Judy Hellman was the project manager for this mural and she did a great job
making sure that we had every single
little thing we needed, when we needed it.
Every detail, right down to an Rebecca's
birthday came along and Judy brought in
surprise cupcakes.
After all the planning and getting the logistics in order, we're
finally ready to get started on the
actual art installation.
We had a few fake brick masonite panels for testing the colors and textures down below
before trying it up on the real-deal
wall. In the end, we actually did get the
same look in our full-scale version, but
then it got ended out later anyway. Hah!
It took us about two coats of a base and
then maybe another four coats of
transparent paint on top of that to get
it just how Rebecca had wanted it, but in
the end we got it perfect,  we nailed it.
When I was initially selected as a
finalist, I did a site visit to the AT&T
building and climbed up to the rooftop
to get a bird's-eye view of the river
and surrounding landscape. What struck me right away were the vast lines of
intersection and convergence of the
river, the railroads, bridges, roads, ramps
and trails. So, I recorded these visual
cues and angles and used that as
inspiration for an initial painting that
I created in my studio. I wanted to
maximize the impact of the unique
faceted walls of the building by
creating a painting with contrasting
faces that reveals differently depending
on your vantage point. It was also
important for me that the mural concept
tie into the rivers cultural relevance
in a site-specific way. So, I immediately
remembered the Odunde Festival, a
celebration of African heritage, which
takes place on neighboring South Street
and begins with a ceremonial offering of
fruit and flowers at the South Street
bridge, so the bright warm colors are a
nod to this festival and the colorful
celebration that takes place right here.
This was the most beautiful job site I'd
ever been on. The vistas all around and
the bustle of the city and the dancing
play of light and atmosphere stretching
from the park below us to the Center
City skyline. The constantly active
railroad line, the Schuylkill River and
its jogging trail, the 30th Street
Station in the distance, all of this
converging at this one building.
Convergence celebrates a stretch of the
Schuylkill River that brings together
diverse transport, pathways, culture and
the people of Philadelphia.
I wanted the mural to be striking but
also harmonious within its environment,
including the street art that runs along
the railroad wall below and I actively
responded to this when designing the
mural. Convergence evokes facets of light
on water, aerial maps, tectonic processes,
intersections of roads and bridges, and
connective pathways. Public art can
humanize the built environment it was my
hope to create something bold, uplifting,
and dynamic that could improve the daily
experience of the people passing by it.
