Public art - organizations that promote mural art - Directory

Listed below are the major organizations around the United States that promote muralism.

Art Program, Metropolitan Transit Authority P.O. Box 194 Los Angeles, CA 90053 (213) 244-6408

The Los Angeles area's mass transit system has a growing collection of permanent and temporary art, including murals. Call for information on self-guided tours.

Arts for Transit of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority 347 Madison Ave., 5th Floor New York, NY 10017 (212) 878-7250

The New York City area's mass-transit system has developed a growing collection of permanent and temporary art, including murals. A free guide listing the stations with art on view is available, as is a hotline, (212) 878-7452, for information on periodic tours and other programming.

Chicago Public Art Group 3942 W. North Ave. Chicago, IL 60647 (312) 227-0209

Co-founded in the early 1970s by William Walker, of "Wall of Fame" fame, and John Pitman Weber, the Chicago Public Art Group is a multiracial group of artists. In 1993, 34 members created 21 public art projects, evidence that the Chicago mural style continues to be a synthesis of many aesthetic and progressive political movements. Call for information on periodic tours and other special programs.

City Arts Inc. 225 Lafayette St., Suite 911 New York, NY 10012 (212) 966-0377

Tours of New York City murals are available from City Arts, a 26-year-old organization dedicated to producing public artwork in underserved communities.

Lower Roxbury Community Corporation 122 Dewitt Dr. Roxbury, MA 02120 (617) 445-1061

Napoleon Jones-Henderson, working with artists Johan Allan Crite, Milton Derr and Johnetta Tinker, coordinated this mural project in 1992. The works are displayed in the Smith and Haynes houses.

Mural Art Program of the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network 1220 Sansome St., Third Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 686-1550

Over the past decade, the Mural Art Program has spearheaded the painting of more than 1,000 murals in the Philadelphia area. Professional artists work together with young people, primarily to combat the graffiti problem. They also sponsor workshops and exhibitions.

Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles P.O. Box 86244 Los Angeles, CA 90086 (213) 481-1186

Started in 1986 when a popular local mural was whitewashed, the all-volunteer Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles provides technical advice and receives grants to clean and conserve significant local murals. The organization also organizes monthly public mural bus tours.

National Society of Mural Painters c/o American Fine Arts Society 215 W. 57th St. New York, NY 10019 (516) 374-0113

Founded in 1895, the National Society of Mural Painters is an organization whose major concern is the advancement of techniques and standards for the design and execution of mural art in the United States.

Precita Eyes Muralists 348 Precita Ave. San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 285-2287

Precita Eyes Muralists, a nonprofit association of artists and muralists, evolved from a community workshop organized in 1977 by current director Susan Cervantes. Its work is focused primarily in San Francisco's Mission District. Members hold Saturday walking tours, slide presentations and classes and do consulting.

Social and Public Art Resource Center 685 Venice Blvd. Venice, CA 90291 (310) 822-9560

Founded in 1976, Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) has been a major force promoting community-based murals in Los Angeles. Under the creative leadership of Judith Baca, SPARC has sponsored more than 70 mural segments during the past six years, including a half-mile-long mural located in a flood control channel, that depicts regional ethnic history. SPARC operates a public-art gallery and a store of educational materials and organizes mural tours.

Urban Walls c/o City of Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs 675 Ponce de Leon Ave., NE, 5th Floor Atlanta, GA 30308 (404) 817-6815

Established in 1977, Urban Walls produces murals by professional artists, which serve as landmarks to promote the character of the city of Atlanta and to promote art as an integral part of daily life. Future plans include a walking tour with an accompanying brochure.

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company 1401 Church Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 234-6130

The company was founded in 1980 and has a community-arts outreach program, Outside Woolly, which incorporates performance and visual arts project, including collaborative murals.

COPYRIGHT 1994 Heritage Information Holdings, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group