Comprehension: Philadelphia, the 'City Of Murals'

If walls could talk, Philadelphia would be abuzz with the stories ringing out from its murals. The historic colonial city is home to the nation's biggest public art project, and is redefining its urban fabric one mural at a time.

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. There are three thousand eight hundred murals in Philadelphia at the moment.
a. True
b. False

2. The Mural Arts Programme started because they wanted to encourage more tourists to Philadelphia.
a. True
b. False

3. The Mural Arts Programme also helps former criminals to learn new skills.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers
Artist Meg Saligman goes to great heights for her work. She's retouching an old favourite today, an enormous mural in the heart of Philadelphia. 

"It's a beautiful spring day, we're sort of flying above the city with paint, its, this is what I love to do most." 

Meg's work is displayed all over the city thanks to its Mural Arts Program.  Today Philly boasts 3,800 murals depicting everything from abstract themes to everyday life. Some are on abandoned buildings, like this giant portrait of basket ball legend Julius Erving... …others are on busy sites, like this school, covered from top to bottom. The City of Brotherly Love is now also dubbed the "City of Murals", a title that attracts tourists and artists alike. 

"And it's really only been in the last 15-20 years that it’s been able to kind of get the more metropolitan kind of image that it deserves because it really does have a strong arts and culture scene" 

What began as a small project to fight graffiti in the 1980s has now become the largest public arts program in the United States. It has a $6.5 million annual budget, but generates additional revenue for the city. 

“I think it's great to give artists a place to show their work. I think it's even better to hire them. We hire over 200 teaching artists and artists every year and contribute $2.2 million annually to the creative economy.”

 But the murals program is not just for artists. It also offers former offenders like Sam training for future jobs. 

"When they told me we'd get certified doing scaffolding and carpentry and everything, it was something that I was kind of like, like to do" 

With the city as its canvas, the popular art project is growing every year - revamping Philadelphia from the ground up. 

Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. a


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