How do community artists mediate competing interests? Is there a contradiction between working for an institution and creating meaningful community art? The author argues that there are drawbacks to institutionalization because it provides a unique means for creating social ties both within and among distinct urban communities. While social scientists often think of inner city communities as lacking social capital, this thesis argues that muralists devise strategies to tap into and expose deep social networks that do exist. There are more than 2,300 murals in Philadelphia, and only two have ever been vandalized. This signifies not only that Philadelphians support the murals, but also that they act consciously and collectively to bring them about. While murals do not speak for a community, they and other community arts can provide a new means for communicating within and between urban neighborhoods. Methodology includes examination of the Mural Arts Program in Philadelphia to explore the intersection of community arts and urban policy. The author interviewed community artists
