Patrick Vale's 'This Is My Philly' Shifts from Architecture to Student Voices

British artist Patrick Vale, known for intricate hand-drawn cityscapes, has completed a new public mural in Philadelphia titled 'This Is My Philly.' The project, an extension of his earlier subway mural, was developed in collaboration with students from La Salle Academy. Instead of arriving with a fixed design, Vale conducted workshops where young artists responded to the prompt 'This is my Philly,' producing drawings that became the mural's core. The final work depicts the students at monumental scale holding their own artwork, set against a bright blue background. Vale swapped his usual marker pens for paint and brushes, and even used a projector to faithfully trace the children's lines. The mural is located in a transit space, where the students' direct gazes aim to interrupt commuters' routines. Vale describes the work as a 'chorus' rather than a correction to his earlier mural, emphasizing youthful optimism. The project was commissioned by Mark Melini of Brickstone Realty. Vale, who walked 20 miles around Philadelphia to immerse himself, sees the mural as a time capsule for the youth of 2026, focusing on present-tense lives rather than historical monuments.