The Mural Arts Program has created more than 2,700 murals throughout the city and is one of Philadelphia’s largest employers of artists, employing more than 300 per year. Created two decades ago as a response to graffiti and youth crime, the program provides opportunities for more than 3,000 young people each year. The way in which murals become focal points for creating social capital is often underappreciated. To get a mural commissioned, a neighborhood has to organize and apply, contribute time and energy, and agree on the themes and images to be represented. Murals are a contract between people.
