The Mural Arts Program and Warrior Writers, a veteran-focused arts organization that fosters artistic exploration and expression, is hosting a community barbecue on Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Woodland Avenue between 41st and 42nd Streets – the future site of the mural “Our City, Our Vets.”

The event is part of an ongoing effort to gather community support for veterans returning to Philadelphia. Veterans are encouraged to share their stories through visual art and writing in projects that will help the public better understand what they have been through. You can see some of the artwork created so far here.

Veterans have been attending workshops at Studio 34 since January to create their own pieces and help artists Willis Humphrey and Phillip Adams come up with a design for the mural, which will be installed on a wall at 4129 Woodland Ave. (the location of Saturday’s barbecue) in the fall.

During the barbecue the Mural Arts program will project images of the proposed mural and other art work by veterans. There will also be poetry reading storytelling and the chance to create some art of your own.