Where to Find the Best Street Art in Philadelphia
Mural by Meg Saligman at Brandywine Street and North Broad Street in Philadelphia.
By Marnie Kunz
As we approach our third Philly Art Run, I’ve had the chance to explore Philadelphia’s incredibly varied street art in several neighborhoods. Philadelphia is covered in murals, in large part due to Mural Arts Philadelphia, the nation’s largest public art program, dedicated to the belief that art ignites change. Mural Arts Philadelphia commissions 60–100 public art projects each year, as well as restores previous murals from its 30-year history of public art. In addition, local artists have sprayed their marks all over the city, making it one of the most vibrant cities for street art. Here are a few standouts of Philadelphia’s best street art:
Meg Saligman has painted epic murals around Philadelphia to spur social change. She has been painting for over 25 years and is a central figure in the Philadelphia street art scene. See one of her murals above, as well as another, in South Philly, in the video.
South Philly, stretching from South Street, just south of downtown, to the Delaware River, is a key neighborhood in Philly street art, with ornate mirror mosaics lining Philadelphia’s Magic Garden in Washington Square West, as well as hundreds of murals in the expansive neighborhood.
Center City, unlike many city’s downtown areas, is full of street art as well, thanks in large part to the Mural Arts Philadelphia program. You can find neighborhood maps of the Mural Arts Philadelphia pieces on their website.
Fishtown is a northern Philly neighborhood that serves up industrial wall space for projects like Mural Art Philadelphia as well as street art commissioned by local businesses, and graffiti. The Front Street Walls project, located outside the honeygrow HQ on Front Street, includes an impressive array of local street artists’ work.
Where are your favorite murals in Philadelphia? And in your city? Comment below.
Marnie Kunz is a RRCA-certified running coach and the creator of Runstreet Art Runs, which bring together communities through running and street art. She is a Brooklyn resident, running coach and writer. She enjoys traveling, art, and eating messily. You can follow her running and events at @Runstreet Instagram and Runstreet Facebook.
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