Public Palette

From: Northwest Local Newspaper July 15, 2021 https://nwlocalpaper.com/public-palette Partners in WHYY N.I.C.E Collaborative

Trending Philly photoblogger on how street art connects and uplifts us

Digital platforms can connect us in remarkably intimate ways, but none can provide the plain thrill of walking down a busy city street. The sheer randomness of things you see and faces you encounter — the dazzle of possibilities — when life is unfiltered by algorithms.

Nobody understands this better, I think, than Conrad Benner. His photo blog, Streets Dept, celebrates art in our built environment, and as a creative force in our communities. For more than a decade he’s been documenting the city’s thousands of commissioned pieces and countless private installations, big and small. Not just murals, either, there’s sculpture, yarn bombing, wheatpaste, mosaics, tiny rowhomes... Conrad also interviews artists, hosts podcasts, publishes a newsletter and engages with almost 200k followers. He’s been featured in The Guardian, Time Magazine and Encyclopedia Britannica – he’s literally one of the world’s most influential street art advocates, with a regular spot on WHYY called “Our Space,” that covers topics from accessible dining to Billy Penn’s penis with an informative and inclusive approach. Conrad’s also a partner through WHYY’s News and Information Exchange program, aka “N.I.C.E.”, a journalism collaborative that seeks to amplify grassroots voices through the din of mainstream media. As we return to normal in post-pandemic Philadelphia, public spaces feel more important than ever. “Public spaces are what connects us, “Conrad said in a recent Instagram Live interview, “Our shared spaces are powerful tools for building and supporting a more equitable city.”

I really believe deeply in the power of the public space. There are so few things that we all own as, as a population living in a particular area. And our public space is one of them. What we can enjoy together as a community really says a lot about who we are as people. When we decide to fund public playgrounds, libraries, parks and mass transit — it shows our preferences and attitudes about other people.

If you’re a capitalist, then it’s even good for the economy. When cities invest in public amenities, people are going to want to move there, bringing new workers and customers. There’s no good reason not to invest in the public space. We need common ground more than ever.

It’s so interesting. For the first time in decades, Philadelphia is growing, thanks to our incredible immigrant communities, which are thriving. For years our population had been declining and now it’s getting this great burst of energy which is awesome. But as we grow, we need more homes so some of our murals are going away. Philadelphians get really attached, some of them become beloved landmarks. Noam Chomsky on Fairmont Avenue. Ursula Rucker. And now the Gloria Casarez mural. It’s tough. There are 4000 walls with murals on them, so this is part of the game. People own these walls, but the art belongs to everyone – where’s the line?

Cities are always going to be changing.

 

 

That’s just a fact. Anyone can look around and see we need more housing. I think a report just came out that we’re at 5.5 million home deficit in this country. Since the housing crisis of 2008, construction rates have been pretty low. In a city like Philadelphia, we have so many single family homes and not enough apartments and other options. So in the interest of affordable housing, certain walls are gonna go away. We can’t be too precious with this stuff.

 

We need to ask more of what’s being built. For instance, the renovations at Headhouse Square. It’s hard to imagine a less inviting space, it’s basically a parking lot with very few places to sit. When there’s an event, it can fill with seating, tables, security, whatever but otherwise it’s not supposed to be used, because kids and unhoused people. Public property designed essentially for private use is a really disturbing trend to me. Ed Bacon famously skated in Love Park as a protest against this ridiculous idea of government and private partnerships dictating what we can do in a public space. That’s just not how society works. It’s not how public space works. Public space is a resource for people to use however they want. Now every public space is designed so you can’t skateboard. And here with the dirt bikes, they’re suddenly illegal, and the City’s after them, but, like — motorcycles are just as loud. Why aren’t we up in arms about them? Look, there’s a million and a half people in the city. We’ll never have one homogenous society. People are gonna use the public space however they want – we should welcome this, as long as they’re not hurting anyone. The public space is one of the few experiences in modern American life where there’s no commercial exchange — it’s a free gift of being a resident in this city. And an important one, right? There are so many studies that show when people have access to nature and public spaces have better mental health outcomes and overall physical health. There’s just so much goodness that comes with investing in public space. Final thoughts on art in public spaces? I try to take one trip a year where I run around a new city and check out all their public art, try to understand how they organize and invest in their common spaces. One thing these regular visits have taught me is that Philly’s Mural Arts program is really unique. Other cities tend to view local art as a tourist attraction, as a way to focus a dining or business district. But in Philadelphia, Mural Arts is about creating beauty in every neighborhood. They’re spread out all across the city, it’s very democratic here. The art really feels like it’s for the people. We’re fortunate to have a special relationship with art here, and I love being able to celebrate and explore that with Streets Dept.