Murals

From left to right, the mural tells the story of transformation through recycling. Waste on the left is depicted as scattered – in haphazard shapes and bland tones of gray, black, and white. The swirling motion in the center of the mural symbolizes the recycling process. Finally, on the right we see color and beauty, representing minimized trash and an opportunity for our lands and neighborhoods to grow, bloom and flourish.

Key Detail is a renowned New York City-based artist who earned a degree in architecture from the Belarusian National Technical University. Can you find his signature in the artwork?

The 3-story design was added to Midtown’s mural scene in 2022. The artwork is on the side of an historic building that 1^st served as a neighborhood grocery store more than 100 years ago. Today, Raising the Bar bakery is the tenant serving up treats and a cozy spot for community connections.

The design of this bright, wide, and welcoming mural was voted on by local residents. Mural designer Jeff Copus used the rising and setting sun to symbolize the transition, rising, and rebirth of Midtown Harrisburg, an area bursting with culture, collaboration, and sense of community. Copus is the cofounder of Sprocket Mural Works, the organization behind many of the murals you’ll see on the Walk of Art.

According to artist Daniel Finch, the mural’s design incorporates a combination of symbols “meant to serve as an image of beauty, hope, and optimism regarding Harrisburg’s future.” It was added to the Susquehanna Art Museum’s façade in 2015 just a few months after the 20,000-square-foot facility opened its doors. The museum transformed an old bank building into an exquisite gallery, and the mural project further emphasized SAM’s role as a cultural hub and catalyst for further development in Harrisburg’s Midtown arts district.

This 20-foot-high piece of art is one of the most photographed murals in Harrisburg! Artist Craig Welsh used two shades of purple to highlight one powerful symbol. The “ampersand” is often used in place of the word, “and.” It’s a symbol of inclusion and coming together – making it the perfect backdrop for engagement or wedding photos, or photos of friends and families.

Harrisburg native Ralphie Seguinot had long been creating cheerful street art around Harrisburg when he was selected as a Sprocket Mural Works artist in 2017. “Wonder,” was the artist’s first large scale mural.  As Harrisburg’s population is largely comprised of minorities, art that showcases diversity is incredibly important and has a positive impact on the community that watched as the mural took shape and residents who are fortunate enough to have access to this beautiful piece every day.

Sponsored by PA Preferred (Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture program that promotes locally-grown produce and its benefits), this mural is strategically located within sight of Harrisburg’s Broad Street Market—one of the oldest farmers’ markets in the country. This mural also pays homage to a program that encourages veterans to transition from the military into farming and agricultural careers, by the Department of Agriculture.

The artists brought unique backgrounds to the project. Emmeline specializes in nature illustration, while Jovana grew up on a 4th-generation family dairy farm near Harrisburg. They created the mural on parachute cloth and then adhered to the brick wall before a sealing process.

On the rear wall of historic Broad Street Market’s Stone Building, Italian-born artist Michela Muserra’s comics-style mural depicts a variety of foods that can often be found at the market’s vendor spaces. If it’s a Thursday, Friday or Saturday (market days!), step inside to see the mural—and taste the food!

Ryan Spahr is a Harrisburg area native who was already active within the city’s art scene. He took the concept of creating interactive wings for this mural—and made it his own. Rather than the pretty, lacy angel or butterfly wings in most cities, he interpreted Harrisburg’s wings as those of a moth, pretty but with gritty details, including black details. Do you think the wings fit Harrisburg’s personality as a city?

This towering new mural extends upward and away from “Arise” with the two murals now covering the expanse of the wall at the corner of Third and Cumberland Streets. The bright flowers symbolize growth and reflect a changing and thriving community.

Nick Napoletano is a prolific North Carolina-based artist and muralist who is artistically trained in a very classical Renaissance style. This style is often called hyperrealism, or superrealism, as evidenced by the way you can see every little detail of the eye, including individual eyelashes. Many people describe this mural as feeling like an eye in the sky.

Can you find the artist’s signature?

The 3-story design was added to Midtown’s mural scene in 2022. The artwork is on the side of an historic building that 1^st served as a neighborhood grocery store more than 100 years ago. Today, Raising the Bar bakery is the tenant serving up treats and a cozy spot for community connections.gnature in the artwork?

Muralist ESPO says everything he included in the mural came about from conversations he had with community members who visited with him during the mural’s creation in the fall of 2020. The mural was part of his grant-funded nationwide “Make Something” project that resulted in mural in several U.S. cities.

Pennsylvanians may pick up on a few Harrisburg and regional items: ESPO references “The Spot,” Harrisburg’s long-time—but now closed—hot spot known for hot dogs. He also references Amtrak’s Keystone Service, which operates trains between Harrisburg and Philadelphia, which ESPO himself remembers as once being nicknamed the Keystone Clocker.

JUURI is a female, Toyko-born muralist who moved to the United States when she was young. She’s based in Oklahoma City, but she’s created murals around the world. Her murals usually feature two prominent themes: women of diversity and florals. Almost all of the women in JUURI’s murals have one eye covered.

This artist uses a creative logo as her signature—can you find it?

This mural came about as a dream project by Sprocket’s founders, to jump-start their vision of uplifting Harrisburg through art. A Kickstarter campaign raised money from 76 different donors to contribute to the mural’s costs including paint, lifts, and the ability to bring nationally-known contemporary artist Crystal Wagner to town. In many ways, this mural served—and continues to serve—as an anchor for today’s 3rd Street mural corridor.

Crystal Wagner is a well-known commercial artist who’s created art for prominent national brands and companies like Nike. A first-time muralist, Wagner delivers brilliant shades of blue with a contemporary style that is found in much of her commercial work.

The city, a major industrial hub during the late 1800s into the mid-1900s, was known for its railroad industry, lumber and other goods. The location of the city’s railroad tracks, and its street grid pattern, are oriented they way they are today, due to one major geographical feature: the Susquehanna River. The street you’re traversing, 3rd Street, runs parallel to the river, as does 2nd Street and Front Street. This mural pays homage to the original brick wall, as well as a design that harkens back to the building’s construction during Harrisburg’s heyday during the Art Deco period.

Artist Jacintha Clark is a historic preservationist who has painstakingly researched and preserved artwork, clock dials, and other historic treasures in Harrisburg’s Capitol and many other historic buildings nationwide.

Cheers to art! Creativity is a shared attribute for artists and craft brewers, so it makes perfect sense for this colorful mural to grace the wall of an urban beer garden. The nature-inspired mural was created by Harrisburg native Samantha Sanders. 

“Faces” is Carlisle-based artist Aron Rook’s second mural in Harrisburg. (You’ll hopefully see the other if you continue toward the Capitol Complex!) A common thread tying both murals together is Rook’s use of bright candy-like colors. She describes this mural as: “All us friends, with our faces towards the sun.”

We’ve seen several examples where the artist creatively places their signature. Rook has done so here – can you find it?

A steering committee of Black Harrisburg community leaders dedicated to creating a mural celebrating Black culture guided the creation of this mural. They selected talented Black Harrisburg artist, Bryan “King Prolific” Hickman, after he served as an apprentice on Sprocket Mural Works’ Mulberry Street bridge murals. He describes “Raffia” as “Afro-inspired,” depicting a Black woman who’s a friend and Harrisburg resident. It incorporates themes of African American strength, appreciation for youth, and the importance of education. Studies show that murals that depict themes of diversity within diverse neighborhoods (such as Harrisburg’s) lead to increased community pride and civic engagement.

Across from the State Museum, walk down Oliver Alley to see this beautiful mural. Israeli-born Anat Ronen designed this work as “a love story," and it features the faces of actual Harrisburg children.

A strong environmental message is depicted in this mural. The nonprofit Nature Conservancy, with an office in Harrisburg, wanted to draw attention to the Kittatinny Ridge (also called Blue Mountain), a unique 185-mile-long landform that cuts through 12 Pennsylvania Counties. It forms a natural migratory pathway for raptors (birds of prey such as hawks, and the kestrels featured in the mural), along with additional birds such as hummingbirds and songbirds, plus monarch butterflies.

Texas-based artist Emily Ding draws inspiration from flora, fauna, and human temperament. Her large-scale work is characterized by expressive animals and figures, which come to life through bold color gradients and a fluid, painterly style. Resonating deeply with the phenomena of the natural world, she aims to communicate emotions and experiences, through storytelling with wild creatures and people.

In partnership with the Nature Conservancy, Tröegs Independent Brewing sponsored this mural to draw attention to the importance of protecting the ridge from development. A portion of sales from Troegs’ “Trail Day” beer – released in conjunction with the mural’s creation - benefitted the Nature Conservancy’s conservation work along the Kittatinny Ridge.

This mesmerizing mural by Ecuadorian artist Vera Primavera is a celebration of female empowerment. Set slightly back from the road and front-framed by a small parking lot, it’s in a prime location to be viewed by visitors along Harrisburg’s busy 2nd Street, with its many restaurants, bars, and businesses.

This heart-shaped mural was commissioned by Verizon as part of its Kindness Mural Tour campaign. Completed in November 2021, the “Radiate Kindness” message is a colorful reminder that kindness goes a long way. The red color is a great fit for its location near Strawberry Square. Williams is a Philadelphia-based artist and public muralist.

Samantha Sanders, based in Harrisburg and Philadelphia, finds inspiration in the natural world. Many of her garden-inspired paintings are created with natural plant-based dyes. Sanders also created the mural in the courtyard of the Zeroday Taproom.

A Liberian American, Shane Patrick Gallup was raised in Harrisburg. His artist portfolio includes tattooing, illustration, photography, film and more. He has exhibited his work at the Art Association of Harrisburg and the Susquehanna Art Museum.

This bright indoor mural seems to flow along as guests walk through the Strawberry Square Arcade – part of a walkway that connects the restaurants, shops, and offices at Strawberry Square to Whitaker Center and the Harrisburg Hilton. The mural is 100 feet long and revels in its 1980s colors and feel.

The bold colors and abstract artwork of “Space Between” represent the newest mural addition (2023) to the walkway area between Strawberry Square and the Harrisburg Hilton. Located next to Nichols’ piece, the artwork offers a visual change of pace while also working together along the same side of the walkway. Black is a local painter with a studio at The Millworks in Midtown.

This mural depicts many hands “working together.” As you look at the detail on the hands and arms, you might notice that there are flaws. This symbolizes that we are all wounded or imperfect in some way, yet together we are stronger. Artist Dan Black summarizes it this way: “It’s a painting about overcoming the missing pieces that keep us from helping our neighbor.”

This mural was inspired by the peregrine falcons that annually nest nearby atop the Rachel Carson building, 400 Market Street, which houses the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, seen from this location.

If you stand on the sidewalk, facing the mural, lift your eyes to the upper ledge of the Rachel Carson building. Two peregrine falcons have made their home year after year on the 15th floor of the building. The mural highlights how amazing nature can be, especially when “nesting” in an urban setting.

Artist Emily Matusz is an Ohio native who resided in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania at the time she created this mural. She also works as an illustrator and concept artist, going by the name “Majikarpette.”

Artist Tara Chickey is the arts director, as well as an in-house artist with a studio at The Millworks in Harrisburg. She draws inspiration from travel, especially trips to Iceland where she says she “encountered nature at its most glacial, vegetation at its sparsest,” which took her aesthetic in unpredicted directions.

How do the colors of a city affect you? Many people feel that the drab colors affect their mood and daily lives. That’s why this bright, cheerful mural was added to the landscape. The artist’s abstract “drip” style creates a flowing motion down the wall.

Artist Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez is a world-famous muralist whose career had humble beginnings in graffiti art. Victor describes his concept for this mural as a bold and bright mix of portraits of multicultural women interwoven with nature imagery, set against a hot pink background with stunning teal and gold accents. At the time the mural was created, this building provided student housing to many of Harrisburg’s international students hailing from across the globe, which inspired the art.

As one of Harrisburg’s first murals—perhaps very appropriately—this one focuses on a theme of maternal or motherly care. Local artist Aron Rook describes the mural scene as “a magical mama figure protecting the children in the neighborhood.” As she painted, people would stop, watch, bring their lunches to watch her work, and honk their horns.

Rook also collaborated on the mural at Zeroday Taproom.