‘Not bold enough’: Kensington muralist uses studio as home base for building community, reducing stigma

Note: John Zerbe is a former employee of Kensington Voice

Muralist John Zerbe has made it his mission to further establish artistry in Kensington, one person at a time. At Vizion Gallery, located on 3312 Kensington Avenue, the studio space is plastered with floor-to-ceiling art pieces from Zerbe and other collaborators. Vibrant displays of stickers, graffiti art, and fine art decorate the space and its backyard, where artists use “practice” walls to hone their style. 

Zerbe, a military veteran and Thai immigrant raised in Selinsgrove, PA, came to Kensington before the COVID-19 lockdown. The more he got to know the community, the more he felt that his skills could bring healing and provide artist mentorship to the neighborhood. 

That work started with after-school programs at local libraries, sessions with harm reduction groups, and partnerships with Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program to promote murals across the community. He noticed the authentic and underrecognized artistry in Kensington, and wanted to provide an alternative to an art industry that favors those from affluent backgrounds.

He felt murals offered people a chance to find their inner artist and create communal peace – a reason to ask oneself, “What am I trying to say?”.

“I always loved the community aspect of murals because it's more about interaction and collaboration,” he said. “ I knew I wanted to do mural art, but I was searching for the meaning. Then, I did harm reduction work. I realized the need and got it into [my art].” 

He signed lease papers for the studio in the winter of 2023 and has built his brand up steadily since. 

“I think [Kensington] needed the most help,” he said. 

Zerbe prides himself on his “street smarts” and his ability to work with anyone, from people experiencing addiction to community leaders to Kensington kids. Before Vizion Gallery was established, he would make sure the artists he would mentor for mural work would paint diverse body types, facial features, and skin tones to ensure the art was reflective of the community. 

“The artists I worked with had a very one-sided viewpoint. And I'd ask them, ‘why is there no community here or actual residents?’” he said. “Sometimes, organizations appoint outsiders, and they're not really trying to listen – they're just doing whatever art they usually do with no real input and no representation of the actual community that we live in.” 

The gallery opens and exhibits three to four times a year. The price of featured art will range from a few dollars to hundreds for a single piece. Zerbe lives in an apartment above the studio and works in the space to keep everything close by. He funds the gallery through a combination of side gigs, sales, and workshop fees. He offers event rentals and vending space, taking a 30% cut of artist sales and offering networking and educational opportunities in the process. But the bulk of the funding comes from his muralist work, he said.

A longtime collaborator of Zerbe who works under the artist moniker Diesel attests to Zerbe’s direction and how the art work saved him. Diesel recounted the years when he was homeless and using drugs in the community. Now, he spends his time setting up exhibitions and creating new ideas to showcase with Zerbe.

“I was part of the problem. Some drug dealing, some drug use and some personal problems with myself,” said Diesel. 

He said he first heard about Zerbe through his work with after-school programs. 

“I had respect for that and thought it would be cool to try to build with somebody who is trying to make a difference, especially since I'm from around here and know how things can get around here.” 

Diesel expressed how people don’t truly comprehend how hard it is to get help. Addiction and mental health issues are exacerbated at the intersection of poverty, housing issues, race, and stigma, he said. Diesel believes educating people about addiction would help them see Philadelphia as a fortified cultural center. 

“They still have unity, and they are human beings. That's somebody's daughter. That's somebody's father,” he said. “I think people just see bad things, but not everyone out there is bad. Not all of them steal, and not all of them are there to get high. I see people who come from there who are now owning their own businesses.”

Zerbe hopes to expand Vizion gallery as a space to negate the stigma and attract neighboring communities and show them good things are happening here, too. He noted that the streets have been getting cleaner, and the frequent soliciting outside the shop has diminished. He and Diesel both think community action and artmaking have been a big part of that.

There’s still a lot of work to do to make Kensington a better place, Zerbe said. 

“I've got some good ideas, or maybe a theory of where to go, but that's not bold enough,” he said. “Art should always be expanding. The gallery works to figure out how to make it more community-based outside of me.”