Mural Art Prevails Over Gentrification in Philadelphia

Sophia Stopper writes about Fishtown's Iconic Cat Mural 2.0

Aug 17, 2025

Calling all Chicago creatives and social justice practitioners!

Chicago-based artists are welcome to submit their work (writing, drawing/painting, photography, comics) to our new magazine entitled The Neighbors News: Chicago. You can also apply to be interviewed for a spotlight. Just send us your website/social or an artist statement and bio (250 max each) and 3 examples of your work. We welcome creatives of all walks of life to be interviewed with us. Musicians, Painters, UX Designers, Activists, Organizers, and more! Just reach out if you’re not sure but are interested.

Email us your work and inquiries by October 31, 2025

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“Welcome to Fishtown” Cat Mural 2.0:

Gentrification Can’t Stop Mural Art

Philadelphia, PA, USA

Have you ever “psst psst” an alley cat? Well, you’re not alone. We all love cats. Indoor, outdoor, and the giant ones painted on the sides of buildings. The residents of Fishtown have been connected with their cat mural since 2017, which was originally located in a vacant lot adjacent to Barcade. Until just months ago, this mural was taken down to make room for a 150-unit apartment building. This left a lot of Philadelphians disappointed. Exciting evolutions have taken place and Visual Urban Renewal & Transformation (VURT)'s Evan Lovett and independent artist Kristin Scholz (SEA OF DOOM) have come together once again to recreate–two–new “Welcome to Fishtown” cat murals this past June 2025.

If we rewind to 2017, when they were at the beginnings of this mural idea, Lovett and Gloss Black were planning on painting what we know as the “Welcome to Fishtown” cat mural through Lovett’s nonprofit: VURT. Initially, the proposed mural was shot down for the first location. This began as a self-funded project that received a massive donation from Sherwin Williams and RUSTOLEUM. Throughout this journey, the artists were resilient in their pursuit to create a project that was inspirational for them, as well as this community.

Humor was at the core of this mural project. At the center was playfulness, joy. As time progressed, the paint faded, however the memories remained at the forefront of the community. Temporality was an overarching theme of the cat mural. Painted on an empty lot, they expected something to be built over it soon. And that’s exactly what happened. This is the reason why the artists didn't prime the wall and used the spray paint that was donated to them. Over time, with the sun beating down on it, the mural faded. The artists were just grateful it had been visible the years it was. Due to its lighthearted nature, the artists were surprised at the cultural impact the mural had and the impact it had as a landmark in the neighborhood. One of the muralists, Kristin Scholz (SEA OF DOOM), says, “The first thing that springs to mind when I think about the exciting aspects of resurrecting this mural, is simply that this mural was so beloved to begin with.” Lovett and Schulz thank the community, especially Barcade, and Eric Smith for facilitating the project and for the opportunity to create this 2.0 version of the “Welcome to Fishtown” mural. The new mural has been planned for longevity in mind and has been primed according to this mission.

Fast forward to 2025, the artists had to prepare for a wall of different dimensions and had to change the original mural to fit these new standards. Lovett and Scholz are partners and decided to collaborate on this new project together. With the addition of Scholz’s perspective, naturally the audience will see some alteration to the original. The wall they were given for this mural is separated by a wooden gate, so the artists had to contend with this while they were designing this new dual cat mural. Lovet says, “on the back side of the wall we collaborated on a composition of a night scene of street cats standing amongst foliage and some debris. This however focused more on her [Scholz] style and rendering with some added embellishments from me. It’s a fun way to work and blend our styles together.” Even though the artists’ styles are different, the “unifying theme”, says Scholz, is the cat motif that is oh so familiar to the community. This new version of the “Welcome to Fishtown” cat mural may be different from the original, but there is no doubt it will generate as much love and admiration as the former. The artists worked hard to create something that would resonate with locals and visitors alike. Creating a scene to cherish for many years to come.

You See a Rabbit and I See a Rainbow

Panel Discussion featuring:

(from left to right, top to bottom)

Mia Morettini, Francisco-Fernando Granados, Mahsa Biglow, Laura Waltje, Will Zeng, and DJ Malinowski

You See a Rabbit and I See a Rainbow

meaning making in contemporary art and writing

USA, CA

The Neighbors is happy to facilitate a dialogue between Mahsa Biglow, Francisco-Fernando Granados, DJ Malinowski, Laura Waltje, and Will Zeng— five past Singing on a Sinking Ship residents whose work thrives at the intersections of text and image.

While these artists are based in differing parts of the world, they all find themselves on a similar plane working within, around, and beyond questions of trauma, representation, relation, body, boundary, and bureaucracy to arrive at their critical praxes. In our community’s unprecedented moment of catastrophe, we find these artists striving to make art against universalism, art that seeks to challenge perceptions regarding the stability of identity in a space of belonging, tenderness, and meaning making. How can we engage with the moments of in-between that combined text and image relationships create? How can we use these interstitial spaces to imagine and explore new possibilities of engagement with the world?

You See a Rabbit and I See a Rainbow is the first of a series of special events from The Neighbors. We seek to begin unpacking collective questions in a shared social fabric, to continue to collaboratively weave this tapestry, to spin this web connecting individuals. To create community on a global scale in a nuanced way.

—Mia Morettini, Curator

Listen to the conversation!