Yeah. It's just not art. It's programs, it's kids, it's adults, it's seniors. Okay. How many artists are employed?
Well, we're very proud of this statistic. It's 250 artists are employed every year, and it's a very, very diverse group of artists, and we're proud of that as well. And we have a fellowship program for Black artists. We have an internship program, apprenticeship program, a muralist 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. training program. So we've really worked hard to create platforms and a foundation for artists to come into Mural Arts and work in public space. If you look at public art historically, it's been very aesthete and sort of -- there's been like sort of hands up, but I think Anti-Graffiti and Mural Arts have caused a paradigm shift where we value equity and that we want people to come in the door that aren't necessarily classically trained. And so we have a small walls project. We're doing big projects and everything in between, but we want to mind the creative spirit that exists in our city and put it to work in tangible ways.
It's got to make the kids feel good to look up and see something they did.
Yes. Exactly. So people in our Guild program or our Art Education program or Porch Light program. When you look around at the huge 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. collection of public art in the City, it is not just made by one classically trained artist. I mean, sometimes they are at the top of the food chain, but there's so many other people involved, and it's also economic development. It's getting money in people's pockets to do something that they love and is transformative for the community. So it's a quintessential multi-tasker.
Nicely done, Mr. President. So let me quickly say I love you, Jane Golden. I've been with you for a long ride, since Tim Spencer days, and I know how it's grown. My son actually did murals once upon a time on the Expressway, Mr. President. So thank you for that. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. Thank you for the Container Village and all you're doing out there. I love the Commerce Department as well. Equal love. Let me say all of the good things. You guys have worked on the over 100 commercial corridors doing wonderful things, keeping them alive through uprisings, through pandemics. You worked well with PIDC to filter and create those loans. You worked with small businesses in order to kind of reconstruct records so they could get loans. So amen to that and welcome on board. Mr. President, who introduced the resolution to look at affirmative action and inclusion for -- who was that? Was it you, Jamie?
No. For the City of Philadelphia to determine if -- because I may wait until that resolution's hearing, and here's why: As 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. a former alumni of Commerce Department, as a former Director of the Philadelphia Commercial Development Corporation, as a former Director of the Minority Business Enterprise Council, I am not convinced that we are on the right path with that inclusion of DBEs, MBEs, and female-owned businesses. So I don't want to take that time today. I would rather just talk about the wonderful things you do and say thank you, but I want to have a deeper dive to see if we are not watering down the old 17-500 and now post 17-500 Croson decision impacts. For example, who did -- when was the last disparity study done and who performed it? (Witness approached witness table.) DEPUTY DIRECTOR NEWSOME: Good afternoon, Council President, members of City Council. Thank you, Councilman Jones, for that question.
Move that 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. mic a little closer. DEPUTY DIRECTOR NEWSOME: The last full disparity --