PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The African American Museum in Philadelphia is debuting two exhibitions ahead of its upcoming Kwanzaa Celebration series.
(re)Covering the Iconic opens Dec. 20. On display in the Jack T. Franklin Gallery will be Philly designer and artist Shaheed Rucker’s reimagined vintage Jet magazine covers and Wheaties box designs that spotlight the achievements of Black Pennsylvanians.
“What Shaheed wanted to do was pay homage to those designs that you can see as early as the 1950s through maybe the 70s and 80s, these very bold design choices that were made,” said Michael Wilson, assistant curator at the African American Museum in Philadelphia.
Rucker, who used to work for Jet, has been honing his craft for almost 15 years. He says he wanted to feature icons like Cecil B. Moore and August Wilson, as well as sports figures.
“Even someone like Joe Frazier, who, you know, is an unsung hero, someone who really fits the identity of Philadelphia, that fabric in Philly, that, you know, grit,” Rucker said.
And just a few days after that, on Dec. 24, the museum will feature the life of award-winning actress, author, singer and songwriter, Pearl Baily in a digital showcase on their website.
“We were honored to receive over 100 of these Pearl Bailey scrapbooks. So she documented her life with these collaged narratives of accomplishments that she had received,” Wilson said.
Then, on Dec. 26, the museum will kick off its free Kwanzaa Celebration with an opening ceremony to promote Umoja — unity complete with live drummers, the lighting of the Kinara and an overview of the seven principals of Kwanzaa. Each night has a different theme.
Details and more information can be found on aampmuseum.org.