Sun Ra Arkestra Mural

Sun Ra was a pianist, composer, bandleader, philosopher, and icon of the American avant-garde who lived in East Germantown with his Arkestra from 1969 until his return to Saturn in 1992.

The band continues to live and rehearse in the house on nearby Morton Street, led by the centenarian NEA Jazz Master Marshall Allen. The band has been internationally renowned and celebrated for seven decades but has had very little profile in their hometown until recently. This mural by artists Ernel Martinez and Keir Johnston aims to honor their legacy in the musician’s immediate neighborhood. The mural will be located at SEPTA's Germantown Station, 150 E. Chelten Avenue.

FUNDERS: SEPTA, City of Philadelphia, Leslie A. Fleischer