The left side of the mural represents West Philly, Isabella’s home for the past seven years. You will find people playing chess at Clark Park, huge Victorian row homes, the oldest surviving Gingko tree in North America, urban cowboys, folks fishing in the Schuylkill River, Porchfest, a helicopter representing the attack on MOVE in 1985, Simone Leigh's sculpture: Brick House, dreaded spotted lanternflies, and lots of rodents!
The center of the mural fades into Center City, where the skyline is the focal point. The Septa trolley is wrapped with a segmented snake, as seen on the Sixers logo, originally representing the "Join or Die" drawing by Ben Franklin. Some well-known memes to come out of the city include the dumpster fire behind the iconic Philly Elmo Drumline, and a dismembered Hitchbot. The Clothespin statue by Claes Oldenburg lives right beside City Hall, and was inspired by Constantin Brancusi's The Kiss, which lives in the PMA. Hank Willis Thomas' All Power to All People sculpture is also a monumental work that lives beside City Hall, and Thomas mentions The Clothespin being one of his inspirations for this piece! This triangle of inspiration speaks to the current camaraderie and community of artists who inspire each other and share opportunities in Philly.
Water ice, hoagies, soft pretzels and bike culture are a few more well-known Philly favorites that I would be remiss if I didn't include. The row homes on the right represent the more condensed South Philly neighborhoods, in which Isabella just moved into this June! Under a fig tree, Gritty sits seductively next to the Philly-famous citywide beverage combination (PBR + a shot of whiskey).
