Meg Saligman is an internationally recognized
American artist. She is best known for large scale murals and has painted more than fifty murals internationally, including several of the largest murals in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The artist is known for mixing classical and contemporary aspects of painting, and for her community centered process. Saligman's seminal murals were painted in the late 1990s-early 2000s are credited as exceptionally influential to the contemporary mural movement. Her work resides as permanent public art all over the world, but is also part of private collections including the Johnson and Johnson works on paper collection and the Rutgers University Museum of Fine Arts print collection.
Early life and education
Saligman grew up in the small town of
Olean,
New York. In high school she helped to paint one of the murals in Olean. Saligman's first independent mural was painted on the front of a sweater factory that no longer exists. It was owned by a man that is now her husband. She attended Washington University where she earned a degree in painting.
Art
Saligman is known for mixing classical and contemporary painting techniques with an emphasis on figurative compositions with abstract accents. Her practice is focused on community, collaboration, and site specificity. Saligman’s process often relates to themes of
social practice
Social practice is a theory within psychology that seeks to determine the link between practice and context within social situations. Emphasized as a commitment to change, social practice occurs in two forms: activity and inquiry. Most often ...
in contemporary art, with the idea that exchange is essential between the viewer or participant, the artist, and the artwork.
Notable works
Saligman's public art can be divided into three distinct, but related, bodies of work: large-scale exterior murals, hybrid interior/exterior projects, and installations.
Murals
* ''We Will Not Be Satisfied Until'' (2015)
* ''Water Tower, Water Tale'' (2013)
* ''Hues of the Heart'' (2012)
* ''Magic Hour'' (2012)
* ''The Evolving Faces of Nursing'' (2010)
* ''Fertile Ground'' (2009)
* ''Passing Through'' (2004)
* ''Theater of Life'' (2002)
* ''Once in a Millennium Moon'' (2000)
* ''Common Threads'' (1998)
Saligman's best known mural is
Common Threads' located in Philadelphia. It is painted on the west wall of the old
Thaddeus Stevens School of Observation at the corner of
Broad
Broad(s) or The Broad(s) may refer to:
People
* A slang term for a woman.
* Broad (surname), a surname
Places
* Broad Peak, on the border between Pakistan and China, the 12th highest mountain on Earth
* The Broads, a network of mostly na ...
and Spring Garden streets. The mural uses portraiture of local high school students alongside antique dolls owned by Saligman's grandmother to commentate on shared humanity.
Other murals include ''Philadelphia Muses'' on 13th and Locust streets, a multimedia ''Theatre of Life'' on Broad and Lombard streets
''Passing Through''over the
Schuylkill Expressway
The Schuylkill Expressway , locally known as "the Schuylkill", is a freeway through southern Montgomery County and the city of Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, and the easternmost segment of Interstate 76 (I-76) in the U.S. state of Pennsyl ...
, and the paint and LED light installation at Broad and Vine streets
''Evolving Face of Nursing'' Saligman's work can be viewed nationally in Shreveport, Louisiana, with ''Once in a Millennium Moon'', and in
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
, with ''Fertile Ground''. Saligman's latest work,
The MLK Mural: We Will Not be Satisfied Until' on MLK Boulevard in Chattanooga, TN. The mural is the largest mural in the Southeastern United States as well as one of the five largest murals in the United States.
Architecturally integrated works
* ''Woven Sanctuary'' (2015)
* ''Water, Earth, Fire'' (2014)
* ''Safety Net'' (2012)
* ''The Mustard Tree'' (2011)
Saligman has a long standing collaboration with the non-profi
Project HOME creating and integrating art within new subsidized housing units. This body of work explores the meaning of home with new residents who have experienced homelessness in Philadelphia. Saligman’s use of stained glass, fountain features, and light installation is noted for elevating the perception of subsidized housing.
Installations
* ''Our Common Ground - Vote for the Good Life'' (2016)
* ''Knotted Grotto'' (2015)
The public installation ''Knotted Grotto'' was a commission for
Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
' visit to Philadelphia and the World Meeting of Families in 2015
Located at the
Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, this artwork directly included over 150,000 public participants in its creation.
Mural cloth technique
Saligman invented the “community paint day” in 2001 as a way to include thousands of community members in the making of Once in a Millennium Moon. The technique is now widespread across the mural industry. Participants paint a portion of a mural on non-woven cloth which is subsequently installed onto the mural wall usin
Novagelfor permanent adherence.
Awards and honors
Saligman was named one of the most influential American muralists by Public Art Review and has been recognized by ''The New York Times'', artnet, ''The Wall Street Journal'', NPR, the National Endowment for the Arts, Art in America, the Smithsonian Institution, and numerous others. In 2006 Saligman Received Philadelphia’s Visionary Artist Award from the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. She also received the Visionary Woman Award by the Moore College of Art in 2016.
Personal life
Saligman resides in Philadelphia.
References
External links
Official websiteFertile Ground: Omaha Mural ProjectTheater of Life - PhiladelphiaOnce in a Millennium Moon - Shreveport, Louisiana ''Time'' magazine
Meg Saligman's "Common Threads" - A Review The Free Library
Philadelphia Muses City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program
Family Portrait, A Meg Saligman Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saligman, Meg
American muralists
Living people
People from Olean, New York
Year of birth missing (living people)