Executive Director
Mural Arts Philadelphia

Jane Golden has been the driving force of Mural Arts Philadelphia (Mural Arts), overseeing its growth from a small city agency into the nation’s largest public art program and a model for commu- nity development and restorative justice across the country and around the globe. Under Golden’s direction, Mural Arts has created over 4,000 works of public art through innovative collaborations with community-based organizations, city agencies, nonprofit organizations, schools, the private sec- tor, and philanthropies.

Golden has connected the process of muralism to a multitude of community and public outcomes. In partnership with a range of city agencies, she has developed groundbreaking and rigorous art education, restorative justice, and behav- ioral health programs that serve young people, youth and adult offenders at area prisons and detention centers, and individuals suffering from trauma, mental illness, and addiction, respectively. These programs have made it possible for
thousands to experience and witness the power of art to connect young people to their communities and to future opportunities, to break the cycle of crime and violence, and to bring about healing in individuals and communities.

Golden is referenced in publications around the world, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania.She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, and degrees in Fine Arts and Political Science from Stanford University. In addition, Golden has received honorary PhDs from Swarthmore College, Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, Widener University, Arcadia University, LaSalle College, Haverford Col- lege, and most recently, Rosemont College, Villanova University, St. Joseph’s University, and Drexel University.