White Dog Cafe - Mural Arts Program Articles

Mural Arts Program Articles

When Jane Golden says, "Art Saves Lives," she knows from 20 years of creating Philadelphia Murals, it really is true. Leslie Pappas of the Philadelphia Inquirer has done a number of pieces on the impact of the Mural Arts Projects' work in the prison system and how art impacts the lives of individuals and communities. Click to read more:

Finding common ground: Three communities had different ideas about what a wall should say about healing the wounds of crime. This is an inside look at their journey toward a shared vision.

The healing power of brushstrokes
June 29, 2004
To a North Philadelphia neighborhood, the wall will be a dramatic piece of public art. But to Graterford Prison inmate AM-8994, the mural he helped create is a quiet, personal triumph.

Inmates' murals will get broader canvas
Feb. 19, 2004
A collaborative mural project involving a North Philadelphia neighborhood, advocates for victims of violent crime, and felons has spawned a new work program at Graterford Prison.

Giving voice to the victims
Dec. 29, 2003
Pain and fear permeated the house, Myra Maxwell of West Philadelphia remembers. After suffering a violent sexual assault, her teenage daughter wouldn't eat, couldn't sleep. Her other children became scared and protective; her husband aggressive and vengeful; Maxwell helpless and angry.

One vision, two walls
Sept. 30, 2003
The idea was too much for one three-story wall to hold. A mural for a North Philadelphia neighborhood was supposed to bridge three distinct worlds. But convicted felons, victims of violent crime, and neighborhood residents have had different ideas about what the wall should say about healing the wounds of crime.

An artful dialogue with state inmates
July 01, 2003
Peaches Ramos was so afraid of the violence in her North Philadelphia neighborhood that she made her three boys ride bikes and play football inside the house - breaking six televisions in four years.