Philly’s first permanent election-themed mural is all about hope

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After years of promoting voting with pop-up signs and murals around Election Day, Philadelphia now has a permanent mural to continually remind residents of the power of voting.

“Legacy in Bloom,” in West Philadelphia on the side of a three-story rowhouse at 57th and Walnut, shows generations of women with flowing, flower-studded hair on a bright blue background. At the top are the words “Philly Votes.”

The artist Tai Corrienté Baucom populated the mural with women. She grew up surrounded by women and said that when she thinks of legacies that can be passed down through voting, she imagines the women who produced that lineage.

“The theme of my mural is not just about voting. I made sure to create something that would still be relevant even after the upcoming elections,” Baucom said. “Think about your legacy, about the future of your legacy: What will they have when they are your age because of some of your decisions.”

Every two years for the past six years, Mural Arts Philadelphia has erected a display of murals on temporary panels in LOVE Park called the “To The Polls” project, which will remain up for a few weeks before the election. “Legacy in Bloom” is the city’s first year-round election-themed mural.