A colorful collection of streets, buildings and neighborhood details comes together along Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, where a new mural celebrates the place residents call home.
Created by longtime Fishtown resident and artist Miriam Singer, Berks Street Map was unveiled in September at Mural City Cellars, 1831 Frankford Ave. The whimsical, abstract interpretation of the neighborhood’s streets and architecture was developed with community involvement, bringing new life to a wall that has featured several murals over the years.
The project is one of many examples of how Mural Arts Philadelphia has worked with local artists and residents to transform public spaces into celebrations of neighborhood identity, culture and community pride.
That mission took center stage throughout October as the organization celebrated its annual Mural Arts Month, a monthlong recognition of the art, artists and stories that have helped make Philadelphia the Mural Capital of the World.
Since its founding in 1984, Mural Arts Philadelphia has created more than 4,000 murals throughout the city, establishing an extensive collection of public art that reflects the people, places and experiences that make Philadelphia unique.
This year’s celebration also marked a new chapter for the organization as Emily Mello stepped into the role of executive director on Sept. 1, succeeding longtime leader and founder Jane Golden.
Mello brings more than two decades of experience in arts education, programming and community engagement. Most recently, she served as the Mayer Senior Director of Learning and Public Programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. She previously held leadership positions at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City and Pérez Art Museum Miami.
At the New Museum, Mello launched an annual Art and Social Justice Residency and Exhibition, bringing artists and audiences together to explore social issues through creative expression.
Her background in education and public engagement complements Mural Arts Philadelphia’s longstanding commitment to making art accessible and involving communities in the creative process.
In Fishtown, that approach can be seen throughout the neighborhood, where murals have become familiar landmarks and opportunities to share stories about the people who live and work there.
At the Interstate Draft House, 1235 E. Palmer St., artist Eric Okdeh’s Scenes from Fishtown offers a look at the neighborhood above and below the waterline. The 2023 mural features fish native to the Delaware River alongside scenes of everyday neighborhood life. A young boy reaches toward the water, connecting the two worlds.
Nearby, the aquatic theme continues at Alexander Adaire School, 1300 E. Palmer St., where artist Benjamin Volta’s Ocean Songs transforms the school’s entrance into an underwater scene filled with swimming fish, octopus tentacles and aquatic plants.
Completed in 2023, the mosaic mural incorporates ideas and drawings from students, who worked with Volta and their STEM teacher to explore the relationship between art, science and mathematics.
Other murals throughout Fishtown reflect the neighborhood’s diverse identities and experiences.
At 1530 E. Montgomery Ave., Listening to Hear, created by Jaq “Jingle” Masters in 2024, features a surreal garden of ears, butterflies and gramophones. The artwork explores Black queer culture and the experiences of Black femmes through colorful imagery and music. A QR code accompanying the mural connects viewers to a playlist of songs selected by Black femmes who were asked to identify music that made them feel heard.
The mural was created through Mural Arts’ Small Walls program, which provides opportunities for emerging and underrepresented artists to lead mural projects and share their creative perspectives.
Another work, We Are Universal, by artist Kah Yangni, is located at Cake Life Bake Shop, 1306 Frankford Ave. Completed in 2021, the mural celebrates transgender identity, resilience and joy through portraits of community members surrounded by flowers and a butterfly.
The project was developed through a partnership between Mural Arts Philadelphia and Resources for Human Development’s Morris Home, a residential recovery program serving transgender, gender-nonconforming and nonbinary individuals.
Fishtown’s connection to music is also reflected in Just Like Music, a mural by Faysal Adger at the Fillmore and Brooklyn Bowl entertainment complex on East Allen Street. The 2023 artwork was created through Mural Arts’ Philadelphia Fellowship for Black Artists, a program designed to support and elevate emerging Black artists.
The neighborhood’s broader public art scene extends beyond Mural Arts projects. The beloved Welcome to Fishtown cat mural, originally created through Visual Urban Renewal & Transformation, became a recognizable part of the neighborhood before being lost to development. Artists Evan Lovett and Kristin Scholz brought the concept back with two new feline-themed murals in 2025, reflecting the community’s connection to its public art.
Nearby, along the borders of Fishtown, Kensington and Port Richmond, larger-scale Mural Arts projects have also explored the choices, challenges and experiences that shape people’s lives.
Artist Cesar Viveros’ My Life, My Path, My Destiny, created in 2005 near Tulip Street and East Lehigh Avenue, stretches along a former railroad corridor. The mural follows the stages of life from childhood innocence to adulthood, exploring themes of pressure, decision-making and personal growth.
The project involved neighborhood residents, local students and incarcerated individuals in discussions and painting activities, bringing together people whose paths might not otherwise have crossed.
That spirit of collaboration carried into this year’s Mural Arts Month programming, which featured projects throughout Philadelphia and neighboring Kensington.
The celebration kicked off Sept. 29 with a press conference at Love Park, where Mello joined artists, community representatives and city officials. The Mayor’s Office presented a proclamation designating October as Mural Arts Month.
The event also highlighted new banner artwork by Loveis Wise, Manuela Guillen, Chenlin Cai and Xingzi Liang, along with The Love Shack, a shipping container mural by David Guinn created in collaboration with lighting designer Drew Billiau.
One of the month’s neighborhood-focused events was the Heart of Kensington Creates Art Crawl on Oct. 3, which highlighted more than 10 new murals, gallery activations, Afromation Avenue and 1.2 miles of community paintings installed along the Market-Frankford Line as part of the Gusset Plate Art Project.
Created in collaboration with Councilmember Quetcy Lozada’s Office and Impact Services, the initiative emphasized the role public art can play in celebrating community identity and bringing residents together.
The Kensington area has a history of artistic collaboration through Mural Arts, including K-Town Lab, a multi-site project launched in 2018. Developed from an idea by artists Claudio Ethos and Ru8icon1, the project brought visiting street artists into North Philadelphia neighborhoods to create murals and build relationships with local residents.
The month also celebrated Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican community through Vámonos Pa’l Monte, a four-mile processional performance conceived by artist Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz with support from costume designer Kristina Tollefson.
The Oct. 17 performance connected Norris Square’s Puerto Rican community to the landscapes, ecology and history of Puerto Rico, using movement, costumes and storytelling to explore cultural identity and heritage.
That connection is also represented in Norris Square by La Borinqueña, a 2022 mural created by comic book artist Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez in collaboration with students from Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Art Education program.
Located at 148 W. Norris St., the mural depicts Miranda-Rodriguez’s Puerto Rican superhero, celebrating the island’s heritage, environmental stewardship and the strength of Puerto Rican women.
Another major component of Mural Arts Month was the launch of Throughlines, a citywide public art exhibition featuring new, restored and reimagined installations by more than 25 artists.
Stretching from river to river, the exhibition explores Philadelphia’s civic history through themes of assembly, labor, stewardship and belonging. The projects encourage residents to reflect on the role everyday public spaces play in shaping communities and bringing people together.
Among the featured works was A Valentine for Mae V. Cowdery, a mural by Philadelphia artist Steve “ESPO” Powers honoring the Philadelphia-born poet.
The month also featured specialty tours, artist discussions and opportunities to discover public art throughout the city. Programming included a Sun Ra-themed tour and film screening, a quilt and mural tour in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, and a Washington Avenue West walking tour with Golden and Streets Dept founder Conrad Benner.
Fishtown also played a role in the celebration through the organization’s fourth annual wine collaboration with Mural City Cellars. The special-edition Cabernet Franc featured Sisters, an original artwork by Mural Arts Month featured artist Kaldric Dow.
A recipient of the 2026 Philadelphia Fellowship for Black Artists, Dow explores African American culture and identity through his work. Sisters celebrates the love and connection shared between siblings, drawing inspiration from his own family relationships.
The wine, bottled in Fishtown, was released in October, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Mural Arts Philadelphia.
The month concluded with Mural Arts Fest on Oct. 31 at Love Park, a family-friendly celebration centered on live painting, music and hands-on art-making activities.
While Mural Arts Month offered an opportunity to reflect on the organization’s accomplishments and showcase new projects, its larger mission continues throughout the year.
From the colorful streets of Fishtown to the cultural landmarks of Norris Square and Kensington, Philadelphia’s public art serves as more than decoration. Each mural has the potential to preserve memories, inspire conversations and create connections among people who share a neighborhood.
As Mural Arts Philadelphia begins a new chapter under Mello’s leadership, those neighborhood stories remain central to the organization’s work.
And with every new mural, another piece of Philadelphia’s history is added to the city’s ever-growing canvas.
