Last week we announced that Streets Dept Walls will be working again with our regular collaborator, Ginger Rudolph, to curate three new murals for the latest edition to the Adult Swim Mural Project. And today we’re excited to announce that the murals are finished! 

As a reminder, the Adult Swim Mural Project is an ongoing partnership between the public arts organization, Living Walls Atlanta and the massively creative cable TV channel, Adult Swim. The project was created to bolster the work, message, and careers of American Black artists. The project started in December 2020 in Atlanta, and has since produced 15 murals by artists across Atlanta, New Orleans, and now Philadelphia.

For this Philly edition of the project Living Walls reached out to Ginger Rudolph and myself to curate and find the walls we needed in Fishtown. The three Philly-based artists selected for the project are Nazeer Sabree, Branche Coverdale, and Zeinab Diomande. 

I feel like I can’t say this enough, but this is the very first Streets Dept Walls project to create permanent public art. Most of the projects I work on or curate are temporary. So it’s meant a lot to me to not only work with Ginger again to co-curate a project as well as find homes for the artworks of these three artists, but to do it all in the neighborhood I grew up in and my family still calls home. 

I want to send a huge thank you to Living Walls Atlanta, Adult Swim, and Ginger for being incredible partners on this project. And big thank you to all the assisting artists: De’von Downes, Ashley McNamara, Sammy Kovnat, Kristen Consuegra, and Angela Bortone! If you’ve yet to get your tickets, this is where I love to remind you, dear reader, that the 2022 Adult Swim Festival is taking place in Fishtown this weekend (from August 5th through the 7th). And we’d love for you to support the folks who supported this effort!

Below, please find more info on each of the artist’s brilliant new Fishtown mural: 

Deli Delight by Zeinab Diomande (aka “Z The Rat”)

Location: On Richmond Street between Frankford Avenue and Shackamaxon Street

Artist Statement: “Blackness is not linear nor should it be narrowed down to one way of existing. Through this painting, my intention is to cast some light on other ways of existing. An existence that we have decided for ourselves, an existence that most of the time isn’t televised and shown to the world. Being Black young or old is not always about trauma, hardship, and repeated cycles. There’s joy, there’s celebration, there’s existing as everyone else is: as the person one has decided to be. Through the realm of mixed media, high key colors, and child like depictions, I deliberately chose to show a side of the Black experience that is progressive, fun, reclaiming back its innocence, and being itself in all its authenticity. I want the Black youth to have fun, I intend to. I want the Black youth to be silly, be quirky, weird, passionate, and most importantly move as who they want to be. The sky’s the limit and we need to hear that more. We have the potential, the tools: we can do anything.” 

Monee by Nazeer Sabree

Location: On Palmer Street between Belgrade and Thompson Streets

Artist Statement: “I dedicate this mural to women who have not only inspired me but influenced the world around me. May this piece not only serve as a reminder of how influential Black women are but also as a reflection on their excellence. Not only do Black women influence culture undeniably, but Black women also contribute to and cultivate community. In this piece not only am I highlighting cultural icons but the women here in our community. A reminder that your voice, presence, and experiences don’t go unnoticed regardless of social-economic status.” 

Fuzzy Slippers by Branche Coverdale 

Location: On Canal Street right off Laurel Street

Artist Statement: “Living in an urban environment can be stressful and chaotic at times, however I try to find the moments where I can convey relief and ease. In this mural I capture that moment of joy and relief from unpleasant realities by seeking entertainment in fantasy. The butterflies move from one side to the other representing the embrace of transformation. The characters channel a childlike liberation and cartoony elasticity. I hope the viewer can see themselves here, in this city, surrounded by buildings, trying to find happiness and lightness within the concrete city.”