PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A new outdoor art exhibit in Philly has placed public sculptures throughout the city, along the Ben Franklin Parkway and the Delaware River Waterfront. Its objective is to educate people on the lived experiences of Black people in America.
It's called the "Monumental Tour," and it has made stops in New York, Atlanta and Miami. From now until the end of January, the pieces are at four Philadelphia locations — from the Parkway to Cherry Street Pier.
"They were carefully considered sites. But not not just because of the prestigious addresses or zip codes. There's a lot tied up with energy and history in those in those places," said Marsha Reid, curator and founder of Kindred Arts, which presents the exhibit.
She said the pieces — by acclaimed artists Arthur Jafa, Coby Kennedy, Christopher Myers, and Hank Williams Thomas — are intentionally on display in public spaces so they can inspire conversations about systemic inequities and African-American lived experiences. One is a large steel and glass box representing the confined space of a cell.
"A lot of the histories that we that we cover and talk about here aren't pleasant, and we have a way of kind of turning away from stories that that don't offer escapism," said Reid, "but there's room for all of our histories and stories and that's the business that I'm in, trying to make room for those."
People can take the tour virtually or take a 22-minute walk with a narrated audio component.
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"The architectural design center was generous enough to narrate an audio tour with me," Reid said.
"It can be found on the website on our virtual experience page, but also on each site, there should be a QR code that leads people to it that talks about each space and each work and connects the dots somewhat."