Proud to Be From Pittsburgh

Proud to be from Pittsburgh: MLK Mural Project

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh has become an urban art gallery. Walls that were once covered with gang graffiti now are canvases for more than 300 murals produced by the MLK Mural Project.

The project started 15 years ago, with the first mural along the Wilkinsburg Busway.

"As a kid, I looked at it and it just looked like an empty canvas," said MLK Mural Project founder and artist Kyle Holbrook. “It was always something I wanted to do.”

The Wilkinsburg native used 60 neighborhood children to paint the first mural. Holbrook said that through the project, he witnessed the power art has to inspire children.

"The one in Wilkinsburg, Kristina Todd worked on that,” he said. “She was 8-years-old and from the Boys & Girls Club. Now she just graduated from college with an art degree.”

The MLK Mural Project is a nonprofit organization that focuses on youth development through art education. Ten to 15 murals are painted each year.

"The latest is in Uptown, where MLK Mural partnered with Highmark Caring Place for Grieving Children," Holbrook told Channel 11. "The pink ribbons are to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month."

Artist Gene Ojeda said community is at the heart of every project.

"We try to strengthen community by giving people a lasting voice," Ojeda added. "It's just a reminder that there are people fighting for their lives."

For more information on the MLK Mural Project,