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Twenty-five feet of open space to tell Philadelphia story

Philly artist program opens for applications to paint new mural
Philly artist program opens for applications to paint new mural 02:03

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Local artists listen up: There's an open call going on right now for mural artists. The popular, but defunct Front Street Walls mural program is coming back.  

"I think one of the attractive things about doing murals and public art is definitely the scale that you get to work on," Keith Warren Greiman, a muralist, said.

Twenty-five feet of open space is up for grabs for you to tell your Philadelphia story. Warren Greiman told his story back in 2017 when he painted a mural on Front Street in Fishtown.

"You can't beat this stretch of the neighborhood," the muralist said, "so much foot traffic and so your art is seen by so many people."

After the mural has been on the wall for the past six years, it will soon be covered up. The Front Street Walls campaign is coming back. 

Conrad Benner, the curator of Front Street Walls, is calling on every local artist to apply.

"The murals of our city tell the story of our city, tell the history of our city," Benner said.

Front Street Walls first started in 2016 to highlight murals on a rotating basis, but it ended two years later. 

Benner says since the applications opened up, they've received over 200 submissions. 

The murals will be painted on the side of the Goldie Falafel building in Fishtown. 

"There so much art in so many of the great museums we have along the Parkway," Benner said, "but they're behind those doors that a lot of people don't go to. This is out here in the public, accessible and free for all to come see whenever they want."

The finalists will be picked later this spring and they'll be painted in June and be rotated yearly.

The program is funded by Mural Arts Philadelphia. The artists who are chosen will receive a stipend and be offered support to paint their murals. Warren Greiman who seemingly portended the future in his mural, says he's looking forward to the block being freshened up, even if that means his mural has to go 

"The nature of the project is something I enjoyed from the onset and I'm happy they're bringing it back to that again to cycle it around and so I think room for someone else to come in and do something. I'll miss it but I'm looking forward to what's next," Warren Greiman said.

Applications close on Tuesday, March 28.

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