a 627-foot ribbon through Fairhill El Ritmo del Centro
A 627-foot painted mural with ceramic tile in Philadelphia's Fairhill neighborhood, commissioned by the City of Philadelphia and OACCE. More than 250 community members helped design and install this 5,000 sq ft work.
El Ritmo del Centro was commissioned by the City of Philadelphia and the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE). The mural reflects how culture and history shape our sense of home, and what it means to be part of the multicultural diaspora in Fairhill.
The inspiration comes from Losas Criollas of Puerto Rico and ornamental tiles of Spain and Morocco — patterns that became popular throughout Latin America and the Caribbean through Spain's colonization. The mural recasts that lineage in the voice of the neighborhood that walks past it every day.
