(October 8, 2011 - February 15, 2023)

A Public Art Project by the Mural Arts Program and Photographer Jacques-Jean Tiziou

The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and Philadelphia photographer Jacques-Jean Tiziou have created The How Philly Moves Mural, an extraordinary artwork located on the parking garages at Philadelphia International Airport. The How Philly Moves Mural has transformed the garages’ exterior into a memorable gateway for millions of travelers and visitors to the region.

The mural is a celebration of Philadelphia’s longstanding dance traditions and features a diverse range of dancing figures, both professional and amateur dancers from across the area. Representing a variety of dance styles from tap to freestyle - even traditional Aztec dance brought by recent immigrants to the city - the mural welcomes guests from all over the world as the joy of dance and energy of the movement is palpable.

The nearly 85,000 square foot mural, incorporating the photographic work by Tiziou, took two years to complete. Tiziou photographed a total of 174 dancers of all ages, styles, abilities, races, and gender as part of an ongoing series of photo sessions from Spring 2008 through Spring 2010. Overall, Tiziou has photographed more than 18,000 frames, and the final design for The How Philly Moves Mural features images of 26 Philadelphians dancing. This exhibition honors the dancers who participated in Tiziou’s photo series How Philly Moves and illustrates the breadth of Philadelphia’s vibrant dance community.

Another major component of the project includes GATEWAY, a documentary produced by The Big Picture Alliance that eloquently chronicles the people, places, and stories involved in the making of this ambitious mural. For this exhibition, The Big Picture Alliance created a short video that complements Tiziou’s photographs and provides a context for the overall project.

www.muralarts.org 

www.HowPhillyMoves.org

www.jjtiziou.net