Every Sunday, Mike Newall brings you an inside look at a story defining Philly this week and a preview of what’s coming in the week ahead.
Nobody wants to look at AI slop. Not in public art. And certainly not in Philly, one of the world’s great outdoor art galleries.
But that’s just what Mural Arts served up last month — according to scores of social media sleuths and at least one AI scholar — when they unveiled designs for banners that will adorn a fence along the Bellwether District development in South Philly. Part of Mural Arts’ citywide “Throughlines” installation, the temporary banners are intended to dress up the dreary worksite.
Instead, they’ve sparked debate about the role of AI in Philly’s public art — and drawn ire over Mural Arts’ lack of a formal AI policy. It’s a conversation poised to intensify at a Mural Arts Town Hall Thursday on the issue.
Four designs by muralist Kelley Prevard quickly set off alarm bells. One featured a skyline bearing a closer resemblance to Chicago than Philly.
No one at Mural Arts seemed to notice. And, the organization did itself no favors.
Emily Mello, months into her tenure as executive director of Mural Arts — the nation’s largest public art program — did not answer my colleague Rosa Cartagena’s queries last week on whether the banners used AI-generated imagery, or how they were approved. (The artist has refused to comment.)
Brushing aside social media outcry — including questions over its commitment to local artists — Mural Arts says it will go ahead with the banner’s planned installation later this month. The Windy City skyline will be altered to look more like Philly, a spokesperson said.
The public art imbroglio has touched a nerve in the local art world’s AI reckoning, raising a disconcerting question: What happens when the “Mural Capital of the World” can’t get its own skyline right?
Cartagena, who has her finger on the pulse of Philly’s art scene, is here to tell us the questions she wants answered at the Town Hall, when local artists will review Mural Arts’ working AI policy draft.
Mike: Mural Arts has yet to explain their internal review process, right?
Rosa: True. It’s really easy to focus on the individual artist, but in this case her work was unveiled with Mural Arts approval. The responsibility of this commission is with Mural Arts.
Mike: This is bigger than Mural Arts, of course?
Rosa: These are really big questions for any arts organization in the city or the world. What are we going to do with these tools, and what does it mean moving forward?
Mike: The anger has been real. Some social media users are predicting the banners will be vandalized?
Rosa: There’s this sense of this isn’t what we want, this isn’t real, and this is not Philadelphia.
Data deep dive: Shapiro’s resounding rout
Gov. Josh Shapiro is having a political moment. As my colleague, Gillian McGoldrick reports, Shapiro staked his reputation and rising presidential prospects on flipping Pennsylvania from red to blue in the midterms — and won big. Shapiro outperformed his 2022 gubernatorial win in 65 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, according to an Inquirer analysis. The coronation is far from complete. Election oracle Nate Silver predicted his slam dunk favorite for president in 2028 — and it ain’t Shapiro.
A look ahead
The Tun Legacy Foundation — a nonprofit working to rebuild the Tun Tavern in Old City, birthplace of the Marines in November 1775 — will host its third annual block party Tuesday celebrating the Marine Corps birthday.
Craig Mills, board chair of The Tun Legacy Foundation said the group has raised nearly half of its $27 million goal — and hopes to break ground on a recreation of the colonial tavern and museum before next November. Besides plenty of beer, music and “oorahs,” revelers can become lifetime members of the Tun by joining the 1775 Club and take The Tun Legacy Tour: Secrets of The Tun.
Alaska and Mississippi’s Senate races may finally be called next week, which could further “Fetterman proof” the U.S. Senate for Democrats.
The 41st Legislative District race in Lancaster between incumbent Republican Brett Miller and Democrat Brad Chambers might also be called, possibly strengthening the Dems’ trifecta. The Dems have so far won 111 House seats, to the Republicans 88. It‘s the last uncalled House race in Pennsylvania.
“Bouquet of Stories: Celebrating Philadelphia’s Gardening Heritage” — a free exhibition presented by the Athenaeum of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society — opens fully to the public on Monday. Exploring three centuries of Philly gardening, the exhibition unearths stories of bygone gardeners who helped transform Philadelphia into a horticultural hub, says exhibit curator Tracy Qiu.
Gov. Shapiro is scheduled to be at the Navy Yard on Friday. Last month, he announced a $371 million investment in Philly’s port that he said will create 6,000 jobs.
2026’s other national milestone is upon us: The 50th anniversary of the release of Rocky. (Official events, including local screenings this week of Rocky and I Play Rocky, a biopic chronicling Sylvester Stallone’s real-life struggles making the film, are listed here.)
Mike Sielski — must-read Inquirer sports columnist and author of the new book, “Going the Distance: Stallone, Philly, and the Story of ROCKY” — joins us to share three things die-hard “Rocky” fans can learn from his book, set for release Tuesday.
Stallone and Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed) were not best buds. “I talked to one of Weather’s former wives, and she said flat out, ‘Were Sly and Carl close friends? Hell no, they were not close. Never.’”
Burgess Meredith’s real-life model for Mickey was murdered less than a year after the film’s release. His killing remains unsolved.
Stallone’s oft-told tale of selling his bullmastiff and eventual co-star, Butkus — and being extorted to get him back — is baloney.
Yo Adrian, I cannot wait to read this book!
One more thing: The damaged tombs of Philly’s oldest Jewish cemetery.
The historic cemetery sits off 8th and Spruce Street, like a hidden timehole. Nestled behind iron gates and a high brick wall, Mikveh Israel Cemetery, established in 1740, is the oldest Jewish burial ground in Philadelphia. The souls who take their rest in the postage stamp-sized graveyard include a who’s who of Philadelphia’s colonial-era Jewish community.
Haym Solomon, the forgotten founding father, a principal financier of the fledgling Continental Army and government, who died penniless for his troubles. Rebecca Gratz, the influential Jewish philanthropist and educator. Nathan Levy, a merchant and community leader, whose ship, the Myrtilla, transported the Liberty Bell across the Atlantic.
“If you are a Jew from anywhere in the world, it’s relevant to you, and if you are an American of any religion, it is still relevant to you,” said Rabbi Yosef Zarnighian of Congregation Mikveh Israel in Old City, which maintains the cemetery. “This is an American story.”
The latest chapter of the cemetery is a trying one.
In July, a severe microburst storm caused a large oak tree to collapse, damaging historic graves, including the plot of Levy’s young son, whose name is lost to time. The child’s marble tomb is shattered — and others are cracked in half.
Last month, Congregation Mikveh Israel kicked off a fundraising effort for $200,000 to restore the sacred burial ground. On Tuesday, the congregation will post its second installment of “Stories from the Cemetery” — a series of Instagram videos highlighting remarkable Philadelphians buried at Mikveh Israel (this week features Solomon).
Donors can “Adopt an Ancestor” by directly supporting the maintenance and restoration of graves.
On a recent afternoon, Rabbi Zarnighian walked among the damaged graves.
“Heartbreaking,” he said. “It’s our job to tend to the dignity of those who lie here.”
