Maplewood Mall's Public Art Project
G’town Memories
An original artwork commissioned by the City of Philadelphia’s
Percent for Art Program and Planning Commission
Artist: Jennie Shanker, with components by the residents and artists of Germantown
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The public art component of the Maplewood Mall revitalization will engage with Germantown history from the perspective of the people who have lived and worked in the area. It will include:
- 1000 Memories of Germantown: Treasured People, Places, Things and Events that are submitted by members of the public to be included in the project.
- Small silhouettes of current residents made during a public event to be turned into tiles for the project.
- An opportunity for G’town visual artists to design an 8X10” tile medallion for the project.
Background and Overview
From November 2019 to December 2020, the City of Philadelphia is rebuilding the street, sidewalks and plazas of the Maplewood Mall with the goal of providing an improved public space and shopping street that will contribute to the overall improvement of Central Germantown. After the construction is complete, a public artwork will be installed through the City’s Percent for Art Program.
Maplewood Mall is a unique street in Germantown. Its course was originally set by the lumber company that occupied the site in the 1850’s, Ashmead and Longstroth. The street used to be the cart way where materials would be carried from one building to the next as raw materials were crafted into windows, moldings and doors.
The public art component of the project will be made of ceramic tile that will be located on the seating walls on the Germantown and Greene Street ends of the mall. The tiles will have a wood texture, connecting both with the Maplewood name and the site’s history. The top edges/corners where the horizontal and vertical surfaces meet will have bullnose tiles to round the edge and allow the ceramic to continue down 4-10” of the upright part of the walls.
Community Involvement
Residents of Germantown are invited to participate/contribute to three components of the project:
1. 1000 Memories of Germantown, a Treasured Person, Place, Thing or Event: Memories are being collected from residents, and using letter stamps, these memories will be stamped into the “wood” tiles.
2. Knots/Silhouettes:
In the summer of 2020, there will be an event at the Mall where residents can come to make a small round tile with their own silhouette. The silhouettes will be set in the “wood” tiles to look like knots in the wood.
3. Medallions:
Germantown visual artists are invited to submit ideas for a large tile that celebrates something from Germantown that inspires them
Submit your memories between now and July 31st by going to bit.ly/MaplewoodGTownHistory
or
Go to the Germantown Espresso Bar and ask for the Memory Book where you can write in a person, place, thing or event from Germantown that you treasure.
About Percent for Art
Enacted in 1959, the Percent for Art ordinance requires that one percent of the total dollar amount of any construction project that includes City funds be devoted to the commissioning of site-specific public art. The first of its kind in the nation, the program has commissioned over 300 works of art. The intent of the Percent for Art Ordinance is to enhance the City’s public environment by incorporating exceptional site-specific works of art.
About the Philadelphia City Planning Commission
As part of the Philadelphia Department of Planning and Development, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC) guides investment and growth in Philadelphia. Its goal is to create neighborhoods that are well-connected, affordable, and desirable places to live and work. PCPC drafts the physical development plan of the City, known as the Comprehensive Plan, and participates in its implementation. Community groups, City Council, developers, and other City departments participate in the development of the Comprehensive Plan and use it to guide their work.
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