Jane Golden
Mural Arts Program
Philadelphia, PA USA
"Those of us who have privilege, what we need to do is shift the paradigm and try to use that privilege to help people who have less."
Career Roadmap
Jane's work combines: Art, Government, and Being Creative
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Fine/Studio Arts, General
Stanford University
Bachelor's Degree
Political Science and Government, General
Stanford University
Graduate Degree
Fine/Studio Arts, General
Rutgers University
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I grew up in New Jersey but moved to California for college.
2.
I graduated from Stanford University and then moved to Los Angeles, where I started painting murals—I fell in love with murals because of the way they give access to art to everyone.
3.
After being diagnosed with lupus, I moved back home to the East Coast.
4.
As I got stronger, I applied for a position with a new anti-graffiti network in Philadelphia and was hired to run the art program.
5.
I worked closely with a lot of young graffiti writers and found that they had a lot of talent—we took them to art museums, connected them with well-known artists, and started painting murals together.
6.
The murals really took off—people loved them and only a very small percentage of them would be defaced by graffiti.
7.
When the Mural Arts Program was reorganized, I was named the executive director.
8.
The Mural Arts Program has been very successful in bringing access to art to everyone in the community—we currently have over 2,800 murals across all neighborhoods in Philadelphia!
Defining Moments
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I was diagnosed with lupus when I was working in Los Angeles. I ended up having to move home to regain my strength. Having a sense of my mortality for the first time gave me a great sense of empathy and a drive to help others.