Philadelphia About To Lose Iconic Piece Of Street Art
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A mural at Broad and Callowhill Streets will soon be covered up by new construction. The loss of this iconic piece of Philadelphia street art is drawing plenty of reaction.
Jane Golden, executive director of the city's Mural Arts Program says street art is temporary:
"When a mural goes away, there's a tremendous source of sadness, because the murals represent stories of people all throughout Philadelphia and the hard work and creativity of so many artists," she said. "Although we know murals aren't going to last forever, it's sad when it happens."
This man regularly passes by the Girl Scout mural.
"I'm sure the building is going to look nice though, make this corner look nice," he said. "It's unfortunate for the Girl Scouts and the artists who did this mural, it's just unfortunate for them."
Golden says this is the nature of public art.
"I understand that a city is dynamic and fluid and always changing, and I never want to stand in the way of economic development," she said. "It's sad because I guess it represents the Girl Scouts."
But some Philadelphians say they'll mourn this piece, which Golden tells me was completed by over 400 volunteers:
"It's a shame, because that's what Philadelphia really is known for," said one woman. "We're known internationally as the city of murals."
But Golden says it's not a total loss when a mural is covered by new construction.
"When it goes away, people have a very strong, visceral memory of the power of art," she said. "I want the people who participated in the Girl Scout mural to know how much their work was appreciated, how much that mural inspired people."
