Philadelphia's Murals Featured in World's Best Travel Article

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia's famous murals were yet again in the global spotlight in a travel article that was recognized as the best in the world, at the first annual Discover America Travel Writers Awards. The award in the category, "Best U.S. Travel Destination," was presented before a group of international media at the 2008 International Pow Wow travel trade show in Las Vegas, May 31-June 4. The winning article, "March of the Murals," by Neil Murray, a London-based travel writer, appeared in the spring 2007 edition of Essentially America, a publication in the U.K. that focuses exclusively on travel within the U.S. The article was generated as a resulted of a murals tour by the magazine's editor, during a press visit to Philadelphia, hosted by the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB) as part of its international marketing campaign.

The article features Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program (MAP) and examples of some of its 2,800 murals in what Murray refers to as "America's largest outdoor public art display." It begins with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall's tour of Philadelphia's murals last year, which itself received international coverage, and continues with "a steady March of the Murals," in cities and towns across North America.

Upon accepting the award at Pow Wow's Media Marketplace reception, Murray remarked, "I am stunned! With more than 100 stories from around the world submitted, it is an honor to be recognized for this article." Mary Moore Mason, the editor for Essentially America, who was also there during the presentation said, "I was inspired to include an article about murals after seeing the amount and quality of Philadelphia's murals. I wondered if other cities had this type of program."

When he learned of the winning article, Fritz Smith, vice president of tourism, PCVB said, "We'd like to congratulate Neil on receiving this award, which puts Philadelphia's mural arts in the spotlight for international travelers. Philadelphia's murals have become an international tourism attraction and this just reinforces that fact."
"We are thrilled to have so many wonderful mural fans throughout the world...so many that we have earned the unofficial title 'City of Murals,'" said Mural Arts Program Executive Director Jane Golden. "It is with the partnership of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, and their reach in the international market that enables the Mural Arts Program to be seen by visitors from overseas before they even get here."

The Discover America Travel Writer Awards were sponsored by CityPass. International Pow Wow, an annual trade show, is the tourism industry's premier international marketplace and the largest generator of travel to the United States. The show attracts more than 5,500 international travel suppliers, buyers and journalists from more than 70 countries.

http://www.centredaily.com/business/story/644937.html

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9/14, quote on elections, because shosh had to put up that thoughtful writeup on mediocrity and elitism:
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." — H. L. Mencken

The philly mural program is a joke. The murals are just high end grafitti which are usually covering low end grafitti.
What a joke. You take a beautiful old building that is stone, brick, limestone. The buildings looked great to begin with and were maintenace free but then some scumbag tags the building. The mural arts program comes along and paints a mural. Give me a break. If someone tagged the Art Museum would you cover it with a mural?

Anyone caught tagging a building should be publicly flaugged and forced to clean all the grafitti in the neighborhood.

Maybe the tourists should come see zete instead, he's much more scenic than those stupid colorful, imaginative murals by world-renowned artists that everyone loves...

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be aware that what the GOP says does not mean what it reads and what We perceive as to what THEY say is or isn't, is not what THEY mean. You dig....Great! (ms. e)

Is that your pic?


Actually the tourists would prefer to see the original buildings. If the murals are so great then why didn't the architects design the buildings with cheap exteriors and then cover them with cheap paint?

It is like I said the first time, the mural program is just a cheap way to cover all the grafitti. The original buildings were beautiful and then a few scumbags tagged them. Look at the Divine Lorraine, the brickwork is amazing. The building sits empty and some moron paints "BONNER 4 EVER". You probably think that is art.

yeah, see how these buildings were ruined by mural arts' graffiti? disgusting.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/118/2...g?v=1159982948

__________________
be aware that what the GOP says does not mean what it reads and what We perceive as to what THEY say is or isn't, is not what THEY mean. You dig....Great! (ms. e)

I bet you think this one is okay...

__________________
be aware that what the GOP says does not mean what it reads and what We perceive as to what THEY say is or isn't, is not what THEY mean. You dig....Great! (ms. e)

LOL!!! Thanks, BC. That's excellent! My caption of that would be: Zete rooting so hard for the City of Brotherly Love, he pisses himself.

Calling them murals is a large stretch.
Officially sanctioned graffiti is what they are.

Saw this article today:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0804/p17s01-lign.html

Thanks for sharing! I saw it too last night, in fact, but forgot to share it this morning. The web site was acting finicky, at least for me, at the time i was reading that article so i couldn't post it right away.

I do have to agree that many murals are really great but some really aren't very artful.

__________________
Remedy for Electile Dysfunction: http://www.votenader.org/index.html



9/14, quote on elections, because shosh had to put up that thoughtful writeup on mediocrity and elitism:
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." — H. L. Mencken