For the third consecutive year, since the Love Lot opened in 2023, Prevention Point Philadelphia and Mural Arts Philadelphia have partnered to install another temporary mural in the space on Ruth and Clearfield streets.
This time, the project curator, Jacob “Chris” Hammes, has recruited Paula Rivera Calderon, a Puerto Rico-born and Philadelphia-raised artist, to create the latest installment. The Mural, named “The Point of Reciprocation,” explores the ways that people in Kensington support one another and highlights the aid provided by Prevention Point.
“Reciprocity is a mutual exchange,” she said. “We exist here. We're giving in to our surroundings, and our surroundings are also part of us.”
Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Calderon has lived in Philadelphia since she was two years old. With this mural, she wanted to create something that reflected the city and the neighborhood. So she included chicory flowers, a common sight in the city, as well as the same roses that grow in the Love Lot.
The core feature of the mural is two hands, cusped together, and a butterfly flying toward them. Calderon says that, though the mural is subtle in its meaning, she hopes that it offers viewers a quiet moment to reflect and exhale.
“Art doesn't solve our biggest challenges, but it's inspiring. It's healing,” she said. “It is part of harm reduction, and I think anything that gives us a means of expression plays a role in caring for ourselves.”
