Philly Neighborhood Needs Your Help Choosing New Mural Artwork

Residents of Philly, the city needs your help. City officials want our input on what mural should be put up next on the Mann Rivera Center's exterior perimeter wall. If you have ever been in the Fairhill neighborhood, you know the infamous wall I'm talking about. Every time I would visit the city as a little girl growing up we would always pass by the wall that sits along Allegheny Avenue and North 5th Street.

The city is looking to give the wall a new look and is asking the public for help on deciding which mural should be featured. A few months ago there was an open contest for people to submit their artwork for the chance to have their work displayed on the wall. The reason I know about this is because my cousin actually entered and submitted a design of her own. She drew a garden with colored flowers and kids running around in the background. It didn't get picked, but it was worth a shot.

According to Philly Voice, 6 finalists were chosen out of over 100 entries, and now we the people get to chose which mural we want to see everyday on our daily commute. A survey was created for people to submit their choices and you can access that here.

When choosing the design we think fits best for the wall, city officials are asking us to chose the one that best represents our community and the people in it. Personally I like the proposal created by Priscilla Bell and Misty Sol. I love the design and more importantly the message behind it. They said that their vision was to depict the change our community has made in regards to social justice.

"The perseverance and strength of many generations of neighbors shine through in many ways, and the Mann Rivera Center will offer to be a beacon for many. Together, we can become our own advocates for social change and help beautify the neighborhood for future generations!"

I think that is such a powerful message and just the touch our city needs to show how far we have come.