This virtual workshop will cover the materials of mural installation including paints, polytab installation, ground murals, stickers, mosaic, 3D elements, and other special scenarios/materials. Attendees will receive expert instruction from Mural Arts Philadelphia staff on the process, start to finish!

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.

James Burns is a longtime staff artist with Mural Arts Philadelphia, with a focus on the Porch Light behavioral health program. Through this program, Burns uses participatory public art-making as a vehicle to address topics like addiction and recovery, suicide prevention awareness, community wellness, post-traumatic stress and other health issues. A highly skilled muralist, teacher, and collaborator, Burns believes that the power of the work comes from its collaborative ethos which shares the promise of art. Prior to joining Mural Arts, James was a middle school teacher for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia School District and has done work as an independent artist, both freelancing and for exhibitions. He has a B.S. in Art Education from Kutztown University and an MFA in Painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

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.