A blossoming wall
brightens neighborhood

By Elizabeth Stieber
Times Staff Writer

On a plain white wall on Edmund Street in Tacony, tall blades of grass have sprung, and giant bugs are making the space their home.
But it’s not a problem worthy of a call to CLIP; rather, this plain wall is slowly growing into a garden-themed work of art, complete with giant wild flowers and fireflies.
Pat Gallagher, a new Tacony resident, was inspired to paint a mural on this spot when she bought the vacant corner property at 7143 Edmund St. last year.
In addition to beautifying the property’s back wall, she has turned the place into Diskin-Gallagher Community Arts Center, a new non-profit center that provides classes, programs and activities to local residents as a way to bring art into the community.
Apparently, the folks who live on Edmund Street get a kick out of watching the mural bloom, so to speak. They sit out on lawn chairs on their porches to watch Gallagher and the students paint and chat with them as they walk down the street.
"I love it," said neighbor Bob Jenkins, as he stopped to check up on the 16-by-20-foot artwork. "It gives the neighborhood character."
"It adds color," said neighbor Joyce Hinkle, who lent a hand in the project.
A high school art teacher of 20 years, Gallagher has painted murals in Philadelphia and in Europe. She also spent a summer in Wales working on a mural and a mosaic.
She formerly owned an art studio in Lawndale but decided last year to move into another community that she felt needed a local art center. She chose Tacony because of its close-knit community feel and rich history.
"They love their neighborhood, which is really cool," Gallagher said of her new neighbors.
It seems art is springing up all over the community. The Mural Arts Center created the Italian-American tribute mural on Torresdale Avenue last year, and some of the bare train trestles now shine with vibrant hues.
So far, the community is giving back.
The flower boxes that line the side of the building are courtesy of two local beautification groups, the Community Life Improvement Program and the Major Artery Revitalization Committee.
The groups also donated supplies toward the project, and Commerce Bank supplied the center with some buckets and bottled water, Gallagher said.
She hopes the mural is finished by September.
About 30 students, young and old, attend classes there and are adding their brush strokes to the artwork.
"It’s an experience I’ll never forget," said Alice Owens of Wissinoming as she painted leaves a deep green.
Even Gallagher’s youngest students are planning and contributing to the mural.
"It’s a great opportunity for the children in the community to be a part of it," said Mary Pat Coyle, a University of the Arts student and Fishtown resident who is working on the mural, too.
The youngsters studied pictures and learned how to divide up the mural into smaller grids.
"While the kids are learning how to draw, they’re also learning about bugs and flowers," Gallagher said.
Molly Ferris, a 13-year-old from Huntington Valley, said she is expanding her artistic experience and creativity.
"It’s harder to paint on a different surface," Molly explained. "It’s not as smooth as paper."
Kimberly Campagia said she’s having a great time.
"It’s really fun to paint a mural," the 7-year-old Tacony girl said. "You get to use a lot of paint."
Eleven-year-old Christa Mansi of Mayfair said she has been painting "since I was a little girl."
And she’s proud of the center’s mural.
"It just brings out the street, and it’s really beautiful." ••
For more information about the Diskin-Gallagher Community Arts Center, call Pat Gallagher at 215-725-2196 or visit www.dgcac.org
Reporter Elizabeth Stieber can be reached at 215-354-3036 or estieber@phillynews.com