Unveiling The People’s Stories at City Hall
Though February is coming to a Leap Year’s close soon, a new pop-up exhibition, “Philadelphia Black History: The People’s Stories,” opened on the evening of February 20 and will stay on display until April 12, 2024, on the 2nd, 4th and 5th Floors of City Hall’s northeast corner.
Steered by the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy (OACCE), the “People’s Stories” exhibit features 44 Philly artists dedicating themselves to visual and written tributes to late Black Philadelphians and presented through the medium of colorfully designed, square vinyl tiles.
Artists Illuminate Black Philadelphians’ Lives
“The People’s Stories’ 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 during the Wednesday evening opening event. “Through all our programs, OACCE is committed to telling and elevating untold stories.”
While these 44 tiles tell the tales of community leaders, prominent figures, and cherished locals crucial to Philadelphia Black history, the “People’s Stories” City Hall exhibition is but one in a series of National Endowment for the Arts grant-funded programs honoring the rediscovered historic Bethel Burying Ground, a 19th-century Black cemetery (soon a public art memorial by Karyn Olivier will honor the 5,000 plus Black Americans buried there).
The Lasting Legacy of “The People’s Stories”
I may not have known every person whose face adorned this exhibition’s tiles, but after I left “The People’s Stories,” I felt as if I had a deep and complex take on who they might have been to their families, their friends, and their communities.
Philadelphia’s new Mayor, Cherelle L. Parker, certainly felt that way. “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 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.”
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