New Public Art Display “We Are All Neurons” on SEPTA’s Elevated Market Frankford Line

Brain cells connect us to everything: they allow us to experience the world, build knowledge and connect with other people and hundreds of billions of neurons in a single brain serve as microscopic messengers.

So students in the Mural Arts LEAPs program worked with Benjamin Volta at Volta Studio created the new “We Are All Neurons” display to explore the many interconnections between art, creativity and the brain. The project was inspired by the BRAIN Initiative announced in Obama’s 2013 State of the Union Address.

The team worked together to explore the history of transit art as well as current research of brain mapping and neuroscience before the students created hundreds of drawings that were compiled to create a colorful brain map to wrap the exterior of a subway car.

Mural Arts and SEPTA held a dedication for the train this morning at 69th Street Station and the train will be added to the normal service on the Market-Frankford Line for the next three months. Once inside the train, riders will be able to walk through a visual presentation of the studio process through a series of posters.

The Mural Arts LEAPs (Local Emerging Artists Projects) program offers local artists opportunities to create small, unconventional projects while working with students. Students visit artists’ studios and work side-by-side with them to create temporary, unique works of art.

To learn more about “We Are All Neurons” and see the design, click here.

Benjamin Volta at the dedication ceremony for “We Are All Neurons.” Images via @iseptaphilly on Instagram and @muralarts on Twitter.