Amy Sherald Completes New 5-Story Mural in Philly’s Gayborhood

Absolutely love this! Hand painted over the last several weeks, it now appears that Amy Sherald’s new Philly mural is complete.

Amy Sherald is, of course, the Baltimore-based artist who famously painted First Lady Michelle Obama’s official portrait that’s displayed at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.

“I paint everyday people and want the images to be recognized as universal,” Amy wrote in a 2018 Time magazine article about her work. “For black viewers, it’s a place of rest and a place to receive love, to walk into a space like a museum and see an image of a person that looks like you looking back at you. People take for granted that not seeing yourself can lead you to not loving yourself.”

Amy’s new mural, created with Mural Arts Philadelphia, is located on Sansom street between 11th and 12th streets in the Gayborhood!