University City District and Mural Arts Program Unveil New Community Mural
Philadelphia, PA 3 June, 2003 -- A new mural by Karl Yoder will be dedicated on Thursday, June 5, 2003 at 10:00 AM at 4926 Baltimore Avenue. The mural, "Cedar Park," is a multi-media mural painted on the side of the Cedar Park unit of Resources for Human Development at 4926-28 Baltimore Avenue. This mural interweaves themes central to this University City neighborhood; family, community, gardening, and Friday night jazz at the Firehouse Farmers Market. The mural also incorporates mosaic tiles designed and painted by children from the Delphi After School Art Club who participated in a workshop at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The dedication will feature representatives from all parties involved including 240 children from the Delphi School, food, and live music.
The mural was sponsored in part by University City District (UCD) as part of its comprehensive Commercial Corridor Initiative. Eli Massar, Baltimore Avenue Corridor Manager says, "This project represents our recognition that creating attractive public spaces is a first and necessary step to attracting customers and diverse merchants back to Baltimore Avenue. It is imperative that we form partnerships with key constituents to make this happen. This is a community-based development initiative, and through improved cleanliness and maintenance, we can create a more attractive place to shop and find entertainment."
In July 2002, with grants from The William Penn Foundation, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Philadelphia Commerce Department, and Citizens Bank, UCD embarked on a multi-year effort to enhance the commercial corridors of Baltimore and Lancaster Avenues. University City District and its partners want to ensure that University City remains a neighborhood of choice for individuals and families. Thus, improving the neighborhood commercial corridors is a top item in the District's five-year strategic plan. Despite significant gains in the real estate market and energetic institutional development, University City's neighborhood commercial corridors continue to suffer from disinvestment. The Baltimore Avenue corridor runs through a densely populated neighborhood whose residents and workers have identified through surveys a desire for a greater range of goods and services offered and for improvements to the physical appearance of the blocks. For more information on the work of University City District, please call 215.243.0555 or visit www.ucityphila.org.
Mural Arts gratefully acknowledges the support of their community partners, the University City District, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Resources for Human Development, and Cedar Park Neighbors. For more information on the Mural Arts Program, please contact Amy Johnston at 215.685.0739 or visit www.muralarts.org.
Established in 1997, the University City District is a non-profit cooperative partnership uniting the institutions, businesses, and communities of University City to improve the quality of life for residents, workers, students, and visitors by working to make University City cleaner, safer, and more attractive. For further information about the UCD’s initiatives, please visit the UCD website at www.UCityphila.org
Release Date: Tuesday, June 3rd 2003
