Free, family-friendly celebration of new public art at Webb Plaza with murals by Amir Campbell and Marian Bailey, spoken word, music and Halloween art-making.
Webb Plaza is hosting a public art celebration on Friday, October 30, from 3 PM to 5 PM, marking the unveiling of new work by Amir Campbell and Marian Bailey. It's a free event, open to everyone, and it's part of Mural Arts Philadelphia's multi-year partnership with the Philadelphia Housing Authority's Neighborhood Choice Initiative, which has been focusing on the Sharswood neighborhood.
Campbell's contribution is Rhythm of Resilience, a series of eight murals, each around 9 by 10 feet. He built them from research at Temple University's Charles Blockson Collection and from stories told by local residents. In his artist statement, Campbell frames Sharswood as rooted in ancestral Lenape land and carried forward by Black resilience, care, and collective vision. The day adds poetry stamped right onto the concrete sidewalks, and Marian Bailey has a mural series running across the columns and walkways of the Grocery Outlet. There's a dedication ceremony, music, and refreshments, plus Halloween-themed art-making for all ages.
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Webb Plaza opened in 2023 on the site of the former Norman Blumberg Apartments. It's named for Bruce Webb, who ran a department store specializing in music and records for 50 years at 2152 Ridge Avenue. He was also a community newspaper photographer, a civil rights and veterans affairs leader, and a beloved elder in the neighborhood. The celebration brings together spoken word poets Dr. Poetica Bey and Enoch the Poet alongside the new murals. It's free and open to all, from 3 PM to 5 PM on Friday, October 30, at Webb Plaza, 2077 Ridge Avenue.
