Wall Ball 2023

Wall Ball 2023 is right around the corner, and this year’s event will be Mural Arts’ most exhilarating and inspiring gala yet! 

Mural Arts Philadelphia’s annual fundraiser brings together supporters of the arts for an unforgettable bash in recognition and support of our belief that art ignites change and transforms communities across the city.

Join us Thursday, April 27, at 2300 Arena for a night paying homage to the legendary Sonia Sanchez through a Def Jam Poetry Reunion. Using spoken word and poetry, seven acclaimed poets will perform in the style of the iconictelevision series, whose legacy still reverberates in community art being made today.

This year, we will celebrate Mural Arts’ Community Murals program, which creates pathways for Philadelphia's neighborhoods and artists to access the transformative power of the arts. 

To enhance awareness and belonging, Community Murals engages in citywide initiatives to explore underrepresented histories and cultural identities. They collaborate with community members to imagine and lead projects that build social capital, develop a sense of communal ownership over space, represent diversity, and empower people to make a change in Philadelphia.

Wall Ball 2023 will celebrate the interwoven histories and cultures of hip-hop, spoken word, graffiti writing, muralism, and more – we will bring together preeminent artistic voices, notable leaders, and supporters with their finger on the pulse of art and culture in Philadelphia and beyond. 

This year’s esteemed honorees are CEO & General Manager of SEPTA, Leslie S. Richards, a proponent of using art to transform public space; poet, activist, and writer Sonia Sanchez; and artist Danny Simmons, an originator of Def Poetry Jam. Due to their impactful work throughout Philadelphia and unwavering commitment to Mural Arts, Philadelphia, Danny Simmons, and Sonia Sanchez are also Mural Arts’ 2023 Visionary Artist Award recipients.

Please join us on April 27 to commemorate our honorees and uplift participatory and public art to ignite social change