Meet New Mural Arts Leader Emily Mello

New Philadelphia Mural Arts head Emily Mello, who is taking over for Jane Golden / Photograph by Ray Bailey

On Wednesday, Mural Arts Philadelphia named the person who is taking over as executive director from Jane Golden, who turned Philadelphia into one of the world’s top mural destinations during her 40-plus years painting walls and beautifying the city. That person is Emily Mello, who has a decades-long career of arts leadership at organizations such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, and the Pérez Art Museum Miami. Does the Rhode Island resident know what she’s getting into by becoming a Philadelphian? We sat down with her on Wednesday morning to find out.

Hi, Emily. How are you?
I’m good! It’s an exciting day. I can finally talk about my new role, which I’ve been keeping under wraps. This has been in the works for a few months, and some weeks since I’ve known I was joining.

Have you been to Philadelphia prior to all this?
Yes. Philly is such an amazing art city, the institutions, the organizations, the artist-run initiatives. So I’ve been to Philly for conferences, to visit colleagues, to go to art events. Much of my life and particularly when I lived in New York for 10 years, it was such a bonus to be able to go to Philly and see the art there so easily.

After reading your C.V., you clearly have plenty of experience in the art world. But what do you know about murals?
The way that I feel such a connection to Mural Arts is in community-engaged art, and murals are such a potent way to engage communities. It’s literally out in the public. My role has largely been in institutions and museums, but working in many of the same ways — collaboratively, being responsive to the community and to making art and arts education more accessible. In terms of the murals themselves, every city I’ve been in has had an organization that has been inspired by Mural Arts, and I’ve collaborated with those organizations. I’ve also been involved in that I’ve worked with contemporary art museums, and there’s a direct connection between contemporary art and street art. I’ve worked with street artists who come from graffiti and mural backgrounds.

Have you found your favorite mural in Philadelphia yet?
That’s such a hard one, and no one wants me to say “all of them.” [Laughs] I will say that my favorite mural is always the last one I heard someone talking about, because their face lights up and gets a warmth over it. One such occasion was when I was in the Gayborhood recently for a photo shoot in front of a mural by Santiago Galeas, and someone came by while we were there who knew one of the figures on the mural, a trans activist. And he began speaking about her importance and his friendship with her. And that kind of story comes about always when you’re meeting people in public space around public art.

Philadelphia Pride mural “In Pride, In Power, In Memory” by Santiago Galeas / Image courtesy of Mural Arts Philadelphia

Do you have big changes in store for Mural Arts Philadelphia?
The way I work isn’t to come in with a predetermined idea and have an organization in the city fit into it. So I’m really at the start, connecting with artists, community leaders, civic leaders, and supporters. I want to hear what’s been working, what needs some more support for changes. I’m hesitant to make any large claims at this point, because I really enjoy working collectively.

I know you’re moving here by September 1st. What neighborhood?
I actually just came back from Philly looking for a place. I’m trying to make a decision between the Fairmount/Spring Garden area and Center City. I’m really torn. Two very different kind of vibes. But both are really delightful. So it’s a hard one.

Philadelphia has its share of reputations. As an outsider what are your impressions?
People have such a deep love of this city. The people who are here have a lot of pride, and they want to know how much you appreciate their city as well. And that is a great starting point for me for public art, because it really is all about civic engagement. There’s also a real commitment to social change in Philly. And, you know, Philly just has a great sense of humor. I’m not a sports person, but I love the Philly mascots. I’ve really enjoyed Gritty. I just might become a sports fan in Philadelphia. Finally.

Yeah, you better prepare yourself, because you’re entering the city as the Phillies are trying their best to get to the playoffs, the Eagles have their first pre-season game this weekend, and then in October, we have the biggest sports news of all: LeBron James is going to start playing for the Sixers.
I really gotta start getting into this. I love the murals that commemorate sports figures. And the LeBron thing is funny because I worked in Miami for five years at the same time LeBron was there. So I think it’s a good sign. I really loved my time and work there. I think LeBron and I can share a city once again. One thing I did hear, though, is that LeBron is commuting from New York [Ed. Note: That is a widely circulated but unsubstantiated rumor], and I don’t know what I think about that. One of my New York friends heard that LeBron would be commuting and asked me if I’d be doing the same thing.

You should have said, “How much do you think I’m making at this job?!”
I know, right! I work at a nonprofit. But honestly, I’m drawn to Philly. I love New York and that’s a city that has given me a lot and taken a lot, but I really want to deepen my relationship with Philly, with its history, with the community there. And you can’t really do that if you have one foot in.

Will anybody be moving to Philly with you?
My tiny dog named Flo.

And what kind of dog is Flo?
Oh gosh. He was a very weird pandemic choice. He is an Italian greyhound. I had mutts my whole life, and then it was impossible to get a mutt during quarantine because everybody wanted a dog. And so I gave in and said I’m gonna get this little dog that needs a sweater in the winter. It’s very unlike me, but he’s brought some joy into my life for sure.

Oh, Flo is a he?
He actually has a very long fancy name: Florizel. But he goes by Flo.

I’m not sure how Philly is going to react to an Italian greyhound with a sweater named Florizel.
[Laughs] Okay, maybe keep that out. [Laughs]