The East Coast is home to some of the country’s most impressive street art, offering groups a great way to experience art outdoors
Street art enthusiasts looking to revel in some of the finest craftsmanship this country has to offer should venture to the East Coast, home to an impressive number of public installations. Here are some remarkable street art locations groups can visit, where they will be immersed in colors and creativity.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia – ‘Finding the Light Within’ by James Burns
More than 15,000 people visit Philadelphia annually to tour one of the world’s largest outdoor galleries and learn why the city has been dubbed the “mural capital of the world.” Many of these murals have been collaborated through Mural Arts Philadelphia, the nation’s largest public art program. For more than 30 years, Mural Arts Philadelphia has unified artists and communities as nearly 4,000 artworks have been created in public spaces. The city offers mural tours that enable visitors to get a glimpse into the stories behind the Mural Arts collection. Public trolley, train, Segway and walking tours feature guides who provide visitors with a behind-the-scenes look at the city’s thousands of works of public art.
Hudson County, New Jersey
‘Remembering Clouds’ by Fintan Magee in Jersey City
Hudson County, in New Jersey, boasts an impressive outdoor art gallery thanks to a mural arts program in which local, national and international artists have joined with property owners to create a brilliant display. Hudson County’s Jersey City Mural Tour allows groups to walk or ride around the city, viewing a variety of murals by neighborhood. The tour shows where local and world-renowned artists take their canvases to the streets, helping to highlight the diverse culture of the county.
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore Wisdom Wall
The Baltimore Mural Program was created in 1975 to help make the city’s neighborhoods more appealing while also enabling local artists to flaunt their talents. Working with the artists, the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts coordinates and directs this ongoing program which has produced more than 250 murals across the city. These murals have added vibrancy to neighborhoods once marred by vacant lots and crumbling buildings and show how street art can make a positive impact on a community. In addition to beautifying the city, Baltimore’s street art has opened up a forum for discussion about public art, featuring numerous events and community gatherings that bring residents together.
New York City
‘Reflections of Ourselves and Each Other’ mural in the Bronx
The NYC Mural Arts Project aims to connect people with serious mental illness to peers and artists in an effort to create murals about mental health. The project’s architects work with community-based organizations, artists, those living with a mental health condition and the community to promote mental health and awareness and break down stigmas. Since 2016, the program has created six large-scale mental health murals in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn street art
Brooklyn has long been known as a street art haven and one of its most popular street art displays is the Bushwick Collective, located in the city’s Bushwick neighborhood. This collection of street art and graffiti stretches across several blocks of industrial buildings and attracts a variety of artists both locally, nationally and internationally. Conceived by Bushwick native Joe Ficalora in 2011, the Bushwick Collective transformed a once gloomy neighborhood into a lively tourist destination. Free walking tours are offered where groups can learn about the history of the artists whose work graces walls in Bushwick and across Brooklyn.
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