Impart 216 Visits Philadelphia, Land of 4,000 Murals
The artist team for Impart 216, one of seven projects supported by Cleveland’s Transformative Art Fund (TAF), traveled to Philadelphia during the first weekend in April. The purpose of the journey was to observe Philadelphia’s massive array of public art: over 4,000 murals and other art installations.
The team is led by Cleveland muralist Robin Robinson, executive director of Sankofa Fine Art Plus (SFAP). The cadre of artists and support will install up to seven murals in Cleveland’s Mount Pleasant community. The network of public art will be on buildings in the vicinity of the convergence of Kinsman Road and Union Avenue.
Robinson, a BFA graduate of Philadelphia’s Temple University, has installed murals in Glenville and other communities. She studied with famed American muralist Ken Twitchell when he came to Cleveland in 2013 to complete the mural of actress and Karamu alumna Ruby Dee. Twitchell installed a similar mural of Philadelphia 76ers basketball legend Julius “Dr. J” Erving in Philadelphia.
Robinson’s Impart 216 project was selected, along with those of six other artist partnerships, after the TAF committee reviewed 103 proposals spanning multiple genres of art.
In her role as executive director of SFAP, she also manages Sankofa’s Black Art Expo, which has been on hiatus, but was expecting to return in November 2025. Robinson says the expo will be rescheduled to 2026.
“Celebrating the 25th anniversary of Sankofa Fine Arts Plus by bringing back the Black Art Expo was the goal for 2025 until I was awarded the Transformative Art Fund Grant 2024-2025. This is a unique opportunity to not only spark the transformation of an entire community, it is an opportunity to transform the art making careers of twelve local artists of color. As lead artist it is my pleasure and duty to give this project my full attention, therefore the Black Arts Expo has been rescheduled to November 2026.”
Robinson’s Philadelphia pedigree was instrumental in bringing this journey to the City of Brotherly Love into fruition. After an early morning departure and a pit stop on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the group arrived at their hotel by bus eight hours later, then made it to a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a mural project at the Rivera Recreation Center and Mann Older Adult Center. A crowd of community residents and stakeholders celebrated the installation of a mural that wrapped around the corner of the building and down the length of a city block. The community center sits in a Puerto Rican neighborhood in Philadelphia.
The following day, a two-hour bus tour with Mural Arts Philadelphia (MAP) took them to different communities for a passing view of several installations. Tour guide Phyl Francis provided background on several of the installations and the history of the proliferation of publicly supported art. Francis indicated that the program got its start in 1984 (as Mural Arts Program) during the administration of Mayor W. Wilson Goode as an anti-graffiti measure.
That initiative has led to MAP becoming the nation’s largest public arts program. In addition to the beauty of colors on walls, MAP has used the landscapes to tackle serious social issues like mental health, incarceration, addiction and immigration. After rebranding as Mural Arts Philadelphia in 1996, MAP launched educational and restorative justice programs.
The innovative approach to public art has resulted in the city becoming a global model for artists and urban planners. A key characteristic is its community engagement along with consideration of themes such as identity, history, celebration of culture, resistance, and justice.
Mural Arts Philadelphia will receive nearly $2.7 million of the city budget in 2025. According to online sources, Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy has a budget for fiscal year 2025 of $10.8 million. Art and culture initiatives total $19.15 million for the year: in all, the funding is 0.3% of the city’s $6.36 billion budget.
The team rounded out the day with a walk to the African American Museum late in the afternoon, passing by one of many protests going on across the country while enroute.
Before heading back to Cleveland on the final day, the group took in Philadelphia’s visually spectacular Magic Gardens. It’s a mosaic wonderland that includes an outdoor labyrinth and indoor gallery made by Philadelphia mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar over a period of years. His artwork adorns several exterior walls on buildings in the vicinity of the gallery with repurposed items, tiles he created, and intricate detail that results in an immersive visual experience. His work is on over 200 buildings in Philadelphia. The award-winning artist was born in 1939 and is still alive, but is said to be living with Parkinson’s Disease and has had to curtail his artistic pursuits.
In all, the field trip to the Keystone State’s nation-leading art program was insightful, inspiring and of great benefit to participating artists who seized the opportunity to explore techniques, materials, and themes, and to make connections that can only enhance the project at hand. They’ve identified the buildings they intend to create works for and are working with the owners to bring life to walls that are rife with expectation and potential.
Taking a chapter from Philly’s lead, the voice of the community will be heard, and the artists will rely on their talent to make a transformative impact on one of the gateways to the city. With current development plans for that part of town, it promises to be a great addition to the anticipated rebirth of the area.
The Impart 216 Project is to be completed by August of this year and celebrated on Mall C at a date to be announced later.
The Transformative Art Fund was created by the City of Cleveland with the appropriation of $3 million from the $512 million in federal funds provided to the city from the American Rescue Plan & Recovery Act (ARPA) in 2021.
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