The Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy’s Art In City Hall program issues a call for local artists for a Black History Month exhibition entitled: Philadelphia Black History: The People’s Stories.
Philadelphia Black History: The People’s Stories is inspired by the 5,000 forgotten Black souls buried at the rediscovered Bethel Burying Ground in the Queen Village neighborhood of Philadelphia. We honor their historic significance as members of the nation’s first free Black community by pausing to reflect on the many untold stories of Black Philadelphians in our own time. This call asks artists to submit works that help tell these stories, whether they were members of one’s family, a prominent figure in the Philadelphia Black community, or someone personally significant to the artist, whose life should be elevated and remembered through visual art. This artistic tribute must honor a deceased individual of African descent who lived in Philadelphia.
To present and help tell these important stories, the selected artworks will be printed onto vinyl tiles and curatorially arranged on multiple floors in City Hall. Each tile will have a QR code that will invite visitors to learn more about the Black Philadelphia ancestor in the work. Each artist can only reflect on one person and submit one work of art. Selected artists will receive an honorarium of $100. Please see the Rules of Exhibit section below for more specific instructions on how to submit artwork.
For more information or to apply, click here.
