It wasn’t anything like most of the signs showing Eagles support, but that’s part of what made it special. And now the artist behind it wants to turn it into something permanent.
Last week, Meg Saligman, a Philly muralist with 25 years experience, turned the outside of her Bella Vista studio into a tribute to hometeam pride. Her image of a giant bald eagle gripping a minute Tom Brady in its talons captured the city’s imagination.
Titled “BIRD FEED,” the temporary mural became one of the most instagrammed sites in the runup to the Super Bowl, and hosted near-daily impromptu E-A-G-L-E-S chants.
“Whoever painted this should be given a key to the city,” wrote NBC10. “Epic,” said Fox29. “Stunning” and “incredible,” cooed USA Today.
After the Super Bowl LII win, Saligman has decided to try to make a bigger and larger version of the triumphant painting. The studio has started an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to raise money to make it happen.
“This mural is like a championship jersey for the city,” the pledge statement reads. “Your neighbors will thank you, and your friends from Boston will cry.”
Oh yeah. She gets it. Perks for contributing include the option to add a fake sponsor’s name to the piece: “Bill Belichick would LOVE to see his name up on this mural, right?!”
The campaign has a funding goal of $60,000, which will pay for labor, supplies, lifts, insurance and project management. And this studio has the chops to make it happen.
If you’ve spent any time in Philadelphia, it’s likely you’ve seen other of Saligman’s large-scale works, which include the draping “American Flag” on Delaware Avenue, the pastiche of “Philadelphia Muses” at 13th and Locust and the Zoo-themed “Passing Through” on I-76 at Girard.
No location for the giant BIRD FEED image has yet been identified. Anyone have a blank facade they want to dedicate in tribute to Philly’s NFL Champs?
