Meet the North Philly artist behind MLB All-Star's Liberty Bell
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Artist Andre Chaney is the brains behind the Phillies edition of the Bells Across PA program. Photo: Mike D'Onofrio/Axios
When baseball needed something unmistakably Philly for the All-Star Game, city artist Andre Chaney answered the bell — the Liberty Bell, that is.
Why it matters: Chaney's hand-painted Liberty Bell is an ode to the Phillies that will show up starting this weekend at Citizens Bank Park.
The big picture: Philadelphia is hosting Tuesday's All-Star Game for the first time in three decades.
- So naturally, the city needed some hometown flair.
Zoom in: The 28-year-old Chaney was inspired by old Star Wars movie posters for the design, capturing Phillies legends in their most iconic moments.
- "Those characters looked larger than life, so I wanted to do the same thing," he said.
Who's on the bell: The bell features a Mount Rushmore of Phillies greats — Dick Allen, Jimmy Rollins, Mike Schmidt, Ryan Howard and Bryce Harper — on one side.
- On the other side: The Phillie Phanatic.
😂 1 notable thing: The Phanatic didn't sit for his portrait on the bell, Chaney said.
🥚 Easter egg: Look for Chaney's logo featured on the Jumbotrons on the bell.
Between the lines: Chaney survived a grueling selection process to design the bell.
- He then spent more than 70 hours hours in the studio designing and painting a 4-foot replica of the Liberty Bell — one of America's most enduring symbols of independence.
Worth noting: The project is part of the Bells Across PA program from the city and Philadelphia250.
What they're saying: Chaney tells Axios he was drawn to art at a young age, prodded by his mother, who gifted him sketchbooks for Christmas.
- "She was never OK with me just turning anything in," he said. "She would always say, 'How do you take it to the next level?'"
Catch up quick: An illustrator, muralist and children's book author with a studio in South Philly's Bok Building, the Philly native had attended California College of Arts in Oakland and then dove into several projects when he returned home.
- He has murals in Philly, including a jazz-inspired piece called the "The Extraordinary in the Every Day" in South Philly.
- Plus: Chaney is launching his own publishing house with a line of children's books.
The bottom line: Now that the All-Star project is behind him, Chaney says he's taking a moment to soak it all in before figuring out what's next.
- For now, though, he can savor his place among Philly's art all-stars.