Request for Muralist Painter’s Wall at Prevention Point

Mural Arts Philadelphia is seeking an artist to create a temporary mural, which will be displayed for one year at the Kensington Painter’s Wall inside of Prevention Point’s Love Lot. 

The Love Lot is a multi-use outdoor space operated by Prevention Point, where many kinds of harm reduction services are administered including food, clothing, medical aid, syringe services, art workshops, community events, and drug treatment. In 2023, Mural Arts worked with artist Jacob C. Hammes to design and fabricate art and infrastructure for the Love Lot as a useful, beautiful, and welcoming place for healing.  As part of the project, Hammes incorporated a section of the space called The Kensington Painter’s Wall, an annually-rotating mural wall dedicated to promoting the creativity of artists connected to this community.  

We are looking for our third artist for this project to create a painting or 2D work that focuses on harm reduction and positive messaging for this special place. The selected artist will work with a team from Mural Arts and Prevention Point to create an approved design, and will then paint a mural onto five plywood panels at a total size of 8’H x 20’W. Support will be provided throughout the project by curator Jacob C. Hammes.

The artist will be provided a fee of $1,000, and all other costs, such as paint and plywood, will be provided by Mural Arts.  

The accepted artist must complete an approved design by February 15th, 2025. Production must occur off site (due to winter usage of the Love Lot) and the work must be completed by early spring 2025 so that installation can take place in May 2025. There will be a small dedication during June 2025 to celebrate the work, which will be on display for approximately a year.

Artist Selection Process

Eligibility / Qualification

All artists with a drawing and painting practice will be considered for this project. Artists do not need to have experience making murals, as long as their work samples demonstrate potential.

Preference will be given to those with a connection to the Kensington neighborhood, harm reduction, and Prevention Point, and/or a demonstrated interest in working with communities struggling with the impacts of substance use and housing insecurity.

Process

A group of panelists that include representatives from Mural Arts, Prevention Point, and artists from the Kensington neighborhood will review all applications. A final selection will be based on the strengths of the artist’s work samples and connection to the project.