The task of travelling into certain areas of the city to capture a few images of some murals seemed slightly daunting initially, but the assignment overall proved to be both interesting and rewarding. A friend and I drove twenty-five minutes from campus into Kensington, a city commonly known for its heroin and opioid crises. Along the drive I passed by numerous murals, all raised on buildings sky-high, showing off bold, bright colors. Here is what I found:

“No Borders” by Molly Crabapple from the We The People project

This mural, located on North Front Street in Fishtown, belongs to a series of six murals that are placed citywide, all completed by various different street artists. The We The People project is meant to celebrate the spirit of America, but still does not leave behind social concerns. According to the Mural Arts Program, each mural in the collection serves as a “seed of hope” for a bright future as Americans. The artist of “No Borders”, Molly Crabapple, intended to illustrate the point that borders are a human construct and that we are all one person connected. She uses the monarch butterfly to represent that deep down, we are all the same, even from across the country. The act of demonstrating this sentiment through the medium of mural art serves as transmedia storytelling. Molly Crabapple chose to convey this message of human unity in the United States by creating a work to represent those feelings, which is a metamessage in itself.

“Power Hearts” by Amberella for Front Street Walls

These murals are found all over the city of Philadelphia, captured by a variety of people, and can quite frequently be found posted on Instagram by female college students. However, these “Power Hearts” hold much more meaning than a cute social media post. The particular image that I captured is from Fishtown, located against the walls of Honeygrow headquarters. Honeygrow calls this project Front Street Walls, in which they provide street artists the opportunity to create a mural along the wall of their Philadelphia headquarters. Several different murals by several different artists are found along this wall, but I was drawn to “Power Hearts” after seeing them at multiple locations in the city.

Amberella, the Philadelphia-based mixed media and street artist, created this project to benefit herself after breaking off an abusive relationship. The “Power Hearts” contain positive affirmations, such as “CONQUER” in the photos above. Some other messages that can be found in the city are “YOU CAN”, “KEEP GOING”, and “BELIEVE IT”. On Amberella’s website, she stated: “The Power Hearts are about self love and positivity which in turn reaches towards others. They become messages of encouragement, hope, and love for everyone. Once my work hits the streets it’s no longer just mine, it’s yours as well. I hope you are lifted.” (Lynn 1). Amberella’s use of telling her own story of coming out of an abusive relationship and learning self love serves others as a result. It is similar to the message in a bottle metaphor. Amberella released fragments of her story into the world, and as a result, it affected other people and uplifted those who see her messages.

The murals discussed above have touched the lives of many. Molly Crabapple’s work, “No Borders”, is meant to deliver the message of unity through the medium of mural art, placed just on the cusps of Kensington, a place in need of unity. Additionally, The Front Street Walls serve as a colorful addition to the community placed just down the road, showcasing Amberella’s “Power Hearts”. The act of storytelling through art is one that benefits both the creator and the consumer, and the city of Philadelphia is evidence of such.

Works Cited

“Artist Bio.” Amberella, www.amberellaxo.com/artistbio/.

“POWER HEARTS.” Amberella, www.amberellaxo.com/powerhearts/.

“We The People.” Mural Arts Philadelphia, www.muralarts.org/artworks/we-the-people/.