Alum Hank Willis Thomas and adjunct faculty and curator Kalia Brooks, along with other contributing artists, have partnered with the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center to launch Philly Block Project.
Two photographers take pictures of each other
Philly Mag featured photos and testimony from South Kensington residents that participated in this narrative project and exhibit:
“You are the keeper of your family archive,” remarks Lori Waselchuk, the coordinator of the Philly Block Project.
Ahmad’s archive is joining with another archive — actually quite a few other archives. Ahmad is at the Al Aqsa Islamic Society for a photo scanning event. Her photos along with the photos of many Kensington residents are being collected by the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center for something called the Philly Block Project. The aim of the project is to create a “visual narrative” of South Kensington that will be comprised of photos submitted by Kensington residents, in addition to photos of present day Kensington which will be taken by photographer Hank Willis Thomas and several other collaborating artists.
The preface of the project – which has been divided into a series of parts – will open March 10th at the center, located on the edge of South Kensington at 1400 N. American St. While the photos won’t be ready yet, the preface will include a panel discussion with the artists and a community meeting where residents and visitors can share their thoughts on the project. Earlier work by the artists will also be on display.
Click here to see images from the exhibit and read the full article.