Pennsylvania Murals- Amy Sherald in Philadelphia

 Art, Artists, Painting / Painters, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Public Art, Street Art
Apr 082026
 

This portrait of Philadelphian Najee Spencer-Young was created by artist Amy Sherald in 2019 for Mural Arts Philadelphia.

From the Mural Arts website about the work-

Artist Amy Sherald made headlines around the world with her stunning official portrait of Michelle Obama, portraying not only the beauty and intelligence of the woman herself but the depth and breadth of all that she represents as our first African-American First Lady. Sherald’s overall body of work represents reflective, everyday moments within the lives of Black people, evocative portraits that explore how people construct and present their own identities.

Now Sherald brings her work to a new scale: working with Mural Arts Philadelphia on a massive mural portrait in Center City. The portrait is of Najee S., a young Philadelphian and participant in our art education program. Like the First Lady’s portrait, Sherald’s mural challenges ideas about identity and the public gaze, asking the questions: “Who is allowed to be comfortable in public spaces? Who is represented in art? How can one woman’s portrait begin to shift that experience for others?”

The project began with a field trip to Sherald’s studio by some of Mural Arts’ art education participants. The young people spent a day with Sherald, learning about her unique artistic practice, exploring costumes, and taking photographs together that would form the inspiration for the mural.

Three of Mural Arts’ Art Education assistant artists, Kien Nguyen, Arthur Haywood, and Emily White, also had the opportunity to study with Sherald in order to learn about her artistic process. They shared her unique process in classroom exercises with Philadelphia students, and also began work from Amy’s design to execute the six-story-high mural.

Mural Arts Philadelphia Executive Director Jane Golden says, “We are so honored to be working with Amy Sherald. For years we have admired her painting; there is such strength in her composition, her color and the way she captures a gaze. And now she has teamed up with our art education program to create a unique mural in the heart of our city. What an extraordinary moment for Mural Arts and for Philadelphia.”

 

Pennsylvania Art Shows- Ava Blitz at Philadelphia International Airport

 Art, Art Shows by Location, Artists, Glasswork, Installation Art, Pennsylvania Art Shows, Philadelphia
Mar 262026
 

Ava Blitz created this glass mosaic, Pink, in 2012 for Philadelphia International Airport. It is part of Philadelphia’s Percent for Art Program.

From Art at PHL-

Philadelphia artist Ava Blitz works in various artistic disciplines including sculpture and photography. In either medium, Blitz is inspired by nature and natural forms. In her sculptural work, she is known to mass similar objects together to suggest continual growth and to emulate the abundance of repetitive forms found in nature. Her sculpture is often large-scale and abstract with minimal detail to capture nature’s basic essence and to encourage the viewer’s imagination. Blitz also photographs nature, usually imagery that she has taken while on walks near her home. The photographs, typically of trees, feature variations of dense, lush foliage. Using digital photography, Blitz is able to heighten the color and alter the imagery to emphasize the beauty and mystery that inspires her artwork.

In Pink, Blitz has incorporated her photography and her interest in nature, abstraction, and repetition to create a glass tile mosaic. She describes the artwork as “playing with the edge between realism and abstraction to create a magical forest or garden – a virtual reality that viewers can enter, explore, and experience on multiple levels.” Seen from a distance, the branches and pink blossoms are recognizable. Yet up close, the tree dissolves into an abstraction of tactile, colorful, iridescent glass tiles.

Pennsylvania Exhibitions- Philadelphia International Records 50th Anniversary Installation at Philadelphia International Airport

 Art, Art Shows by Location, Artists, History, Installation Art, Music, Musicians / Bands, Pennsylvania Art Shows, Philadelphia
Mar 062026
 

If you have time between flights at Philadelphia International Airport, in addition to the many artworks on view, you can also learn about some of Philadelphia’s musical history. An installation dedicated to the 50th Anniversary of the music label Philadelphia International Records is currently on display in Terminal A.

More from Art at PHL’s website–

Philadelphia is proud to be the home of the legendary label Philadelphia International Records (PIR) known for creating The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP). Songwriters and music producers Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell nicknamed The Mighty Three, are referred to as the masterminds of the Black-owned label known for its unique sound and vision based on messages of love, peace, empowerment, pride, and strength.

Their prolific catalog includes more than 3,500 songs that include instantly recognizable hits like Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now, Back Stabbers, Don’t Leave Me This Way, Enjoy Yourself, For the Love Of Money, I Love Music, If You Don’t Know Me By Now, Lady Love, Love Train, Me and Mrs. Jones, TSOP (theme song for the national dance show Soul Train), Use Ta Be My Girl, You Make Me Feel Brand New, You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine, and When Will I See You Again. The list of artists that PIR wrote songs for and signed is extensive – Archie Bell & The Drells, Jean Carn, Phyllis Hyman, The Jacksons, The Jones Girls, Patti LaBelle, McFadden and Whitehead, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, MSFB, Billy Paul, Teddy Pendergrass, The O’Jays, Lou Rawls, The Stylistics, and The Three Degrees.

For more than five decades, PIR’s music has captivated people of all generations, from all over the world. With countless classics, international acclaim, and their continuing legacy, PIR has made an indelible contribution to the world of music and the City of Philadelphia.

Philadelphia International Records has several videos on Youtube detailing aspects of its history- including the one below.

For a little more history, Philadelphia musician, producer and author Questlove went to elementary school next door to the offices of Philadelphia International Records and writes about that experience here.

Pennsylvania Art Shows- Arden Bendler Browning at Philadelphia International Airport

 Art, Art Shows by Location, Artists, Painting / Painters, Pennsylvania Art Shows, Philadelphia, Public Art
Mar 052026
 

Nonstop (2107) by Arden Bendler Browning was commissioned by Philadelphia’s Percent for Art Program and is on view at Philadelphia International Airport.

From Art at PHL about the work-

Philadelphia artist Arden Bendler Browning is known for creating large-scale, highly energized, gestural paintings inspired by her urban surroundings. Browning’s paintings are mostly abstract, yet include hints of realism with the suggestion of architectural structures, roadways, telephone poles, and green spaces. Browning’s paintings envelop the viewer with their scale, intensity, and sense of movement. Her imagery is derived from photos taken while traversing the city. The photos enable her to see the city from various vantage points and, as she has described, “jump through time and space.”

Browning’s paintings visually capture that sense of timelessness as she often conveys a disorienting landscape where colors and shapes collide and overlap, where only glimpses of reality come into focus. She speaks of the urban environment as “a vast sea of fluctuating boundaries arguing claim to the demarcation of space.” This statement also describes Browning’s work as she depicts the urban landscape using an amalgam of colors, shapes, and painterly marks adrift and influx.

Browning has said, “Nonstop is multifaceted and dense, full of action, and vibrancy in unexpected places with pockets of space and clusters of commotion. It is just like Philadelphia.”

Browning is currently part of the group exhibition, The Landscape: Lost and Found at Ellen Miller Gallery in Boston, on view until 3/28/26.

Pennsylvania Art Shows- “King Saladeen: Create Your Gold” at Philadelphia International Airport

 Art, Art Shows by Location, Artists, Installation Art, Painting / Painters, Pennsylvania Art Shows, Philadelphia, Public Art
Feb 182026
 

King Saladeen created these murals for the Philadelphia International Airport’s Exhibitions Program.

From Art at PHL about this exhibition–

Philadelphia artist King Saladeen has created his largest painting installation to date currently on view at Philadelphia International Airport. Saladeen’s art is motivational and energetic. His paintings are filled with vibrant colors, shapes, patterns, markings, and text, along with representational imagery that includes his trademark JP the Money Bear and Philadelphia’s skyline. The work represents his passion to inspire as he says, “Dream Big, Love What You Do!” A message evident in this epic four-part painting.

Saladeen created this artwork partially in his studio as four paintings scaled to the proportions of the four gallery walls. The original paintings were scanned, printed on vinyl, and adhered on site. Over two nights, Saladeen painted atop the vinyl to complete his vision. It was an amazing performance to watch as he intuitively added more colors, shapes, and details until it was deemed complete.

 

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