Heart of Kensington Creates Artist Talk

Ten artists from the Heart of Kensington Creates project are gathering for a panel conversation at The CORE at Esperanza Health Center on Tuesday, October 27, from 6 to 8 PM. The talk is moderated by project managers Ricky Yanas and Conrad Benner, and it brings together a group that covers a lot of ground: BUSTA (Jose Bustamante), DISTORT, Iris Barbee Bonner of THESEPINKLIPS, Linda Fernandez, Magdalena Rieders, Manuela Guillén, Martha O'Connell, Paolo Morales, Vanessa Vega, and Zerbe. They work in everything from large-scale public art to mixed media and street art, and they'll be talking about their creative practices, their design processes, and how Kensington residents helped shape the work.

Heart of Kensington Creates is a multi-year, cross-sector arts initiative by Mural Arts Philadelphia, Impact Services, and the Office of Councilmember Quetcy Lozada. Earlier this October, it brought new murals, gallery exhibitions, installations, and streetscape improvements to the Kensington neighborhood, drawing on the stories and voices of local residents. The conversation will touch on specific projects from that rollout, like photographer Paolo Morales' collaborative exhibition at UV Space and the large-scale murals at the Allegheny and Tioga SEPTA stations.

The evening is part of Mural Arts Month, a citywide celebration of free, accessible public art across Philadelphia's 4,000-plus murals. If you've spent any time in Kensington lately, you've probably seen some of the work this group was involved in; this is a chance to hear the people behind it talk about how it actually came together. The talk is free and runs from 6 to 8 PM at The CORE at Esperanza Health Center, 3222 H Street, Philadelphia, PA 19134.