#joshsarantitis

'Secret Book'  | Oldie by American Josh Sarantitis (@joshsarantitis) in Philadelphia, USA (1999) #joshsarantitis #streetart #lamolinastreetart | photo via goo.gl/po74Fx

Saranititis, who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, has been creating large-scale public works across the U.S. for more than 20 years, including extensive work in Philadelphia. At 20th and Arch Streets, with sponsorship by a local business active in literacy programs, he painted this testament to “the transformative benefits of aspiration and achievement” in 2000. Curiously this girl reaching for the sky is located in the shadow of the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center which, when completed, will be the tallest building in the U.S. outside of Chicago and New York. While the sponsors were thrilled with this deeply meaningful mural Jane Golden, Robin Rice, and Monica Yant Kinney, in their book Philadelphia Murals and the Stories They Tell, talk about depictions of race and relationships to urban context and tell of one community group who found the ominous parts of the background inappropriate for the Logan Square neighborhood. @joshsarantitis @muralarts @scenesfromthesidewalk 

“What does it take to make our communities vibrant, healthy, and strong?” In 2010, in an effort to address the many influences that contribute to well being, The Porch Light Program, a unique collaboration between the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, worked with Sarantitis and Pannepacker to organize this project on 13th Street. Believing that art is an important component “at the heart of wellness” the program brought together community members who have experienced homelessness and offered art workshops, including textile weaving techniques used to create the front portion of the mural. Joshua Sarantitis has completed monumental public art pieces in a variety of techniques over the last 20 years and is committed to a process inclusive of the public. Kathryn Pannepacker specializes in textile art and regularly leads adult weaving workshops in Germantown, PA. @joshsarantitis @kpannepacker @muralarts @scenesfromthesidewalk

Reach high and you will go far. Mural art, #philadelphia #joshsarantitis #philly #muralart (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)