Mural Arts Philadelphia founder Jane Golden prepares for retirement
By Jay Nachman
Under the direction of Jane Golden, Mural Arts Philadelphia has grown from a small city agency into the nation’s largest public art program. Her accomplishments go beyond creating public art, and beyond the city limits. Well beyond.
In 2008, Golden was part of a Ford Foundation-invited group that went to Hanoi, Vietnam. With a team of artists and journalists, she helped create a three-mile-long mural depicting Hanoi’s 1,000-year history. Mural Arts Philadelphia has created more than 4,000 works of public art in the city. Through innovative collaborations, its art footprint extends throughout the U.S. and worldwide. Golden, now in her early 70s, is set to retire in June after nearly 30 years at the helm of Mural Arts Philadelphia.
She recently reflected on her accomplishments and that of the organization she founded. Raised in Margate, N.J., Golden went to Stanford University in California. After graduating with a double major in political science and fine arts, she moved to Los Angeles. For the city of Santa Monica, she created a 20-foot long, 100-feet high mural commemorating a pier the city had torn down. Neighborhood resident Jane Fonda dedicated the mural.
The experience was transformative for Golden. “I got to feel the power of murals first-hand and how murals make art accessible to everybody,” she says. After moving to Philadelphia, Golden was hired in 1984 by former Mayor Wilson Goode to address Philadelphia’s widespread graffiti issue through the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network. She worked with graffiti writers to create murals in neighborhoods that had been neglected. She only stopped painting murals in 2002 to concentrate on leading Mural Arts Philadelphia.
The agency connects the process of muralism to a multitude of community and public outcomes. The program has created public art that reimagines the intersection of art and public space and addresses societal challenges. Over time, Mural Arts Philadelphia transformed the urban environment. It tapped into what Golden calls the “power of the imagination.” Groundbreaking programs transformed practice and policies related to youth education, restorative justice, environmental issues and behavioral health.
“As people started to see the changes and how art can become a lifeline, people really started to believe,” Golden says “I think that’s a really important part of the work that I feel so grateful for. We’ve seen change on several levels. There’s been individual change, community change, and by extension civic change. Citywide change because we’ve turned our city into an outdoor museum, but one that has real meaning and resonance for citizens who live here.”
Golden, a Spring Garden resident, is a world-renowned expert on urban transformation through art. She has received numerous awards for her work. Among them are the Philadelphia Award, the Hepburn Medal from Bryn Mawr College, the Visionary Woman Award from Moore College of Art, the 2012 Governor’s Award for Innovation in the Arts, and a 2025 Governor’s Keystone Award. She has also co-authored two books about murals in Philadelphia and co-edited a third.
“I feel an accomplishment is that we were able to get the city to really appreciate and have an appetite for art outdoors,” Golden says “People went from, ‘Oh,a mural. How interesting,’ to feeling a sense of ownership about the work, to now we’re known internationally as the city of murals.
“People here feel so proud, and we have a giant waiting list of people who want work. We employ hundreds of artists every year, something else I’m very proud of. We’ve literally supported thousands of artists since we became the Mural Arts program in 1997.” Golden says she will miss the creative opportunities and meaningful moments that she has enjoyed. She will also miss her wonderful staff and the artists she gets to interact with. In retirement, Golden plans to paint and to teach painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art,where she has taught since 2022. She earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in 1995.
She also plans to consult and engage in worthy projects. “I want to keep working and more importantly, I’ll keep contributing to our city,” Golden says. “It’s been a fascinating journey and one I’ll always be grateful for.”
Jay Nachman is a freelance writer in Philadelphia who tells stories for a variety of clients.
