Title
Authorizing Council's Committee on Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs to investigate and hold hearings on the preservation and expansion of the City's public art, including its voluminous collection of outdoor murals, mosaics, and sculptures.
Body
WHEREAS, Public art, including Philadelphia's collection of outdoor murals, mosaics, and sculptures, enhances the aesthetics of our neighborhoods and reflects the rich history and cultural fabric of our City; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia's Percent-for-Art policy requires that any developer, private or public, who purchases public land through the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, allocate 0.5 to 2.0% of development funds for the purpose of acquiring and commissioning new art in the community; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia is home to more than 1,400 publicly placed sculptures according to the Association for Public Art and is considered a "museum without walls" because of its impressive and unique collection of outdoor sculpture. Yet pollution, acid rain, and vandalism threaten these irreplaceable artistic and cultural assets; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia currently has over 3800 outdoor murals and mosaics that grace walls in every neighborhood of the City, on subjects as diverse as "Women of Jazz," "Children Trauma and Resilience," "The Roots" hip-hop cultural icons, "Dr. J," "Peace Wall," and one recently completed on the "Philadelphia Eagles". In anticipation of the gathering of the World Meeting of Families 2015 and the visit to Philadelphia by the Pope, a mural entitled "The Sacred Now: Faith and Family in the 21st Century" was installed across three facades of St. Malachy School in North Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program also runs the Restored Spaces initiative, a series of public art and community outreach projects along commercial corridors, in civic spaces and on school campuses that promotes stewardship of the environment. The end result is artwork tha...
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