On Tuesday, the City of Philadelphia and the Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy (OACCE) opened a Black History Month exhibition at City Hall entitled “Philadelphia Black History: The People’s Stories.” On view through April 12, 2024, the exhibition features 44 local artists’ visual and written tributes to late Black Philadelphians.
Artist: JIHAN THOMAS
Sarah Mapps Douglass
Tribute to SARAH MAPPS DOUGLASS
Abolitionist, educator, writer, artist
(1806 – 1882)
“When I was a candidate for mayor of Philadelphia, my team and I knew how important it was to share my personal story and the stories of the members of the community who supported and shaped me into the person I am today,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “The stories we shared resonated with so many residents of this city, and we believe this exhibition honoring Black Philadelphians will resonate with and impact everyone who sees it.”
The exhibition is presented as vinyl square tiles respectfully arranged on the second, fourth, and fifth floors in the northeast corner of City Hall. The tiles tell the stories of family members, community members, and prominent figures, each an important part of Philadelphia’s Black History.
Artist: NATALIE INÉS NELSON
Tribute to CLEMENTINE CARA LILY NELSON
Artist’s grandmother
This exhibition is one in a series of National Endowment for the Arts grant-funded cultural programs honoring the rediscovered historic Bethel Burying Ground, a 19th century Black cemetery. An upcoming public art memorial by Karyn Olivier will honor the over 5,000 African Americans buried there through multiple design components, including stone pavers that will be installed on the ground and engraved with stories of the interred.
“Philadelphia Black History: The People’s Stories” pays homage to Olivier’s design by telling the many untold stories of Black Philadelphians in our own time through square tiles on the floor of historic City Hall, much like the engraved stone pavers in Olivier’s burial ground design.
“This exhibition offers rare insights into the lives of Black Philadelphians and illuminates the impact their lives had on the artists who chose to commemorate them through art during Black History Month,” said Kelly Lee, chief cultural officer for the City of Philadelphia and executive director of the Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy. “Through all our programs, OACCE is committed to telling and elevating untold stories.”
Artist: RODNEY JONES
Tribute to JOHN COLTRANE
Jazz Musician
(1926 – 1967)
The People’s Stories
The City’s Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy (OACCE) presents a Black History Month exhibition entitled: Philadelphia Black History: The People’s Stories. The exhibit features the art of 44 local artists whose works are represented as vinyl square tiles respectfully arranged on the floors of multiple hallways in Philadelphia’s City Hall. Each square tile is a tribute to a Black Philadelphian who has passed away and whose memory has been elevated through art. They are the stories of family and community members, some more well-known than others, but all contributed to the history of the African American experience in Philadelphia. These stories are remembered in the hallowed halls of Philadelphia’s historic City Hall, the People’s Building, where the voices of our diverse communities are amplified. “Philadelphia Black History: The People’s Stories” is inspired by the memory of the 5,000 forgotten souls buried at the rediscovered Bethel Burying Ground, a 19th century Black cemetery in the Queen Village neighborhood of Philadelphia, where an upcoming public art memorial by artist Karyn Olivier will incorporate stone pavers on the ground as part of her design to help tell their stories.
Artist: ZARINAH LOMAX *
Tribute to DOMINIQUE KIMANI OGLESBY
Artist’s relative, artist
(1994 – 2018)
Each featured artist created an artistic and written tribute to a deceased Black Philadelphian. To honor their memory and read their story, go to:www.creativephl.org/exhibition/philadelphia-black-history-the-peoples-stories/ and click on an artist’s name.
“Philadelphia Black History: The People’s Stories” is part of a series of thematic art projects in 2024, organized by OACCE through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, to reflect the importance of the Bethel Burying Ground’s historic site in advance of its upcoming Public Art memorial project by artist Karyn Olivier. Olivier’s design at Bethel Burying Ground entitled: “Her Luxuriant Soil” will comprise of multiple elements, including stone pavers with engraved inscriptions of the interred to tell their stories. As an homage to her project design and her use of stone pavers arranged on the historical site, 44 local artists are telling their stories of lost loved ones through square tiles on the floors of historic City Hall.
The artists selected for this exhibit responded to an open call for art that would help the stories of “members of one’s family, a prominent figure in the Philadelphia community, or someone personally significant to the artist, whose life should be elevated and remembered through art.”
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