Finding our way in the city together…
Hi – I’m JJ — organizer of Walk Around Philadelphia, and also a block captain and massage therapist in West Philly.
photo: Bonnie Paul
My work lives at three scales:
At the level of the individual, I practice massage therapy.
Close to home, I help neighbors connect and care for one another through my role as block captain.
And at the scale of the city, I facilitate Walk Around Philadelphia — a collaborative public art experience exploring the city’s 100-mile edge.
And yes, I also was the lead artist for How Philly Moves, the city’s largest work of public art — an 85,000 sq ft mural at Philadelphia International Airport
(named one of the best public art projects in the country by Americans for the Arts.)
Licensed Massage Therapist
Every single body is sacred and deserving of care. My work as a massage therapist creates space for healing.
All of this work is guided by one question:
How do we care for ourselves, each other, and the places we call home?
Featured project: How Philly Moves
In my earlier life, I was a photographer, and my images have appeared many places including the facades of Philadelphia International Airport in a monumental installation that spans six walls of the parking structures facing I-95, racing 5-7 stories tall, welcoming millions of travelers each year.
Featured in
- The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Philadelphia Magazine
- GRID Magazine
- WHYY
- & more!
A bit more about me
I was “supposed” to be a biochemist. Then a photojournalist.
Instead, I built a career as a wedding photographer and documenter of arts, culture, and social justice work.
From there, things evolved into public art and community connection, curating a house concert series… and now I work as a massage therapist and help organize a wild pilgrimage around the city’s furthest margins.
Life — like the Walk — takes many twists and turns.
Here are some of mine:
Support this work
My creative and community work is sustained through a mix of paid services, grants, and the generosity of supporters. If this work has supported you — in body, heart, or community — I invite you to help sustain it.