This virtual workshop will cover best practices of mural installation including engagement, participatory design practices, and site selection. Attendees will receive expert instruction from Mural Arts Philadelphia staff on the process, start to finish.

Part 2 will look at materials including paints, polytab installation, ground murals, stickers, mosaic, 3D elements, and other special scenarios/materials.

Native Philadelphian, Felix St. Fort has been working as an Artist for close to twenty years. A gifted teacher, illustrator, photographer and muralist, St. Fort has worked with Mural Arts Philadelphia for over ten years as a teacher and as an assistant or lead artist. St. Fort’s most prominent commission, “The Stage”, was recently completed in the summer of 2018 and has already garnered international press. Felix St. Fort recently worked as an Art Teacher for C.B. Community School while continuing to work on private commissions and mural commissions with Mural Arts until being hired as a full time staff artist for Mural Arts Philadelphia. St. Fort’s personal work consists of watercolors, acrylics and digital media. He has sold his work in galleries, and has also created privately-commissioned pieces.

Nathaniel Lee is a staff artist for Mural Arts Philadelphia. He has been a part of numerous community-engaged public art projects since he joined the organization in 2007. He has distinguished himself as an expert in mural restoration and is sought after by colleagues who value his artistic and technical support. Lee especially enjoys problem-solving the many logistical challenges of creating artwork at a monumental scale, experimenting with new materials, and using unconventional mark-making methods to achieve the visual goals of the art pieces. In addition to his work with Mural Arts, Lee creates independently-commissioned murals and portraits and also exhibits his personal artwork in galleries and art competitions. Lee’s work is influenced by both the Golden Age of American Illustration, (with which N.C. Wyeth, J.C. Leyendecker, and Edmund Dulac are so closely associated), and the energy of contemporary street art — bold and beautiful but also whimsical. He previously worked in the stained glass field as an artist for Mezalick Design Studio and Selvin Glass. Lee is a graduate of the University of the Arts and holds a BFA in Illustration.

Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation’s largest public art program, dedicated to the belief that art ignites change. For more than 35 years, Mural Arts has united artists and communities through a collaborative and equitable process, creating nearly 4,000 artworks that have transformed public spaces and individual lives. Mural Arts aims to empower people, stimulate dialogue, and build bridges to understanding with projects that attract artists from Philadelphia and around the world, and programs that focus on youth education, restorative justice, mental health and wellness, and public art and its preservation. Popular mural tours offer a firsthand glimpse into the inspiring stories behind Mural Arts’ iconic and unparalleled collection, which has earned Philadelphia worldwide recognition as the “City of Murals.”

Established in 2017 as an initiative of Mural Arts Philadelphia, the Mural Arts Institute is dedicated to advancing research on and development of participatory and socially-engaged public art practices. We work with artists, activists, arts organizations, cultural institutions, municipal governments and more through an approach centered around connection: building networks, developing partnerships, and convening artists, community, and partners to collaborate on learning opportunities, projects, programs, and change-based initiatives. Our work is in service to a larger movement that values equity, fairness, and progress across society.

Mural Making Part 2