On Tuesday, July 12, 2022, SEPTA, in partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia, debuted a series of murals in Suburban Station created by Mural Arts’ Color Me Back program.
The murals titled “A Distant Spark: Iterations 1-5” and “A Blinding Light: Iterations 1-5” by artist Andrea Grasso connect with an initiative managed by Mural Arts’ Porch Light community wellness program, that combines participatory art making and access to social services in a unique model offering individuals who are experiencing economic insecurity an opportunity to earn wages.
The project’s overarching theme is connectivity, shown through the flowing compositions of the design, the designs adjacent to each other, and the ones across the corridor. The mural piece comprises ten panels, five on each side of the concourse along 15th Street. The designs on one wall come directly from work with participants who did workshops on abstract geometric collages. The second wall is also inspired by participants and includes shapes that add complexity and chaos, reminiscent of the present and future of the city. They represent the development of the city over time and the layering and overlapping of infrastructure, including the underground work of the subway system. The central design in the series is reminiscent of the city center, a hub from which everything radiates.
Andréa Grasso has worked in various public art aspects for nearly a decade. This work is driven by a passion for the accessibility of public art projects, as well as an acknowledgment of the importance of beautifying public spaces in our cities. He studied social practice art and painting at Portland State University and went on to get a master’s in City Planning from Temple University. His geometric abstract style is a product of the desire to bring dynamic energy and vibrant colors into our increasingly muted, gray, and box-like cityscapes.
Color Me Back will reveal two additional murals currently in progress this summer.
A three-wall series by Lisa Kelly will surround the SEPTA REM&E office at Suburban Station and another installation on 20th and Cuthbert Street by Josh Sarantitis.
A collaboration with the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, Color Me Back received a generous gift from philanthropists Erik Hirsch and Margaret McAllister, as well as SEPTA.
Color Me Back also gained national recognition when Mural Arts Founder and Executive Director Jane Golden, joined by program participant Norman Bonk, was featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show in January 2022.
Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation’s largest public art program, dedicated to the belief that art ignites change. For more than 35 years, Mural Arts have united artists and communities through a collaborative and equitable process, creating over 4,000 artworks that have transformed public spaces and individual lives. Mural Arts aims to empower people, stimulate dialogue, and build bridges to understanding with projects that attract artists from Philadelphia and around the world and programs that focus on youth education, restorative justice, mental health and wellness, and public art and its preservation. Popular mural tours offer a firsthand glimpse into the inspiring stories behind Mural Arts’ iconic and unparalleled collection, which has earned Philadelphia worldwide recognition as the “Mural Capital of the World.”