Philadelphia, PA

The non-profit group Partners for Sacred Places and Philadelphia’s Mural Arts program are sponsoring a Mural Arts Tour Series.

When people encounter a mural, they experience it first as an impressive work of art. But soon after, they begin to ask questions: who created this, why is it there, how was it made? They sense the story behind the mural and want to know more about it. To help answer questions like these, Mural Arts Program developed a tour program in 1998. Led by docents, these tours offer a “behind the scenes” look at how murals are made. These tours are filled with anecdotes and stories, the tours leave people with an understanding of the complexities of mural making and an appreciation of Philadelphia as the world’s largest outdoor art gallery.

The Mural Arts Program has just started a new tour entitled, Experiential Mural Tours. On this tour you will be taken by trolley around the world’s largest collection of public murals. You will learn how each mural’s location and theme is selected, how the artists begin their creative process, and the techniques utilized to make the three-and four-story masterpieces. You will meet local mural artists and learn first hand how these works of are are created.

To purchase tickets for a Mural Arts Tour click here to order online or call 215-389-8687.

What is a mural?

A mural is a painting on a wall, ceiling, or other large permanent surface.
Murals of sorts, date to prehistoric times, such as the paintings on the Caves of Lascaux in southern France, but the term became famous with the Mexican “muralista” art movement. There are many different styles and techniques. The best-known is probably fresco, which uses water soluble paints with a damp lime wash, a rapid use of the resulting mixture over a large surface, and often in parts. The colors lighten as they dry.

Murals today are painted in a variety of ways, using oil or water based media. The styles can vary from abstract to trompe-l’œil (a French term for “fool” or “trick the eye”). Today, the beauty of a wall mural has become much more widely available with a technique whereby a painting or photographic image is transferred to poster paper which is then pasted to a wall surface.