Common Threads

1998

Nova Color exterior acrylic

7,500 Square Feet (100'x75'x0')

Philadelphia, PA

National Endowment for the Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Mid Atlantic Council on the Arts

Common Threads is one of Philadelphia’s most famous murals - it set the bar for the contemporary mural movement there. Commenting on shared humanity, this work parallels contemporary, everyday style with classical aesthetics. All portraiture features local high school students.

Common Threads links the lives of Philadelphians across boundaries of race, gender, and class. In this work, local students mirror the poses of antique figurines, representing an intersection of lives through art – shared humanity. Common Threads is one of Philadelphia’s most iconic and beloved murals. The largest and most technically ambitious mural of its time, it is considered a game-changer in the contemporary mural movement.