Compared to some other major metropolitan cities, Philadelphia may seem quite small, but we have an amazing cultural scene full of music, amazing food, and lots of visual stimuli. Since around the late 1960's, Philadelphia streets have been the home to some amazing street artists who color the city with their murals, mosaics, and their accompanying political ideologies. The first mural I really ever took notice to was Keith Haring's project at 22nd and Ellsworth in Point Breeze, not too far from my home. I was pretty young when it went up, but wise beyond my years and had already seen quite a few of his pieces on TV and in magazines. My mother never drove so we had to take the bus pretty much everywhere and in the early 1990's, the Mural Arts program had starting revolutionizing the way we saw street art in the city, especially, in my opinion, impacting lower income sections of the city with positive messages. I remember staring at the Dr. J. mural while riding the 61 Bus back from my Grandmom's house heading down Ridge Avenue and being overcome at the magnitude of the painting, trying to figure out exactly HOW someone could manage a canvas of that size. Then, as I started becoming more independent in my travels as a young teenage (riding my bike and rollerblading places my parents didn't even realize I was), I started seeing more and more of these giant canvases coming up as well as pieces rebellious youths were spray painting. And although fine art as far as drawing and painting on this level is the one things I could never seem to get good at, I still loved enjoying it both in its formal, and, especially it's informal settings.

Five new finds from this week...