Summer 2026

Exhibition Location: Display Cases on the 1st and 4th Floors (Near Council Chambers)

Deadline for submissions: May 4, 2026

In celebration of America's 250th anniversary, Creative Philadelphia and Philadelphia City Council issue a Call for Art to local photographers for a special exhibition in historic City Hall.

Theme

Philadelphia Stories 250:  "Out of Many, One", A Photographic Journey invites local artists to explore Philadelphia's diverse cultural heritage and legacy through the medium of photography.

The exhibition celebrates both Immigrant Heritage Month and America's semiquincentennial by asking artists to reflect on the de facto motto of America: "e pluribus unum", Latin for "out of many, one". The thirteen letters of the phrase are symbolic of the thirteen original colonies and was used during the American Revolutionary War and beyond to help launch America's story. Out of their union emerged a single nation. Today, the phrase captures the national spirit of inclusion that's exemplified by the welcoming values of our city.  For its many neighborhoods and diverse cultural communities, Philadelphia is not only the birthplace of America, it's our home.

So, share your family's story, and the vibrant communities and places that reflect our many neighborhoods. Capture the iconic symbols and architecture of our streets; the history and ancestry, the flavors, colors, and the sights and sounds that make Philadelphia home to us all.

We want to know not only what's captured in the photograph, but where the photograph was taken - which neighborhood or district it represents.

This call is open to the photographic medium. For consistency, we ask that each work is presented in a standard frame size of 16" x 20".

Jurors:

Joining Creative Philadelphia and City Council photographers Christopher Mansfield and Durrell Hospedale will be Sarah Stolfa, Executive Director of Tilt Institute for the Contemporary Image.