Ernel Martinez
Artist, Muralist and Mural Arts Instructor
Belize native Ernel Martinez came to Philly for school at the University of Pennsylvania - and he's been hooked ever since. The Philadelphia based-artist is an artist, muralist and instructor with Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program. He's worked on murals such as Malcolm X, Paul Robeson and The Faces That Shape Us, to name a few.
What's your favorite Philly neighborhood?
I’ve been in Philly for 10 years, and I’ve been in West Philly just about all that time. I’ve fallen in love with West Philly. I’ve lived in other cities, but it’s nothing like Philadelphia. Philly has a realness to it that you might not find in other places and other cities. Here in Philly, it’s a great city. We have a lot of diversity in West Philly. Mixed between the East and West Africans, you got folks from the Caribbean, a large Muslims population. So, I love the diversity.
Plus, you have these great institutions like Penn (University of Pennsylvania) and Drexel [University], and other schools in the area. It’s just a great crossroads of different people and in terms of the communit. It’s very complex in that sense.
What murals have you worked on?
I’ve done 25 murals. Different art projects. It’s not just a mural; it’s a public art project in the city. Paul Robeson [mural] is in the process of being painted or repainted. The original artist did a great job here. Unfortunately, it got a lot of light exposure. The color started to fade. There were some structural issues with the wall. The Mural Arts is repainting the mural. So, I’m the middle of doing that as we speak. Editor's note: The Paul Robeson mural restoration is complete.
Paul Robeson is a historical black figure. Paul is a man that accomplished so many different things. He done theater. He’s a scholar. He was a lawyer. He’s an athlete. He’s done everything. He sort of represents black excellence at its best. So, this mural behind me is paying tribute to Paul and trying to inform young people about this man’s legacy and what he has contributed to the black community.
Paul lived right out here in West Philly. Right up the block. A lot of folks don’t know that.
How did you get started with Mural Arts?
I took a class that Jane Golden [founder of Mural Arts Program] was teaching at Penn. I loved it. I love what they were doing with the community. They were making artwork in the community. Exposing those to see art and bringing it to the community and neighborhoods. I was like that’s a great way to do art and still be in touch with your local area, your community right. So, Jane offered me an opportunity to do that, and that’s what I did. I started working for Mural Arts on smaller projects. I’ve been doing this for like 8 years now. The whole experience - it’s been great.
My first mural was Malcolm X. Malcolm X was at 33rd and Diamond, Strawberry Mansion right by the school. It was done before. They needed an artist to come in and touch it up.
Describe the relationship between the murals and the city.
That’s what is beautiful about the city - art is everywhere. There's so much stuff, you miss it. It’s such an emphasis on Philly. There is no place in world like this, you can go to. You can go to Europe, Ireland and travel all over the world and see political portraits. But in the terms of density and numbers, you have like, 3,000 to 3,500 murals in Philly, and you can’t find that nowhere else. It makes the city very special.
There's a lot of talent here. Such great and talented and imaginative folks out here. I get a chance to really talk and dialogue with folks in the community.
So, what I’ve done is to try to take my skills as an artist and visualize what they trying to say to reflect what they got going on in their communities.
It’s a trifecta. It’s Mural Arts, the artist and the community.
Philly is more complex and diverse than people think. We might not be New York, but you know, Philly's popping still.
Alright, so we talked about murals. Where do you go to get a bite to eat?
Unique Bites, here in West Philly. It is a family-owned business. It is one of these little treasures in West Philly that not many people know about. So, I’m trying to let it be known unto the world.
I used to live in this neighborhood, and I was working on mural couple blocks away. I came across this little great cafe. I’ve been coming back quite frequently for last couple months. The food is great. They make this great sandwich called the Popeye Sandwich. It’s this great, delicious sandwich I love to eat whenever I’m around. So, it keeps calling me to come back.
There are couple specialties here. The zucchini bread here is great. I think it’s a salmon sandwich. It’s great.
I love coming here because we are supporting black businesses. This is great community. It’s actually a very diverse neighborhood. Whenever given an opportunity to support black businesses, I try to do that.
