Philly muralist brings 'The Good Life' to the national conventions

When Meg Saligman describes the artwork that she's creating for the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, it is the sense of the unknown that excites her.

Some protesters could vandalize her piece or set it on fire, she mused. That, she said, is the unpredictable part of interactive art.

Saligman is a prolific Philadelphia-based muralist who has left her mark on the city through iconic paintings such as Common Threads, which rises over the intersection of Broad and Spring Garden Streets. Her next addition to her city art will be the election-related exhibition "Our Common Ground: The Good Life."

In less than a week, she will truck 10 16-foot towers, which she calls "visual spectacles," to Cleveland for the RNC. Each tower, or voter pole, will feature elements of the "good life," such as health, freedom, education, and security. The elements are based on the United Nations Happiness Index and polls the U.N. has conducted.

After people at the conventions vote on what's most important to them, each pole becomes a sort of pinball machine, as Saligman described it, a spring-loaded cylinder that shoots the votes into nets that correspond to each aspect of the good life. Voters can identify their political party by picking a specific colored sphere - red or blue.

"People might find that they agree on the elements of a 'good life,' even if there is no consensus on how to get there," Kripke said. When the votes are tallied, Saligman predicted, there will be a mixing of political parties for the different elements.

The results will be compiled after the conventions and used to construct the final exhibit at the Galleries at the Moore College of Art and Design in the fall.

A dialogue den, where people can discuss different topics in an open space, will be part of the exhibit in both Cleveland and Philadelphia.

"We wanted to create a space for respectful discourse, since there is a lot of polarity and violence in our country at this time," Saligman said.

The recent election cycle inspired the idea of a nonpartisan dialogue space, said Lizzie Kripke, an artist who helped create the exhibit. With political parties intensely polarized, she said, the need for action seemed urgent.

While the concept of the good life might be relevant to the modern political climate, Saligman's artwork was inspired by a source that's more than 2000 years old. Aristotle, she said, defines the outcome of political success as the good life. Benjamin Franklin also references the good life in his 13 virtues.

"It keeps coming back throughout history, so I think it's something worth examining," Saligman said.

Her piece is centered on finding a common ground, so there was a great deal of effort in making the space a place of comfort. Saligman even hesitates to describe her project as an exhibit: "That sounds so formal."

The artists have also invited activists and grassroots organizations to attend their dialogue den and participate in discussions. Leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement have agreed to attend the dialogue den in Cleveland, Kripke said.

The artwork is one of the many visual exhibits that will come to Philadelphia during the DNC.

"I think Philadelphia has a strong tradition of city art," Saligman said. "We are really excited to be a part of this, and transform the public space into something beautiful."

vkannan@philly.com 215-854-2409 @KannanVibha