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During the dedication, guests can participate in a screen-printing activity and watch film screenings from the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival. There also will be an art installation from 22 Studio.

The murals commemorate the work of "Arte pa'l Barrio," an initiative focused on bringing new forms of art-based civic engagement to the North Philadelphia neighborhood through art-making, skills-sharing and idea exchanges.

The murals were funded through a 2020 Discovery Grant from the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage and was guided by Moore College. It engaged the local community by hosting discussions and art-making programs facilitated by Nasheli Ortiz, associate professor of Fashion Design at Moore, and Betsy Casañas, a visual artist, Moore College alumna and resident of Norris Square.

The organizers also hosted a week-long camp demonstrating how art and design can democratize community and animate culture through demonstrations from Rosenda Álvarez Faro and Zuania Minier, members of women’s artist collective Taller Malaquita based in Puerto Rico.

The mural dedication kicks off at 6 p.m., followed by the screen painting activity at 6:30 p.m. and the film screenings at 7:30 p.m.

Mural Unveiling