About the Organization
Mural Arts Philadelphia, a world-renowned leader in public art, uses art to ignite positive change in communities. They create transformative murals, sparking dialogue and fostering a sense of ownership within neighborhoods.
Mural Arts Institute (MAI) is an initiative of Mural Arts Philadelphia. Established in 2017, MAI is dedicated to harnessing the power of public art to address community challenges, inspire social change, and foster collaboration across the country. With a strong emphasis on research and knowledge sharing, the Institute works to advance art-based practices as vehicles for change and community revitalization. By providing resources, educational programming, and partnerships with artists and civic leaders, they help foster meaningful social impact through mural creation.
About the Project
The Mural Arts Institute’s content was previously hosted within the primary Mural Arts Philadelphia website, buried under a complex, multi-layered menu structure. This setup made it difficult for their target audience – artists, educators, and community leaders – to easily navigate and access relevant information. The Institute realized the need for a separate, more user-friendly platform to connect with its audience effectively and serve as a dedicated resource hub.
The new website now features a section specifically for artists, which includes an artist directory, opportunities, and resources to support the creative community. Mural Arts Institute uses Airtable, a powerful online database platform to manage their extensive artist database. Integrating Airtable with WordPress added a layer of complexity to the project, as finding a third-party plugin that seamlessly connected the two platforms while maintaining creative freedom was challenging.
Recognizing the limitations of their online presence, Mural Arts Institute hired Creative Repute to develop a dedicated, user-friendly, and fully responsive website for MAI.
Our Approach
Our team at Creative Repute took a collaborative and detailed approach to this project, ensuring we met the Mural Arts Institute’s goals of simplifying navigation, creating an artist resource hub, and navigating their existing Airtable database with WordPress.
- Airtable Integration Alternative: One of the main challenges we faced was working with the existing Airtable database while integrating it with the new WordPress site. We collaborated with the Airtable team through several meetings to explore options for a smooth integration. Our primary goal was to retain Airtable’s functionality and make content management easier for the Mural Arts Institute (MAI) within WordPress. However, after thorough consideration, we decided not to integrate Airtable directly into the website due to the lack of reliable third-party plugins that could offer both design flexibility and the required functionality. As a result, the current Airtable connections are limited to a few external links to Airtable forms. Instead of a full integration, we developed a custom dashboard for MAI within WordPress to meet their needs effectively.
- Custom Dashboard for Easy Management: To streamline the workflow for the Institute’s team, we designed a custom dashboard within WordPress utilizing a combination of WordPress Plugins and custom-built code. This dashboard allowed the client to easily upload, manage, and update their artist database directly from the site. We also created a form identical to their Airtable form, ensuring that new artist submissions could be collected, reviewed, and approved before being published. This helped streamline database expansion and eliminated any need for manual updates.
- Content Expansion: To enhance Mural Arts Institute’s online presence, we partnered with them to develop a robust content strategy. The team began by conducting a comprehensive content audit to analyze their existing materials. This audit helped us identify gaps in their existing content, identify redundant information, and uncover opportunities for expansion. Based on our findings, the team organized their existing content into a logical and intuitive structure. We created new sections and pages to Showcase their programs, resources, workshops, and artist features. To ensure a seamless user experience, we implemented a hierarchical navigation system that guided visitors through the website’s content.
- Artist Focus: To provide a comprehensive platform for artists, we developed a dedicated section that includes an artist directory, opportunities, and valuable resources. Each artist profile features their name, last name, contact information, a concise biome, a high-quality headshot, location, three featured portfolio images, their artistic specialty, medium used, and relevant categories. This detailed information empowers potential clients and collaborators to easily find and connect with artists who align with their needs, to enhance discoverability, we incorporated a robust search bar that allows users to quickly search for artists by name, category, or specialty. This feature streamlines the process of finding the perfect artist for a project, showcasing our commitment to providing a user-friendly and efficient platform for the creative community.
The Outcome
The result is a sleek, user-friendly website that perfectly captures the spirit of the Mural Arts Institute while making it easier for artists and community members to access valuable information and opportunities. Key features of the site include:
- Streamlined Navigation: No more digging through complex menus – users can now easily find what they need with clear and intuitive site navigation.
- Artist Resources: A dedicated section for artists now offers a robust directory ready for over 1,000+ listings, opportunity listings, and various resources designed to foster creativity and collaboration.
- Seamless Airtable Integration: The custom WordPress dashboard, coupled with Airtable integration, allows the Mural Arts Institute to easily manage their artist database and receive new artist submissions without hassle. Automated approval workflows further improve their operational efficiency.
- Scalable & Future-Ready: The website is designed with scalability in mind, ensuring its ability to grow and adapt alongside the Institute’s evolving needs. We utilized the powerful Elementor page builder within WordPress, providing a flexible and user-friendly interface for creating and customizing website elements. This modular approach allows for easy integration of new features and content without compromising the existing website structure. Additionally, the website is built on WordPress, a robust content management system (CMS), providing flexibility and ease of use for future updates. This scalable approach not only accommodates the Institute’s current requirements but also paves the way for future expansion and innovation.
Ultimately, the new website has become a valuable hub for artists and community leaders looking to connect with the Mural Arts Institute and access vital resources. With its user-centric design and seamless functionality, the platform now empowers the organization to engage more effectively with their audience and amplify their social impact efforts.
