Two new community-informed murals are brightening up Fairhill-Hartranft! Painted by Philadelphia artist Kyle Confehr, you can find this artwork outside Mastery Charter School Clymer Elementary and Veterans Playground. The murals, which have a game of “I Spy” built-in, are designed to prompt caring and curious conversations between community members each time they pass by. 

“We are so excited to see so many of the ideas that our community has dreamed of for this initiative come to fruition,” said Brittany Holiday, Director of Community Engagement at The Village. “When we think about literacy, people often think of reading and writing – this initiative focuses on more than just that. We want to encourage more curious and compassionate conversations intergenerationally in our community, and with the Fairhill-Hartranft ABCs, we hope to do just that.” 

These murals are just one element of the Fairhill-Hartranft ABCs, which is part of the Literacy-Rich Neighborhoods Initiative funded by the William Penn Foundation. The Fairhill-Hartranft ABCs are designed to encourage people across the neighborhood to think about and interact with literacy in new and exciting ways, from street art to storytelling. Through this work, we hope to build community power, preserve our stories, and increase appreciation for language in all its forms.

We began working on this initiative in 2021, collaborating with the Hartranft Playground Alliance, Clymer Elementary, Read by 4th, and community leaders on creating opportunities for playful learning, literacy skill-building, and caregiver-child engagement in the neighborhood.

“This initiative was made possible by the envisioning of our elders, youth, community members, and organizations with the desire that our neighborhood can highlight and share powerful stories, resources, and programming that will continue to foster a sense of curiosity and learning in Farihill-Hartranft,” said Holiday.

The initial question we asked the group was, “What would you see, hear, and feel in a neighborhood that is literacy-rich?” This prompt produced a variety of answers, as pictured below, and helped guide our process.

Since then, the effort has expanded to include Historic Fair Hill, Hope Partnership for Education, Urban Creators, Ones Up, Lillian Marrero Library, Joyful Readers, John F. Hartranft School, and several local businesses.

This initiative embraces an expansive interpretation of “literacy-rich,” aiming to saturate the neighborhood with interactive touchpoints for literacy and learning. In addition to the murals, you can expect physical letter installations that make up the alphabet throughout the neighborhood, a scavenger hunt, conversation cards, and a series of events.

We also launched a website designed to be a hub for this initiative. It features a neighborhood alphabet brought to life by acclaimed artists, including Irregular, NOMAD, and Isabella Akhtarshenas, as well as playful learning opportunities, resources, and more. 

Visit https://fairhillhartranftabc.org/ to learn more about the initiative.