Photos by Streets Dept Lead Contributor Eric Dale.

Love this relatively new mural that we spotted recently at Mario Lanza Park in Queen Village! Created by lead artist Kien Nguyen with support from Mural Arts Philadelphia, the mural is titled Prism and it was completed in the fall of 2022.

“[This mural was] inspired by many outings to parks and gardens around Philadelphia,” the project’s website reads. “Kien’s observations of shadows on leaves as the sun shines through them became the main visual element of this mural. By choosing to use leaf silhouettes of native trees along with those from around the world the artist wanted to reflect not only the diversity of plant life in our area but the diversity of cultures in the neighborhood and Philadelphia as a whole. The leaf varieties and where they are from include: Burr Oak, eastern North America; Sassafras, eastern North America and eastern Asia; Ginkgo Biloba, native to China; Japanese Maple, east Asia; Willow Tree, northern hemisphere including North America, Europe, Asia; Logwood Tree, native to southern Mexico; Jacaranda Tree, native to South America; and Mopane Tree, southern Africa.”

Love, love, love! Especially this time of year as the leaves around the mural change in color and seemingly take on the various shades in the artwork.