August 25, 2025
Provided image/Steve Weinik/Mural Arts
Mayor Wilson Goode tapped Jane Golden to lead Mural Arts, originally called the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network, in 1984. She will step down as executive director in July 2026 after wrapping up the group's semiquincentennial projects.
Jane Golden, who founded Mural Arts and led the public art organization for the past 42 years, is stepping down.
The group's longtime executive director will depart in July 2026 after stewarding Mural Arts' semiquincentennial projects. She will assist in the search for her replacement, which will begin this fall.
"Art is how we tell our city’s story, and I’ve been honored to help write this important chapter," Golden said in a release. "It has been the privilege of my life to partner with thousands of artists, staff, and residents of Philadelphia to create work that speaks to our neighborhoods, our history, and our hopes. I believe deeply in what we’ve built, and in what comes next."
Golden has been with Mural Arts since 1984, when the organization was known as the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network. A painter herself, she worked with graffiti artists on collaborative murals in an effort to reduce unsanctioned tags and text on city buildings while growing public art. Her organization, formed under Mayor Wilson Goode's administration, became its own city agency in 1996. It also got a new name: Mural Arts.
Golden turned the agency into the largest public art program in the country. It creates over 80 projects and employs 250 visual artists each year, and has generated over 4,500 murals in total.
"Jane Golden’s energy, vision, and dedication have built a powerful model for community-centered public art," Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a statement. "Art changes lives. As we honor Jane’s remarkable impact on Philadelphia’s social and physical landscape, we look ahead with excitement to the future of Mural Arts."
Golden, who will remain "connected to Mural Arts in an ambassadorial capacity," has co-written two books about Philly's murals. She also co-edited the Temple University Press book "Philadelphia Mural Arts @ 30" for the organization's 30th anniversary. Numerous colleges in the region have awarded her honorary Ph.D.s, including Villanova University, Swarthmore College, Widener University, La Salle University, Arcadia University and the former University of the Arts.
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