2024 Artist in Residence
Announcing our 2024 Artist in Residence: Shira Walinsky!
Shira Walinsky is an interdisciplinary artist and teacher. Her work centers on people and places in the City of Philadelphia. She has worked in Philadelphia for 20 years on murals, paintings, photography, films and other public participatory work. The map can be a portrait of places and the face a map of our experiences. She is interested in how the vibrant and the sensory can amplify the stories of people and place. This manifests in bus wraps, films, photography, painting and murals. In 2012 she co-founded Southeast by Southeast with Mural Arts Philadelphia. Southeast by Southeast is a community space co-created with social workers and artists and community leaders for and with refugee and immigrant communities. Shira strives to create innovative projects which elevate the resilience of immigrant and refugee stories.
She currently co-teaches in Philadelphia with Mural Arts Executive Director, Jane Golden, at the University of Pennsylvania.
Selection Committee Members
Kathleen Greene
Kathleen Ogilvie Greene is a trained visual artist leading with her creative and improvisational practice as Chief Audience Officer at Grounds For Sculpture (GFS). Greene is an experienced executive with a demonstrated history of creating sustainable institutional impact through system creation, and curatorial and community engagement. Her work plays a critical role in prioritizing equity, inclusion, and diversity (EDI) within GFS while creating sustainable pipelines for broader community partnership and relationship building. Greene is an advocate for cultural workers and living artists and centers much of her work around creating audience-centric engagement. Previous employers include the Barnes Foundation, Fleisher Art Memorial, and Mural Arts Philadelphia. Greene received a BFA from Howard University and an MFA from The School of the Artist Institute of Chicago
Billy Dufala
Billy Dufala is a Philadelphia-based artist/musician engaged in a wide variety of creative disciplines. He is a co-founder and Creative Director at RAIR, an artist residency located at Revolution Recovery, a construction and demolition waste recycling facility in northeast Philadelphia. RAIR’s mission is to challenge the perception of waste culture by providing a unique platform for artists at the intersection of art and industry. Billy is also known for his ongoing collaborative work with his brother Steven, as the Dufala Brothers. The brothers create drawings, prints, sculpture, performance, music, and design.
Victoria Prizzia
Victoria Prizzia is the founder of Habithèque Inc. (pronounced: HAB-eh-TECH) an interpretive planning and design studio based in Pipersville, Pennsylvania. Since 2007, Victoria has provided leadership and senior creative direction for new, award-winning interpretation programs throughout the Philadelphia region and across the country, crafting inspirations and experiences to increase public engagement with our most essential resource— water.
Victoria’s work is grounded in the belief that when the heart and mind are ignited, a fertile landscape for learning is created. Self-discovery, curiosity and playing on the edge of our knowledge are integral features of how Victoria approaches her work and guides her creative teams. She views each project as a doorway to creative expansion and social change.
Victoria holds a Master of Arts in education (critical and creative thinking) and a Master of Fine Arts in interpretive planning and design. Her work and civic contributions combine a lifelong passion for the environment, a rich understanding of how people learn, and a deep commitment to serving the public good. In addition to more than 20 years in cultural interpretation, education, and production, Victoria has served as a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, the University of the Arts, Drexel University, and the University of Hawaii.
Past Artists in Residence
* Currently installed
