Sam Maitin: Citizen Artist

Time was, you couldn't walk too far in Philadelphia without bumping up against a Sam Maitin. His primary-color splashes signaled congeniality and elation in universities and synagogues, and in places where such encounters might be especially needed, such as hospitals and cancer centers.

Maitin (1930-2004) defined an era — a time when you could begin to expect art to show up anywhere you might not expect it. He by no means marked the start of public art in Philadelphia, but with his intense belief in collaboration, he can be considered an important avatar of the community artist popular today. His early years were influenced by the postimpressionists and expressionists, and he produced traditional art for traditional settings. His world was happily fated, however, to extend far beyond working  in the studio alone.

"The first citizen artist in Philadelphia was Sam Maitin," says Thora Jacobson, the former director of the Fleischer Art Memorial, with which the artist had a close association.

If a charity or cause  — especially a liberal one — came to Maitin for a poster he might do it for free, working phrases and text into the final project. He was a born collaborator, a connector among artists, architects, arts leaders, and big thinkers.

Much of Maitin's work still cuts a colorful swath through Philadelphia, even if now passersby sometimes greet the work without knowing of the soul that produced it. Friends and colleagues gathered Feb. 26 at Woodmere Art Museum to tell Sam Maitin stories, an event that nicely argued that even if the artist has departed, the art remains a powerful agent  for community.

— Peter Dobrin, Inquirer Culture Writer