Unveiling the Stories of Olney Mural
The Olney Community Collaborative (OCC) and Mural Arts unveiled the Stories of Olney mural on the beautiful wall of Fern Rock Hardware at 5957 N. 5th Street. This captivating mural is a celebration that pays tribute to the diversity, brilliance, and vision of the people of Olney.
Leaders of OCC committed to creating more opportunities for public art in Olney. Many neighbors and business owners will remember our Artist in Residence who painted the Peony Garden mural at the former Peony Garden and who led the Storefront Mural project decorating security grates with vibrant + unique pieces. OCC has since developed a partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia; together, we are working to create more opportunities to highlight local artistic talent and our neighborhood.
The Stories of Olney is inspired by the ongoing community quilting events led by Culture Bearer, Storyteller, and Healer, Carla Wiley. Quilting has been a conduit for conveying experiences and identities of cultures and people. These associations reflect the mural’s main composition and colors, which combine rich Afro-Caribbean heritage textiles and symbolism, as well as Korean Bojagi, Khmer, Thai and Vietnamese woven textiles. Bordered by depictions of the neighborhood of Olney, the composition’s perimeter displays distinctive architectural structures that people know and love about this neighborhood, connecting them with the place they call ‘home,’ including the Free Library, St. Paul Lutheran Church, The Cambodian Buddhist Temple, the Gibson Music School and more.
Furthermore, the sky depicts the appearance of both the sun and the moon, symbolizing the harmonic cycles of night and day. Their simultaneous presence reminds us of their dependence on one another, a sort of yin and yang energy that balances and perpetuates life in Olney. The four diamonds displayed across the center of this mural serve as the main focal point. You must see it in person.
OCC thanks the Mural Advisory Committee who collaborated with Mural Arts for three years to ensure this work of art was a proper reflection of the beautiful cultures and spaces in our neighborhood. We would like to give a very special thank you to Justin and Sue Lee, owners of Fern Rock Hardware who enthusiastically offered their wall and committed to adding public art to Olney.
We encourage you to visit the mural, post pictures, and tag @olneycollab and @muralarts. We also encourage you to shop on N. 5th Street and support the small business owners who support Olney as good neighbors.
