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Frequently Asked Questions

Searching

How can I best use the search functions available in Muralfarm.org?
There are multiple ways to search for murals in Muralfarm.org. You can search by keyword, pre-determined topic, time period, neighborhood or muralist. But most importantly you can search murals by address, location or intersection. You can also search for murals that have not been or cannot be assigned a location by selecting the Advanced Option "Include records without a location." For a complete description on how to use the search functions click on the "?" icon in the search page of the site.

There is a new mural going up in my neighborhood. How can I find out more information about it?
You can search in two separate ways. First you can type "in progress" into the keyword search. All murals entered into the system that are in progress will appear on the right side of the screen. You can also go under the "theme" section and click on the "in progress" tab.

What is a bookmark?
My Bookmarks is a feature that allows you to save a set of search criteria. If you consistently check for murals that fall within certain categories or search parameters, it is a great way to find those murals without having to enter the same search criteria each time.

If you would like to know when murals that fit your bookmark are added to Muralfarm.org, you can view the most recently added items in a RSS (Real Simple Syndication) format. Click on the orange icon located next to the bookmark to set up the RSS feed.

Why can’t I find photos of a mural when I know there is a mural at a specific address?
If you have found data related to your address with no image of the mural, you may make an image request by clicking on the "request for digitization" button found in the mural record. Please note, while the Mural Arts Program will attempt to add requested photographs to Muralfarm.org, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to fulfill every request we receive. To access murals without images, select the Advanced Option "Include records without a digitized media".

Why is my neighborhood not on your list of searchable neighborhoods?
     --OR--
Why is my address listed in a near-by neighborhood?
There are no official city neighborhood boundaries. Moreover, there are many overlapping names and boundaries for neighborhoods depending on whom you ask. Consequently, when we determined the list of neighborhoods available in Muralfarm.org we:

  • Used a neighborhood map developed by Temple University in the 1990's that gave us about 60 neighborhoods. This list divides the entire city into contiguous 'polygons'. Each polygon has a name (as shown in the list) but what is not shown are the smaller neighborhoods or alternate names that it contains. So for instance, 'Tacony' includes Tacony/Wissinoming.
  • Used a neighborhood map developed at the Police Department in the 1990's. While good, it does not cover several large swatches of the city.
  • Used a relatively general list of neighborhoods.
  • Buffered each neighborhood's search results by several blocks to avoid losing photos that might be on the edge.

Why can't I see the mural in Google Street View?
Many murals are painted on the sides or backs of buildings and are not immediately visible from that address's Google Street View. You may need to use the Street View's controls to pan around or move down a street slightly before a mural becomes visible. For multi-part murals, some portions may not be visible from the mural's given address.

Error reporting

How do I report an error?
If you click on the thumbnail of a photo, you will be taken to a "detail" page where the photograph appears larger and more information about it is listed. If you see an error (e.g. spelling, wrong location, etc.), click on the link "See an error? Submit an Error Report". Your comments will go straight to the person who deals with these reports.