In the Orbit of Ra Mural Dedication

This new large-scale mural at 6353 Greene Street in East Germantown recognizes the Sun Ra Arkestra’s nearly 30-year home in the neighborhood and its continuing presence nearby. Artists Ernel Martinez and Keir Johnston created In the Orbit of Ra with contributions from Arkestra band members and scholars. You are invited to the mural dedication, which will include food, a DJ set by music writer Marcus J. Moore, and a performance by the Sun Ra Arkestra.

From 1969 through 1993, Sun Ra lived in East Germantown with the Arkestra, composing and rehearsing a body of work that reshaped American experimental music and performance.

The Arkestra continues to live and rehearse nearby on Morton Street, carrying forward a seven-decade legacy that still draws audiences worldwide. This mural places that living legacy in public view at the scale it deserves, rooted in the neighborhood that sustained it, and paired with community programming that invites Philadelphians to celebrate a world-changing story that happened here.

Image credit: In the Orbit of Ra mural (detail) rendering from artist’s design by Ernel Martinez and Keir Johnston, in collaboration with Arkestra band members and scholars, 2026

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6353 Greene St, 6353 Greene Street, Philadelphia, United States

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