The Living Tree
Rumph-Mallery Playground, Philadelphia, 2024
This mural was designed with youth during a ten week after-school program. In these sessions, students were invited into an art-making space that emphasized an explorative approach to mixed-media making. This process led to a mural design that celebrates the eternal spirit of play and honors the Rec Center as a modern day sacred space. The mural was fabricated with these young people, as well as 33 members of the Mural Arts Rec Crew. The Rec Crew is an extension of Mural Arts’ Guild program, which is a paid apprenticeship and job training program for individuals returning from incarceration. The Rec Crew is an opportunity for graduates of the Guild to gain continued employment and skill development transforming rec centers around the city. Throughout this project, I taught participants the skills required to execute a large-scale public art project, from paint mixing and intentional brushwork to glass cutting, mosaic installation, and grouting.
This project reminds me of the unbelievable fact that an oak tree originates within a humble acorn. With proper nourishment, support from the surrounding environment, and the passage of time, the inevitable growth process occurs and transformation is upon us.
