I saw this display on the local news a while back, and on my way home this morning, I set out to find it, and see what it was all about, maybe take a few shots…
A little while back, Dutch painting team Dre Urhahn and Jeroen Koolhaas, was brought to Philadelphia by Mural Arts director Jane Golden with funding from the city, state, local businesses and various nonprofits. She previous met them in Rio de Janiero, Brazil where they were doing the same type of work to transform the look of shanty towns there. The duo, known as Haas & Hahn, have been working together since 2005 and are known for using vibrant public art to transform urban landscapes.
The two of them along with 25 other local painters from Philadelphia helped to transform vacant dwellings and rundown city blocks to what you see above. At one intersection, preferably Germantown and Lehigh Aves, you can walk several blocks in any direction to see the painted storefronts, apartment buildings and factories.
(There were quite a few proprietors that refused to let their businesses be painted.)
Wow! So vibrant and intriguing!