Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
Every Sunday, Mike Newall brings you an inside look at a story defining Philly this week and a preview of what\u2019s coming in the week ahead.<\/p>\n
Nobody wants to look at AI slop. Not in public art. And certainly not in Philly, one of the world\u2019s great outdoor art galleries. <\/p>\n
But that\u2019s just what Mural Arts<\/a> served up last month \u2014 according to scores of social media sleuths and at least one AI scholar \u2014 when they unveiled designs for banners that will adorn a fence along the Bellwether District development in South Philly<\/a>. Part of Mural Arts\u2019 citywide \u201cThroughlines<\/a>\u201d installation, the temporary banners are intended to dress up the dreary worksite.<\/p>\n Instead, they\u2019ve sparked debate about the role of AI in Philly\u2019s public art \u2014 and drawn ire over Mural Arts\u2019 lack of a formal AI policy. It\u2019s a conversation poised to intensify at a Mural Arts Town Hall<\/a> Thursday on the issue.<\/p>\n Four designs by muralist Kelley Prevard quickly set off alarm bells. One featured a skyline bearing a closer resemblance to Chicago than Philly.<\/p>\n No one at Mural Arts seemed to notice. And, the organization did itself no favors.<\/p>\n Emily Mello, months into her tenure as executive director of Mural Arts \u2014 the nation\u2019s largest public art program \u2014 did not answer my colleague Rosa Cartagena\u2019s queries last week on whether the banners used AI-generated imagery, or how they were approved. (The artist has refused to comment.) <\/p>\n Brushing aside social media outcry<\/a> \u2014 including questions over its commitment to local artists \u2014 Mural Arts says it will go ahead with the banner\u2019s planned installation later this month. The Windy City skyline will be altered to look more like Philly, a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n The public art imbroglio has touched a nerve in the local art world\u2019s AI reckoning, raising a disconcerting question: What happens when the \u201cMural Capital of the World<\/a>\u201d can\u2019t get its own skyline right?<\/p>\n Cartagena, who has her finger on the pulse of Philly\u2019s art scene, is here to tell us the questions she wants answered at the Town Hall, when local artists will review Mural Arts\u2019 working AI policy draft.<\/p>\n Mike: Mural Arts has yet to explain their internal review process, right?<\/p>\n Rosa: True. It\u2019s really easy to focus on the individual artist, but in this case her work was unveiled with Mural Arts approval. The responsibility of this commission is with Mural Arts.<\/p>\n Mike: This is bigger than Mural Arts, of course?<\/p>\n Rosa: These are really big questions for any arts organization in the city or the world. What are we going to do with these tools, and what does it mean moving forward?<\/p>\n Mike: The anger has been real. Some social media users are predicting the banners will be vandalized?<\/p>\n Rosa: There\u2019s this sense of this isn\u2019t what we want, this isn\u2019t real, and this is not Philadelphia.<\/p>\n Data deep dive: Shapiro\u2019s resounding rout<\/p>\n Gov. Josh Shapiro<\/a> is having a political moment. As my colleague, Gillian McGoldrick reports, Shapiro staked his reputation and rising presidential prospects on flipping Pennsylvania from red to blue in the midterms \u2014 and won big<\/a>. Shapiro outperformed his 2022 gubernatorial win in 65 of Pennsylvania\u2019s 67 counties, according to an Inquirer analysis. The coronation is far from complete. Election oracle Nate Silver predicted his slam dunk favorite for president in 2028 \u2014 and it ain\u2019t Shapiro<\/a>.<\/p>\n A look ahead<\/p>\n The Tun Legacy Foundation \u2014 a nonprofit working to rebuild the Tun Tavern in Old City<\/a>, birthplace of the Marines in November 1775 \u2014 will host its third annual block party Tuesday celebrating the Marine Corps birthday<\/a>.<\/p>\n Craig Mills, board chair of The Tun Legacy Foundation said the group has raised nearly half of its $27 million goal \u2014 and hopes to break ground on a recreation of the colonial tavern and museum before next November. Besides plenty of beer, music and \u201coorahs,\u201d revelers can become lifetime members of the Tun by joining the 1775 Club<\/a> and take The Tun Legacy Tour: Secrets of The Tun<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alaska and Mississippi\u2019s Senate races may finally be called next week, which could further \u201cFetterman proof\u201d the U.S. Senate for Democrats<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 41st Legislative District race in Lancaster between incumbent Republican Brett Miller and Democrat Brad Chambers might also be called, possibly strengthening the Dems\u2019 trifecta<\/a>. The Dems have so far won 111 House seats, to the Republicans<\/a> 88. It\u2018s the last uncalled House race in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n \u201cBouquet of Stories: Celebrating Philadelphia\u2019s Gardening Heritage\u201d \u2014 a free exhibition presented by the Athenaeum of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society \u2014 opens fully to the public on Monday<\/a>. Exploring three centuries of Philly gardening, the exhibition unearths stories of bygone gardeners who helped transform Philadelphia into a horticultural hub, says exhibit curator Tracy Qiu. <\/p>\n Gov. Shapiro is scheduled to be at the Navy Yard on Friday. Last month, he announced a $371 million investment in Philly\u2019s port that he said will create 6,000 jobs<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2026\u2019s other national milestone is upon us: The 50th anniversary of the release of Rocky. (Official events, including local screenings this week of Rocky and I Play Rocky, a biopic chronicling Sylvester Stallone\u2019s real-life struggles making the film, are listed here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Mike Sielski \u2014 must-read Inquirer sports columnist and author of the new book, \u201cGoing the Distance: Stallone, Philly, and the Story of ROCKY\u201d \u2014 joins us to share three things die-hard \u201cRocky\u201d fans can learn from his book, set for release Tuesday<\/a>. <\/p>\n Stallone and Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed) were not best buds. \u201cI talked to one of Weather\u2019s former wives, and she said flat out, \u2018Were Sly and Carl close friends? Hell no, they were not close. Never.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Burgess Meredith\u2019s real-life model for Mickey was murdered less than a year after the film\u2019s release. His killing remains unsolved<\/a>. <\/p>\n Stallone\u2019s oft-told tale of selling his bullmastiff and eventual co-star, Butkus \u2014 and being extorted to get him back \u2014 is baloney<\/a>.\t<\/p>\n \tYo Adrian, I cannot wait to read this book!<\/p>\n One more thing: The damaged tombs of Philly\u2019s oldest Jewish cemetery.<\/p>\n The historic cemetery sits off 8th and Spruce Street, like a hidden timehole. Nestled behind iron gates and a high brick wall, Mikveh Israel Cemetery, established in 1740, is the oldest Jewish burial ground in Philadelphia. The souls who take their rest in the postage stamp-sized graveyard include a who\u2019s who of Philadelphia\u2019s colonial-era Jewish community.<\/p>\n Haym Solomon, the forgotten founding father, a principal financier of the fledgling Continental Army and government, who died penniless for his troubles. Rebecca Gratz, the influential Jewish philanthropist and educator. Nathan Levy, a merchant and community leader, whose ship, the Myrtilla, transported the Liberty Bell across the Atlantic<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you are a Jew from anywhere in the world, it\u2019s relevant to you, and if you are an American of any religion, it is still relevant to you,\u201d said Rabbi Yosef Zarnighian of Congregation Mikveh Israel in Old City, which maintains the cemetery. \u201cThis is an American story.\u201d<\/p>\n The latest chapter of the cemetery is a trying one. <\/p>\n In July, a severe microburst storm caused a large oak tree to collapse, damaging historic graves, including the plot of Levy\u2019s young son, whose name is lost to time. The child\u2019s marble tomb is shattered \u2014 and others are cracked in half. <\/p>\n Last month, Congregation Mikveh Israel kicked off a fundraising effort for $200,000 to restore the sacred burial ground. On Tuesday, the congregation will post its second installment of \u201cStories from the Cemetery\u201d \u2014 a series of Instagram videos highlighting remarkable Philadelphians buried at Mikveh Israel<\/a> (this week features Solomon).<\/p>\n Donors can \u201cAdopt an Ancestor\u201d by directly supporting the maintenance and restoration of graves.<\/a> <\/p>\n On a recent afternoon, Rabbi Zarnighian walked among the damaged graves.<\/p>\n \u201cHeartbreaking,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s our job to tend to the dignity of those who lie here.\u201d <\/p>\n