PUBLIC ART
Seasons of Imagination (2024)
Summer of 2023, I was contacted about potentially being brought on as the lead artist for this project. I was tasked with coming up with a collection of murals that celebrated playful literacy while incorporating themes of creativity, nature, and touched on the school’s ‘Pennell Poem’. We wanted the students to also feel represented so I came up with a few concepts that I hoped the students would feel inspired by. I was assisted by Gina Kim, Isabella Akhtarshenas , and Desiree Norwood. Mural Arts’ Rec team also helped us install towards the end of the project.
Fishtown Neighborhood Association Crosswalk Mural (2023)
Research shows that having art on a crosswalk, significantly decreases the risk of drivers hitting pedestrians. This crosswalk is the first of hopefully many crosswalk takeovers in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA.
Ray Philly Banners (2023)
Find What Grounds You, 2023. Dye-Sublimated Print on Polyester and Cotton Banners with Acrylic Hardware, 112 x 96 x 4 inches. Production facilitated by Commonweal Gallery, Philadelphia. Photos by William Jess Laird
Beyond The Bars Murals and Mobile Studio Van (2023)
This collection of work was a collaboration between myself and Beyond The Bars. Beyond The Bars is a student driven music and career skills program that is dedicated to interrupting the cycles of violence and incarceration. I was tasked with illustrating the music making process and used photos from the program as general references. I created a series of murals (not pictured) and re-formatted the digital mockups so that they could be used as a wrap for their mobile studio van.
Hope Partnership for Education Murals (2022)
This collection of murals was a collaboration between myself and Hope Partnership for Education. The students were asked what their hopes were for the future and I was tasked with taking those responses and coming up with a mural design that the students, teachers, and volunteers helped paint.
Bryn Mawr College Collection (2022)
This collection of art is located at Bryn Mawr’s newest Student Life and Wellness Building. I was hired by Soné Ehabe of 4 Walls Interior Design to create colorful inviting art for the space. I wanted to create work that represented the many folks that would be using the space in the future. The work was created digitally, printed, and then installed in the building.
Warby Parker Lehigh Valley Mural (2022)
This mural is located at 933 Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall, PA, 18052.
Guru Technologies Inc Pt 2 (2021)
This collection of 3 murals can be found at Guru Technologies, Inc. They are the second round of murals painted at the commercial space. I was assisted by multiple local Philly artists during the painting process. As a self-taught artist, I think it is incredibly important to hold the door open so I hire local artists whenever I can. For many of them, it is their first opportunity to partake in the mural painting process.
Broad Street Ministry Community Hygiene Truck (2021)
I had the pleasure of working with Broad Street Ministry to design the vehicle wrap for their Community Hygiene Truck. The truck is an incredible public initiative to provide hygiene products as well as health care services around the city of Philadelphia.
We’re Everywhere Pt 2
This piece was commissioned by Chase bank through Mural Arts. We’re Everywhere Pt 2 is a follow-up piece to a piece that I created for the Philadelphia Airport. The piece further depicts Black people existing in spaces that folks might not imagine Black folks to exist.
Solid Black Campaign for Doritos (2021)
Creating work for the #solidblack campaign for Doritos was such a cool experience. I was given creative freedom and decided to further celebrate the beauty of blackness in this temporary installation. The portraits were created digitally and printed on vinyl. Photos taken by Conrad Benner.
Solid Black Campaign for Doritos (2021) continued
Afro Homestead Murals (2021)
This collection of murals was done for Afro Homestead in Allentown, PA. This was a community project where the folks that will be utilizing the space helped paint it.
The People’s Fridge (2021)
The People’s Fridge is a wonderful community fridge located in West Philly. I painted the structure around the fridge. The mural centers community and the love of food.
East Market Banners (2021)
I created 4 public art banners that were temporarily installed at East Market in Center City Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Airport Mural (2021)
This 3 part piece is titled “We’re Everywhere” and was meant to boldly state that black folks will be and have always been around. This piece was painted on a 19” x 70” canvas and was then scanned and blown up. It was a temporary installation located at the Philadelphia International Airport in Terminal D. The photos are courtesy of Philadelphia International Airport
Guru Technologies Murals (2020)
This collection of 3 murals can be found at Guru Technologies, Inc. I was given the task to incorporate their core values into these pieces and this is what I came up with! This was also the first time that I had help with installation. I had 3 mural assistants that helped with the painting portion of the process.
Weckerly’s Mural (2020)
In February of 2020, I posted a simple illustration of cows that I saw while traveling in rural Indiana. Andy Satinsky, co-owner of Weckerly’s Ice Cream, commented on the illustration and I said we should work on a project together. Andy and I met up at the ice cream shop and we discussed a mural that illustrates their ice cream making process. I visited their production facility and the farms that they obtain milk and cream from. Those visits allowed me to see the full process, which in turn served as inspiration for the mural. I provided a mock up and Andy responded with his own doodle. I was able to combine both of our ideas and after settling on a color palette, I was ready to paint. The mural is located at 9 W Girard Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19123. Photos taken by Megan Kelly.
Trippy Desert in Space (2020)
This mural was a temporary installation at The Barbary in Philadelphia.
Self-Assured Mural (2019)
This mural is titled ‘Self-Assured’ and it is a stylized self-portrait based off a selfie that I took during the summer of 2019.
The description says, “Self-Assured is a bold declaration of confidence. This self-portrait aims to reject the years of being made to feel less than and overlooked. It’s big, colorful, and present, which are all pieces of me that I was afraid to fully be. The striking pose, casual smirk, and twinkle of the eyes says everything that I was previously too meek to utter. I’m here to be taken seriously and to be seen. This piece is for all of the people who have felt the need to shrink themselves in order to get by. It’s for the people who have been made to feel vain and shallow. Loving yourself is a radical act. Allowing yourself to fully be whomever you want to be is a radical act. Being present enough to want to capture your current state should not be discourage or frowned upon. So take a selfie, or ten, and walk in your truth.”
