City Blocks, 2013

Philadelphia Mural Arts and Southeast by Southeast

This project started as a response to the idea that there isn’t much beauty to be found in the scenery of deep southeast Philadelphia. This idea was shared by some students participating in the after-school art program at Southeast by Southeast. Sarah Folger challenged the class on a photography walk to find beauty in the seemingly mundane urban streets. Using their artistic eyes, students responded to the unique shapes, bold colors, and interesting architecture that can be found all around them. Inspired by each other’s photography the class was moved to paint the striking compositions. The project expanded even further as the class experimented with image transfer eventually ending up with interactive art blocks that invited the viewer to find and build up the “beauty” for themselves.