4 Local Artists Chosen for Fishtown Mural Project

New art brightens Front Street in Fishtown as Mural Arts Philadelphia unveiled four new works on Thursday. The Front Street Walls project returns after a five-year break, with the pieces set to stay up between Columbia Avenue and Oxford Street for the next two years.

From 200 applications, the selection team picked Anna Mraz, Chelsey Luster, Dan Fetters, and Gianni Lee. Each brings their own style — Luster crafted Celebration of Love, while Fetters went bold with an untitled abstract work.

"There are so many working artists in Philadelphia who want opportunities like this," said Conrad Benner, the founder of local art blog Streets Dept and curator of this cycle's installation, according to PhillyVoice. "We as a city should see that as a gift and work with that more."

These walls stand apart from other Philadelphia murals. While most public pieces are community-based, Front Street gives artists free rein. Benner points out this unique approach: "There are a lot of people who make those murals happen, and it's wonderful; it's what makes Philadelphia's mural scene so different from other mural scenes."

The project first lit up the former Honeygrow headquarters at 1601 Front St. from 2016 to 2018 and featured the art of 11 artists.