Mural Arts Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation (PHRF) are collaborating to create a new artwork that will be installed on a wall adjacent to the Horwitz- Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza, at 16th and Arch Streets in Center City Philadelphia. The project will continue the decades-long effort to remember and reflect on the Holocaust in Philadelphia, first through a memorial sculpture, then through the creation of a plaza with interpretive features, and now through the creation of a new artwork on the wall that provides a backdrop for the Memorial Plaza.
This is an extraordinary opportunity for an artist to work on a project of profound significance in one of Philadelphia’s most visible civic locations. The artwork has the opportunity to link the storytelling, interpretation and commemoration that occur at the Plaza now with ongoing global narratives of freedom and resistance, and to engage with future generations who did not experience the Holocaust directly but will carry the stories forward in their own ways.

Mural Arts is seeking an artist who is highly accomplished in creating two-dimensional public art, has experience working with topics of deep significance and complexity in public dialogue and public space, and has an emotional connection to the Holocaust through a family, community or cultural connection. The artist’s experience, their artistic practice and their approach to this project should be clearly aligned with the vision of this project.
Artist letters of interest are due June 30, 2023. Qualifying artists will be identified based on the letters of interest; qualifying artists will be asked to submit a portfolio and a short list will be interviewed. The selection is expected be announced by September, 2023. Anticipated completion of the project is a year after that.

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