Maplewood Mall: Percent for Art

The Percent for Art Program and PIDC seek to commission a high quality, original, and site-specific artwork in tile mosaic or other surface treatment. The artwork will be located on the capstone of one or more seat walls located in the Greene Street plaza. The artwork will be an integral part of this pedestrian plaza. The plaza is intended for informal gathering and formal events such as performances, outdoor festivals, and block parties. 

The themes for this art project are neighborhood history, change, gentrification, and inclusivity. These themes were developed through previous community engagement sessions. The selected artists(s) will work with City staff to further explore these topics with local stakeholders. 

Public space investments in Germantown have led to residents’ concerns about gentrification. The intention of these public spaces is to serve existing residents, business owners, and workers, not to displace them. The Percent for Art Program and PIDC aim to signal this intention through art. 

These improvements were designed with the neighborhood, for the neighborhood. The art will demonstrate that commitment.

A community input period was held throughout April and May. Thank you for your thoughtful responses to the Maplewood Mall Percent for Art survey! Over 270 people offered thoughts on four preliminary proposals. We shared this feedback with the artists. The artists used your input to improve their proposals before making final presentations to the selection panel in early June.

The selection panel includes Germantown residents and 3-4 experts in the field, supported by an advisory board made up of an independent art conservator, City employees, and a Landscape Architect who worked on the Plaza’s design.

After hearing presentations from the Artists, the panel will choose a proposal. The panel’s choice will be made public when the proposal is presented to the Philadelphia Art Commission. The Art Commission, which reviews art proposed for public spaces, will review the proposal. Stay tuned! We expect to make this announcement later this summer.

• Proposals will be evaluated base on the following criteria: 
• Appropriateness to the design of the Maplewood Mall and Germantown neighborhood
• Originality
• Quality and impact of community engagement
• Artistic excellence 
• Enduring aesthetic and quality over time 
• Ability to implement the project in terms of scope and budget 
• Conservation and maintenance requirements 

The City’s Percent for Art Ordinance requires new City construction or major renovation projects to include site-specific public art. The required budget for this art is up to one percent of the total project budget. The program commissions outstanding and enduring artworks for public sites. This involves collaboration with design professionals, community stakeholders, and neighborhood residents. Sites for artworks include libraries, recreation buildings, fire stations, and others. The artworks are created specifically for these public spaces and their communities. The Program creates permanent, site-specific public art that is community driven. The goal is to create works that are a true reflection of the unique people and culture of its surroundings. Percent for Art was pioneered in Philadelphia in 1959. It has since been replicated in cities across the country. This reflects the importance of incorporating art in the public landscape.

In the early 2010s, the City drafted plans to renovate public spaces within business districts. $3.3 million was earmarked for the renovation of Maplewood Mall. This project has been supported by the Philadelphia Commerce Department’s Neighborhood Commercial Corridors Program.  

Reconstruction of the Mall’s roadways, sidewalks, and plazas began in November 2019. The City’s goal has been to rebuild the Mall as a great neighborhood public space and shopping street. These improvements will help residents and visitors alike while strengthening the Central Germantown business district. New design features including new lighting, seating, trees and plants, bicycle racks, and trash cans. 

In the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic and recent social unrest in Philadelphia and the nation, this reconstruction project presents an opportunity to address the need for a safe and enjoyable outdoor space for all residents of Germantown and surrounding neighborhoods. Public art within the Mall will contribute to this goal.

• Germantown United
• Friends of Maplewood Mall
• City of Philadelphia Department of Planning and Development
• City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce
• City of Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation
• City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy
• PIDC

The review panel met in January and selected the following artists and artist teams to prepare proposals for the Maplewood Mall percent for art project. Click the link for each artist below to review their proposal:  

 Amber Art and Design 

 Eric Okdeh and Femi Olatunji 

 Ife Nii Owoo 

 Kate Kaman 

We want to know what you think of these artist’s proposals!