Overview
- On Wednesday, Aug. 12, Mural Arts Philadelphia announced Emily Mello will become executive director on Sept. 1, with founder Jane Golden remaining in the post through Aug. 31 and serving as an adviser through the end of the year.
- The board led a national search that produced Mello, and board chair Hope Comisky said the group sought a leader with a mix of community engagement and institutional experience.
- Mello brings more than two decades of museum leadership in education and public programs through roles at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the New Museum, Pérez Art Museum Miami, the Simone Leigh Foundation and Brandeis’s Rose Art Museum.
- She has said she will prioritize sustaining Mural Arts’ education and restorative-justice initiatives and use art as a tool for healing before proposing major new programs.
- Mural Arts was founded in 1984 as the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network and has created more than 4,300 public artworks; the leadership change could strengthen partnerships, fundraising and program delivery tied to city services such as behavioral health and prison apprenticeships.