Gayborhood mural celebrates Philly's Ballroom culture: 'It's a mural of love'

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia's LGBTQ community on Thursday celebrated the vibrant history and future of ballroom culture, including the dedication of a new mural.

Jacen Bowman, who worked collaboratively on the mural with artists from Mural Arts for over two years, called the mural found at 13th and Spruce "a mural of love."

"It's a mural of love, a mural of labor, of the resilience of this community, the bravery of all of my trans women and trans men," Bowman said. 

The art of Ballroom began in the 60s, but soared to popularity with Madonna's ‘Vouge’ and was recently reborn with Beyoncé's Renaissance. 

The Gayborhood mural features the names and faces of some notable people in Philadelphia's Ballroom scene, but also highlights those whose lives were lost or taken.

"It has been a dream-child of mine to celebrate the Black and brown queer Ballroom community that has been influential in making me the man that I am today," Bowman said. 

Nile Livingston, the Visual Artist for the mural, said he wanted the project to match the Gayborhood's "vibrant and bright" personality. 

"It's the Gayborhood in Philadelphia because this is a neighborhood where people came into their being in this small section of the city," Livingston said.