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The Challenge

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How might we restore vibrancy in cities and regions facing economic decline? Read the challenge brief

Inspiration

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Favela Painting

Working with the community to dream and create art projects in Brazil
The projects of Favela Painting capture the spirit and creativity of each community to cascade a colorful and vibrant identity, bring a renewed sense of unity, and invite cooperation and partnership in the community.

The work has reshaped this neighborhood's social and economic position in the city and gathered positive attention around the globe.
Mission #2 Share Stories Find out more...

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December 06, 2011, 03:15AM
This is marvelous! It reminds me of the "inspiration" I would have added if I had heard about this in time... The Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.
 http://muralarts.org/

Several years ago I took a tour guided by a representative of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and I was completely impressed and inspired. Did you know that there are over THREE THOUSAND murals in the city of Philadelphia?! Amazing. The project started as a rehabilitation program for kids who had been caught tagging or doing graffiti. From there it has grown to include a comprehensive program of matching artists to communities, and fostering community engagement in a real and effective way. Artists interview community members in informal gatherings like block parties or BBQs, they find out what is important to the community and what the community would like represented in "their" mural. The artist proposes a concept and the neighborhood decides on the final design. Community members are invited to help paint as well.

The murals are huge! And each one is unique and specific to the neighborhood or community who helped plan it. Neighbors feel a sense of pride in their mural, even if the rest of their neighborhood is falling down. The big picture is that although Philadelphia is a city with struggling areas, it is still vibrant and full of life and energy. The murals are a big part of that.
December 05, 2011, 09:38PM
Super :) and reminds me of what the painted Hundertwasser did to this house: http://www.virginmedia.com/images/hundertwasser_house430x300.jpg
Michael Jones's reply to Clare Brown's comment
December 05, 2011, 09:52PM
hi Szilvia, yea, Hundervasser's ideas could do a lot to transform the likes of Detroit and other communities! It would be amazing to harness the craft of his buildings today. The aesthetic could be new but rely on the layers of human scale and playfulness that he applied.
Szilvia Varga's reply to Clare Brown's comment
December 05, 2011, 10:05PM
Oh and if we do that we could also add a bit of Gaudi and perhaps Picasso into it and I'm ready to move there!
December 02, 2011, 08:40PM
This is awesome. I love JR's work and think it's such a powerful way to bring attention to marginalized groups and also provide a source of community empowerment.
Michael Jones's reply to Clare Brown's comment
December 05, 2011, 04:54PM
Hey Michelle, I wanted to clarify that this is project designed and executed by the community led by Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn of http://www.favelapainting.com/. JR's work is stunning as well.
December 05, 2011, 08:24AM
This is a great idea!
Colours bring true vibrancy to anything!
Who would think one can paint multiple buildings on a common theme..?
This can be used to give a positive message to people while also uniting them through the theme.
Michael Jones's reply to Clare Brown's comment
December 05, 2011, 04:52PM
Hi Ashwini, this community project really has shed a new light on the community and inspired a great pride in their identity. It was amazing to see that a few of the shop owners have continued their color schemes on the inside walls and even named their businesses by their spectrum on in the mural!
November 29, 2011, 02:55AM
Awesome! I would really like to live in a place where I could say "I live in the green & yellow house!"
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