Art Ignites Change

Sy'Ana "Cookie" Trippeton, a student artist with Mural Arts' Art Education program, interviews Mural Arts Philadelphia Executive Director Jane Golden.

Construction of Style is a collaborative outdoor exhibition exploring the development of the modern graffiti artform and paying homage to a crew of pioneering Philadelphia graffiti writers, including Cornbread, Cool Earl, Tity, Sub, Cone ICP, and Lewis. The exhibition features work designed by Dawud Anyabwile (BrothaMan Comics), Sew SM, Imse, Saoka, Distort BAMC, Esteme, Busta, Rew, Diana Gonzalez, Efrain Herrera, and Kien Nguyen. Professor Amina Tawasil of Columbia University's School of Anthropology, whose ethnographic field work focuses on graffiti writers in Philadelphia, New York City, and urban New Jersey, also created a guided audio tour meant to be experienced while standing in front of each piece. The tour is the product of in-depth interviews exploring each artists' graffiti journey, design process, and reflections on the finished work.

Construction of Style is a collaborative outdoor exhibition exploring the development of the modern graffiti artform and paying homage to a crew of pioneering Philadelphia graffiti writers, including Cornbread, Cool Earl, Tity, Sub, Cone ICP, and Lewis. The exhibition features work designed by Dawud Anyabwile (BrothaMan Comics), Sew SM, Imse, Saoka, Distort BAMC, Esteme, Busta, Rew, Diana Gonzalez, Efrain Herrera, and Kien Nguyen. Professor Amina Tawasil of Columbia University's School of Anthropology, whose ethnographic field work focuses on graffiti writers in Philadelphia, New York City, and urban New Jersey, also created a guided audio tour meant to be experienced while standing in front of each piece. The tour is the product of in-depth interviews exploring each artists' graffiti journey, design process, and reflections on the finished work.

Construction of Style is a collaborative outdoor exhibition exploring the development of the modern graffiti artform and paying homage to a crew of pioneering Philadelphia graffiti writers, including Cornbread, Cool Earl, Tity, Sub, Cone ICP, and Lewis. The exhibition features work designed by Dawud Anyabwile (BrothaMan Comics), Sew SM, Imse, Saoka, Distort BAMC, Esteme, Busta, Rew, Diana Gonzalez, Efrain Herrera, and Kien Nguyen. Professor Amina Tawasil of Columbia University's School of Anthropology, whose ethnographic field work focuses on graffiti writers in Philadelphia, New York City, and urban New Jersey, also created a guided audio tour meant to be experienced while standing in front of each piece. The tour is the product of in-depth interviews exploring each artists' graffiti journey, design process, and reflections on the finished work.

Construction of Style is a collaborative outdoor exhibition exploring the development of the modern graffiti artform and paying homage to a crew of pioneering Philadelphia graffiti writers, including Cornbread, Cool Earl, Tity, Sub, Cone ICP, and Lewis. The exhibition features work designed by Dawud Anyabwile (BrothaMan Comics), Sew SM, Imse, Saoka, Distort BAMC, Esteme, Busta, Rew, Diana Gonzalez, Efrain Herrera, and Kien Nguyen. Professor Amina Tawasil of Columbia University's School of Anthropology, whose ethnographic field work focuses on graffiti writers in Philadelphia, New York City, and urban New Jersey, also created a guided audio tour meant to be experienced while standing in front of each piece. The tour is the product of in-depth interviews exploring each artists' graffiti journey, design process, and reflections on the finished work.

Construction of Style is a collaborative outdoor exhibition exploring the development of the modern graffiti artform and paying homage to a crew of pioneering Philadelphia graffiti writers, including Cornbread, Cool Earl, Tity, Sub, Cone ICP, and Lewis. The exhibition features work designed by Dawud Anyabwile (BrothaMan Comics), Sew SM, Imse, Saoka, Distort BAMC, Esteme, Busta, Rew, Diana Gonzalez, Efrain Herrera, and Kien Nguyen. Professor Amina Tawasil of Columbia University's School of Anthropology, whose ethnographic field work focuses on graffiti writers in Philadelphia, New York City, and urban New Jersey, also created a guided audio tour meant to be experienced while standing in front of each piece. The tour is the product of in-depth interviews exploring each artists' graffiti journey, design process, and reflections on the finished work.

Construction of Style is a collaborative outdoor exhibition exploring the development of the modern graffiti artform and paying homage to a crew of pioneering Philadelphia graffiti writers, including Cornbread, Cool Earl, Tity, Sub, Cone ICP, and Lewis. The exhibition features work designed by Dawud Anyabwile (BrothaMan Comics), Sew SM, Imse, Saoka, Distort BAMC, Esteme, Busta, Rew, Diana Gonzalez, Efrain Herrera, and Kien Nguyen. Professor Amina Tawasil of Columbia University's School of Anthropology, whose ethnographic field work focuses on graffiti writers in Philadelphia, New York City, and urban New Jersey, also created a guided audio tour meant to be experienced while standing in front of each piece. The tour is the product of in-depth interviews exploring each artists' graffiti journey, design process, and reflections on the finished work.

Matthew Raghunauth is a queer, Philadelphia- based artist of Indo-Caribbean descent. Through abstract portraiture, he explores broader themes of nostalgia, memory, and loss. In this conversation, Mural Arts project manager and curator of our ongoing Flower Show projects, Conrad Benner joins Matthew for a conversation about his 2026 Flower Show mural, "Sugar, Sweat & Soil."

Richie Wild Lopez is a queer Puerto Rican textile artist based in Philadelphia. His practice is rooted in traditional weaving and embroidery techniques, shaped by the knowledge and generosity shared with him by many women in the craft. In this conversation, Mural Arts project manager and curator of our ongoing Flower Show projects, Conrad Benner joins Richie for a conversation about his 2026 Flower Show mural, "Shared Soil, Many Roots."

Miranda Lopez is a self-taught textile artist with over six years of experience, creating 2D textile works on wooden surfaces that explore sacred narratives, storytelling, and emotional expression. In this conversation, Mural Arts project manager and curator of our ongoing Flower Show projects, Conrad Benner joins Miranda for a conversation about his 2026 Flower Show mural, "Supper's Holdup : Of Olive, Wheat, and Flax."