I grew up dealing with a father that went in and out of prison most of my life, and now my little cousin is looking at a life sentence. Everyday is a constant reminder that my cousin is sitting in prison, and cannot be there for our family. He misses happy and sad occasions, and is able to see his son grow up.
I’ve been to see my cousin and I will continue to go because people in jail need to be reminded that there are people on the outside still care and love them.
About Eric Okdeh
Eric Okdeh is a Philadelphia based muralist, who has been creating public art since 1998. After receiving his BFA in painting from Tyler School of Art, Eric chose to focus on mural work exclusively. Since 2002, in addition to his commissioned work, Eric has taught mural making classes to children and teens throughout the city as well as inmates at SCI Graterford Prison. The classes exist as leadership, teamwork, and skill building exercises which culminate in major mural projects.
In an attempt to capture these significant community collaborations and interactions, Eric has developed this website and mural blog. The projects are journalized and documented in photographs and video clips to lend outside observers insight into the processes by which his murals come about.
Eric has over 65 commissions throughout the city of Philadelphia and one in Seville, Spain. He has participated in mural projects in Tucson, Arizona and Los Angeles. His work is featured in four books about public and Mural art.
