Mann Center to Collaborate with Mural Arts Philadelphia on Special Anniversary Projects

Mural Arts Philadelphia and the Mann Center for the Performing Arts are collaborating on several community projects in advance of the upcoming U.S. semiquicentennial (250th anniversary) and the Mann Center's 50th anniversary next year. On Tuesday, March 18, the organizations announced a three-year partnership to enhance community engagement through art and culture.

The Philly Voice reported that the first of three collaborative projects will focus on a series of live painting demonstrations at the Mann Center on June 9 as part of the facility's "Voices of Hope" event commemorating Black influences in Philadelphia. Members of Mural Arts' Philadelphia Fellowship for Black Artists program will create artwork showcasing the contributions of Black artists in their communities.

The second project will celebrate the Mann's 50th anniversary at the performing arts center's 22-acre campus in the Centennial District of West Fairmount Park. Artists from West Parkside will fashion a 10-panel mural installation along the fence line of the Mann's Highmark Skyline Stage. The mural will tell the story of the venue's heritage and remain on display through 2030.

A third project in 2027 will involve a summer camp experience for students from the School District of Philadelphia and charter schools in Philadelphia. The Mann will team up with Mural Arts' art education department to give summer camp attendees a look at the Mann's operations.

"Public art is a treasure, and we are thrilled that the Mann will be home to the creative works of Mural Arts' artists,” Catherine M. Cahill, president and CEO of the Mann, noted in a statement on Tuesday.

For more information on upcoming initiatives through this collaboration, visit the websites for the Mann and Mural Arts Philadelphia.