Photos by Steve Weinik courtesy of Mural Arts Philadelphia.
Beginning in 2017, ‘Weaving Culture’ is a mural project that serves as the first stage in a campus revitalization project, entitled ‘Our Park’ that looks to reimagine what a schoolyard can be and how it can play a pivotal role in a neighborhood. Building off of the theme of 'Weaving Culture', students wanted to highlight the diversity of South Philadelphia by utilizing the art of weaving commonly found in cultures around the world. Woven patterns can come in a variety of complexities, but through research and comparison, students found that many of these techniques from around the globe shared similar foundations, imagery, and language to help create their pieces. Youth wanted to use the basic structure of warp and weft threads commonly found in weavings to help tell the story of Southwark. Vertical warp threads representing the school serve as the base for a story or community that interconnects with horizontal weft threads representing each community member's life experience or journey coming together to create a tapestry at 9th and Mifflin streets of interconnecting story threads unique to the South Philly community. Students created a number of mini weaving murals, entitled ‘Weaving Future’, based on color studies in the back schoolyard that could serve as individual destinations or points of reflection that invite current and future viewers to create, share, and continue to weave their own stories into the community as new families visit and enroll at Southwark. I’d like to take this time to thank Mural Arts Philadelphia, Shari and the Restored Spaces team, Carolina Gomez and the Mural Arts Art Ed Department, Principal Lukov and the Southwark teachers, students, and staff for their continued support, Trust for Public Land and the City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services, and the amazing young artists and community members that helped bring this project to life. Art truly does ignite change.
Photos by Steve Weinik courtesy of Mural Arts Philadelphia