Mural honoring Philadelphia's Black ballerina pioneers set for August unveiling

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A new mural honoring Philadelphia's Black ballet pioneers is nearing completion in South Philadelphia ahead of its official unveiling next month.

At 2300 Pemberton Street, lead artist Bernard Collins Jr. and his team are putting the finishing touches on the artwork, which celebrates several of the city's most notable Black pioneering dancers.

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The mural features Joan Myers Brown, Marion Cuyjet and Sydney King, who died at the age of 104 in 2024.

The mural spans approximately 30 feet high and 43 feet wide. Collins said his experience working with dancers influenced the artistic approach behind the project.

"I've had a lot of experience interacting with dancers and wanted to take some of that energy and put it into the mural. So watercolor was natural," Collins said. "The paint strokes to me represent the movements. The physicality of the dancer, and that seems to be some of the responses that I'm getting."

Residents in South Philadelphia have already begun admiring the work as it takes shape.

Collins said one of the project's biggest challenges was scaling up a ghost print he created earlier this year for the large mural space.

Beyond honoring the dancers featured in the artwork, Collins said he hopes the mural will inspire future generations.

"There's a tendency to feel excluded, and that's not the case," he said. "You have a beautiful history in dance here."

He described the mural as encouragement for young people and members of the arts community.

"This is a love letter to the creative community; you can do it," Collins said. "You don't have to feel excluded from the experience."

The mural is scheduled to be officially unveiled on August 4.