3 Questions With Shira Walinsky

Philly is home to more than 4,000 murals. But in recent years, more of them are getting torn down or painted over. Mural artist and educator Shira Walisnky has lost three murals in the last year. City Cast Philly spoke to Shira about how the city could reframe mural ownership.

Why are murals in Philly disappearing?

“It's because of increased development in the city. And some of that is really good. Some of it is housing that's needed and sometimes murals have to move on.”

What is the tension between mural artists and city developers?

“Once a mural goes up, technically it belongs to the building owner, but the idea really belongs in public space. And I think the cool thing is that they're owned by that community in another sense. People feel a sense of ownership of their neighborhood, and of public art as well. But from my experience, the times that I was notified that a mural was coming down, there's no debate. It's just, ‘Heads up, this mural's gonna come down quickly. You better go take some photos.' There’s no discussion.”

What needs to change?

“There are lots of solutions. I think at the very least, building owners need to notify Mural Arts about a project that’s coming down. And I think in terms of development, we need to look at the artwork not just as raw building material, but as community representation on a wall.”