This mural was designed to honor the life of Paul Gripper, a local Philadelphia community member whose positive impact extends beyond himself. Paul was described as a larger-than-life figure, known for his loud and braggadocious personality. He embodied the spirit of Philadelphia, always cracking jokes and having fun; often silly, but uplifting. Paul had a heart as big as his stature and could be thought of as a teddy bear with street smarts by those closest to him. He often wore sneakers or Timberland boots. He was a beloved basketball coach and a father figure to many young people in the community. He was also a car salesman. Paul often drove a white Ford Explorer later in his life and always ensured kids from the neighborhood got to basketball practices and tournaments. Paul truly went above and beyond for the kids he mentored. He often sacrificed financially to ensure they had meals and could participate in events.
The Gripper family garnered well over a thousand signatures from colleagues and community members to bring this mural to life in North Philly. The mural is on the exterior wall of Kirby Mack & Pete Rock’s Professional Barber Shop at 2600 Ridge Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19121. This shop held a special place in Paul’s heart; it was like family to him. Over the past 25 years, he cherished his visits for haircuts and lively conversations with Pete, Kirby, and the rest of the guys in the shop.
As the designer, I drew inspiration from things my own father shared with me growing up, such as Black Panther and Spiderman comic books, and I opted for a comic-book-style aesthetic to capture Paul’s heroic nature. I also learned that Paul loved Marvel movies and often referred to himself as ‘Thanos.’ In the upper right-hand corner, traditionally reserved for publication dates in comics, I included July 31st, Paul Gripper’s birthdate, which I see as the start date for this narrative. In April 2022, Paul Gripper passed away due to health complications exacerbated by systemic racism in the medical industry. Inspired by the iconic Vitruvian Man medical drawing’s overall pose, the mural portrays Paul Gripper with the ability to juggle his most cherished possessions: his three children and a basketball trophy representing his leadership as a coach for many youth. It takes a team to win a basketball trophy. The large basketball encircling Paul Gripper weaves through the mural design, framing the worlds around him.
There’s a saying that behind every great man is a great woman. Philadelphia boasts of many public artworks featuring prominent Black male figures; however, these murals often fail to acknowledge the women who supported these men. In honoring Paul Gripper, I wanted to include his deceased ex-wife, represented within a Byzantine art-like halo, as a guardian angel watching over him during some of his time in this world. Paul cherished her deeply and valued family. I didn’t want to focus solely on Paul’s achievements without recognizing the support he received from his loving partner, as well as his mother, Judy, and sister, Naima, who are included in the mural’s signature area alongside the community that uplifted him—a community he, in turn, poured himself into through acts of service. There is also space in the signature area for others to sign, just as they signed the petition to bring this mural to life.
As I learned more about Paul Gripper’s story, it became evident that he brought an infectious energy into every room he entered. “Kentucky Boom” is a basketball saying and play that Paul appropriated. When people think of Unk P, they often recall this phrase. I had fun playing with fonts and merging the comic book exploding bomb style for this section of the mural. In place of a traditional title for the design, you’ll find “Unk P” in balloon letters floats up at the top of the mural.
In the mural design, I chose to split Paul’s face, with one side turned upside down, to reflect his multifaceted nature. Paul was described as a person who, despite having a streetwise persona, embraced open-mindedness and inclusivity toward everyone. For me, this split and turned face symbolizes not only the complexity of presenting oneself in different community settings but also the personal challenges Paul faced—such as divorce, extramarital relationships, raising a child with special needs, and managing personal health issues. It represents the vulnerabilities of his life and the resilience he showed in navigating them.
My goal with this mural design was to depict Paul Gripper’s image as a symbol of a relatable human who has positively impacted the world. The quote about an Unk’s responsibility that’s in the lower right-hand corner of the design was extracted from a post he shared on social media, which appeared to serve as not only his personal mission statement but also a general ode that anyone reading this can pull inspiration from. “If the youngsters call you OG or Unk, it’s your job to keep them from making bad decisions.” I envision his interactions and Leo-lion-like energy moving through others to remind them to make positive decisions for the greater good of future generations.
The spelling of “U.N.C.” or in this case “U.N.K.” is a distinctive variety of North Philly dialect. In getting to know Paul’s children, I was inspired to bring in aspects of the diaspora by coloring the mural design using textiles and fabrics that weave together a diverse tapestry and give the overall mural design a warm, homely, and inviting feeling because Unk P truly embodied the ideal Unk – the one that showed up for you when you were a kid, supported your interests, who you could talk to, and the one that made you feel included and lifted you to win with the team members you were in community with.
Credits:
The Paul “Unk P” Gripper mural was designed by artist Nile Livingston and produced by Mural Arts Philadelphia. The project was managed by Ponnell Dowell and painted by Keisha Whatley, with the support of assistants Sydney Carter and Tom Walsh.
Special thanks to the Gripper family, the community members who helped bring this vision to life, and the over 1,000 people who signed the petition in support of the mural.
The mural can be found at Kirby Mack & Pete Rock’s Professional Barber Shop, located at 2600 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19121—a place that held deep meaning in Paul’s life.
📸 Photos from the community paint day and mural unveiling by @arekusn
