Mural entitled "Brighten the Corners. Located at 114 West Queen Lane." On the side of a set of homes, community figures are painted and intertwined with birds, umbrellas, and flowers. Figures are a mix of male and female and smile or gaze at the viewer.

Ideas

The health impact of public murals

Philadelphia’s Porch Light mural project shows how art affects community wellbeing

Filed Under

Mental Health

Photography by

Steve Weinik

Published

June 7, 2022

Read Time

1 min

Featured In

Spring 2022

The premise of the Porch Light program, a venture between Mural Arts Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services, is that public art can heal both communities and individual residents. A 2015 Yale School of Public Health evaluation found promising results for individuals, but recommended further study. For communities, though, murals on subjects related to mental health, homelessness, and other social issues boosted empathy, social trust, and perceptions of the neighborhood, among other measures. Stigma around mental health issues was lowered, and new murals provided a catalyst for neighborhood activism.

Mural called "Light of the Northeast" — a circular orange and black checkerboard of shapes with words and symbols surround the Statue of Liberty from the eyes up. She wears a white bandana as a headband with black figures and shapes. — Light of the Northeast, 6826 Bustleton Avenue. Painted by Abdul Karim & Paul Santoleri. @2020 City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

Mural called "Sanctuary": a white wall with a circular swirl of objects such as guitars, birds and greenery; flowers and a yellow and black bird sit in the top right corner. — Sanctuary, 13th and Chancellor. Painted by James Burns. @2016 James Burns / Mural Arts Philadelphia.

Mural entitled "Resilience". Three dark figures wearing orange and yellow dresses stand in an archway outdoors. The middle figure is in front of the moon and has her head turned 90 degrees. The archway is made up of shades of orang, yellow and grey blocks. The outside implies twilight with stars. — Resilience, Kensington Avenue and Emerald Street. Painted by Parris Stancell. @2018 City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

Mural entitled "Our Wayfinders." Painted on the side of a building in front of grass, a female face is transposed onto a sunrise or sunset. In the foreground are rocks, figures, text, a yellow orb, and flowers. — Our Wayfinders, 3718 Mantua Avenue. Painted by Eric Okdeh & Shawn Theodore. @2019 Eric Okdeh.

Mural entitled "A Collection of Creative Decisions" Painted on the side of brick house, a white wall is filled with 3D sqaures and shapes, protruding out. They are bright colros and show science and figures: a guitar, a sun, a bird, a woman with an umbrella, a christmas tree, a dog, and others. — A Collection of Creative Decisions, 5741 Wister Avenue. Painted by James Burns. @2019 City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

Filed Under

Mental Health

Contributors

Steve Weinik

Steve Weinik is a photographer and digital media artist based in Philadelphia. He’s currently the Staff Photographer for the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

From the Issue

Spring 2022

African public health

The health impact of public murals

Spring 2022

More in Mental Health

Cities hope adding mental health workers to emergency response will reduce violence

“People forget about the fathers.”

Is bereavement a public health crisis in the U.S.? This advocate thinks so.