West Philadelphia: Building a Community

Posted by on July 13, 2009

West Philadelphia: Building a Community
July 7 – October 11, 2009
On view at the Arthur Ross Gallery of the University of Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA-West Philadelphia: Building a Community opens at the Arthur Ross Gallery of the University of Pennsylvania on July 7, 2009. This exhibition documents the neighborhood’s 19th-century architectural and urban development while it features highlights of today’s dynamic, multicultural community. The earliest works in the exhibition include watercolors by self-taught Scottish immigrant, David J. Kennedy.  Kennedy’s watercolors, drawn from the collection of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, depict West Philadelphia houses, institutions, and streets between 1836-1898. City land maps, early photographs, and post cards also reveal the neighborhood’s rapid expansion and growth then.

Through the use of 21st-century technology, the web and video, visitors can discover West Philadelphia and its history today, The West Philadelphia History Center website, recently launched at Penn by Walter Licht and Mark Lloyd, is also included. This collaborative exhibition is co-sponsored by the Arthur Ross Gallery, The Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the University Archives and Records Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

Save the dates…

September 10th 5:30 pm
Lecture: Picturing Early West Philadelphia by Dr. Jeffrey Cohen,
Senior Lecturer, Growth and Structures of Cities Program, Bryn Mawr College
Held in the Arthur Ross Gallery

September 16th 5:30 pm
Lecture: Before the Arrival of the University: David Kennedy and “West Philadelphia” by Dr. Martha Mel Edmunds
Held in the Arthur Ross Gallery

September 23rd 6:00 pm
Lecture: Lights & Shades: William Birch’s Legacy to David Kennedy
by Kim Sajet, President & CEO, The Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Held at HSP – 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia
http://www.hsp.org

September 26th 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
FREE FAMILY DAY, with activites, food, and fun for all ages!
Held in the Arthur Ross Gallery

September 30th 5:30 pm
Lecture: West Philadelphia Community History Center
by Dr. Walter Licht, History Deptartment, U of Penn
and Mark Lloyd, Director, University Archives and Records Center, U of Penn

October 7th 5:30 pm
Building Bridges: Penn and West Philadelphia
A panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Ira Harkavy, Associate Vice President and Director, Netter Center for Community Partnerships
Held in the Arthur Ross Gallery

Call 215-898-2083 or Email arg@pobox.upenn.edu for more information.