How do rowhouse blocks shape Philadelphia’s unique community life?
This interactive exhibition showcasing the unique personalities of rowhouse blocks in North, South and West Philadelphia was conceived as a participatory tribute celebrating the special qualities of the city’s urban fabric. Dinner workshops held in 2019 invited local rowhouse residents to share, discuss and document their blocks and highlight their neighborhood histories through structured activities. The results were organized into an exhibition at Cherry Street Pier in 2019 that traveled to the Turchin Center at Appalachian State University in 2021.
ROWHOUSE WORKSHOP
Pew Center for Arts and Heritage / ISA + Tiny WPA / Philadelphia, PA / 2019
In the fall of 2019, Rowhouse Workshop participants attended an exhibition opening event at Philadelphia’s Cherry Street Pier as guest artists. The exhibition led visitors through a series of rowhouse block installations, sharing collectively curated songs, recipes, photos, and videos. Drawings, photographs, and objects offered by participants were displayed in totems built by fabrication partner Tiny WPA’s community building program. Project participants and visitors contributed to the project through their own self-directed participation in the exhibition’s large scale sticker wall and workbooks.
