Here are a few shots to give you an idea of what you will see when the nursing mural at Broad and Vine Streets goes live. What you are looking at is the same spot on the wall, and the changes you will see as the area is bathed in different colored lights. On the left, a man’s face simply melts away and an empty, three dimensional cube appears. On the right, words, faces and graphics change color, appear and disappear depending on the LED projection.

Click on these thumbnails for larger versions.

Stay tuned for more!

The lifts are off the site and the bulk of the painting is complete. The next step is getting the lights up and running, choosing a running pattern, and then stepping back to look.  It’s important to see the paint under the influence of the light. This is where the magic happens. The painting process will continue guided by the way the LED colors make the paint glow and transform into a continuous rainbow of colors.

Philadelphia Team Repairs and Restores Murals

Read today’s Philadelphia Inquirer for a positive and informative story featuring The Evolving Face of Nursing.

Melissa Dribben describes the process of painting over older work, bringing new life. Meg Saligman and James Shuster are quoted, explaining the process of this mural. Of the technology planned for the mural, Meg says, ”This time, the nursing community was more interested in looking to the future.” And when asked what James is working on, he replies drily, ”I’m putting in the top of this guy’s head because he would be incomplete without it.”

Thanks to Melissa and the Inquirer for an excellent story.

Please click on the link for the whole article.

The blazingly brilliant colors are now on the wall, in contrast to the primarily sepia toned sections.
Look for illusion to emerge. Flat surfaces pop into three dimensions.

The far right panel is well on its way, and the project is making fast progress.

It’s International Nursing Day, and Florence Nightingale’s birthday today, and nurses, administrators, sponsors and the media gathered at Broad and Vine Streets for a press conference.

Mural is making exterior progress. Pre-painted panels are now being installed on the center panel of the work. And on the left side, a rough sketch is in place to guide installation of the next batch. Lights are all installed.

Watch the slideshow, or click on it to get a full screen view of images.

Some heavy lifting on the mural site today. A massive crane was brought in, along with a lift, to install a series of 2000 pound LED lighting brackets. Each bracket holds three lights. Saligman says there is a logic in putting the lights before the paint. “We can test the paint in the light, and make sure things are placed properly.” She also explains that all this activity could damage a freshly painted surface, so best to get it done first.
Once the lights are hooked up, expect a miracle on Broad Street.

On Thursday April 8 2010, Meg Saligman hosted a party for the Mural Arts Program of Philadelphia at the studio. On display were images from the upcoming nursing mural at Broad and Vine Streets. Here are a few snapshots of the event, which was sponsored by Glenmede Trust.

Here’s a look behind the scenes at the way images go from the design stage to the larger wall.  On the right, you see a black and white print out of a nurse’s face. On the left, the painted version, executed by James. He tapes the reference next to the larger face, which is being painted on nonwoven cloth that will then get glued to the wall at Broad and Vine.