ArtistsNetwork.com 69The mural, which is installed at the Church of Philadelphia
on South 17th Street and Snyder Avenue, depicts for-
merly incarcerated individuals being reintroduced and
welcomed into society by parishioners, clergy and the pub-
lic. Laidacker worked with a team of Philadelphia prison
detainees to paint the mural, a gesture that gave the proj-
ect even greater meaning and purpose.
The phrase inscribed on an archway above the main
scene in the design seems apropos not only for the city
itself but also for Mural Arts Philadelphia. It reads:
Behold:
The Open Door
by Jon Laidackar
located on the Church
of Philadelphia,
South 17th Street
and Snyder Avenue
in Philadelphia;
acrylic mural paint
on parachute cloth,
28x30 feet
PHOTO BY JACK RAMSDALE“Find a hurt and heal it: Find a need
and fill it.” For more than 30 years,
that’s exactly what this organization
anditsartistshavedone,showing
theworldthepowerofthepublic
paintedmessage.Allison Malafronte is an arts and design
writer, editor and curator based in the
greater New York area.