7th Ward Tribute Tours

"STREET SCENES #1" 1940-1950. William Rapp Collection, Free Library of Philadelphia, PA by William Rapp. Donated by Frank and Ditta Hoeber to the Free Library of Philadelphia, PA. Installation Site: Church of The Crucifixion, 807 Bainbridge Street

Join us on Saturday, January 13 and 27th at 11 am for a special 7th Ward Tribute tour focusing on the archival photo installation Reflecting Revenants: Recalling Black Life In the 7th Ward guided by the artists Amelia Carter and Beth Naomi Lewis, featuring historian Amy Hillier.

Reflecting Revenants is an outdoor installation that pays homage to the vibrant history of Philadelphia’s former 7th Ward as a center of African American culture and community. Using decals and banners, artists Amelia Carter and Beth Naomi Lewis skillfully merge candid archival photographs of Black residents between the early to mid-20th century with the present-day landscape of the Ward, conjuring an ethereal “energetic imprint” that transcends time. This immersive experience unveils these images organically, adorning surfaces of buildings across the Ward, evoking a spectral presence. Reflecting Revenants offers a unique and introspective journey into the historical heartbeat of the 7th Ward, reviving its memory for the next generation.

Before the tour, guests are encouraged to visit the Richard Allen Museum and The Colored Girls Museum installation at Mother Bethel church, where we will depart promptly at 11 am. The doors of the church open at 10 am for those who are interested in coming early.

On this tour, we will walk about 20 blocks between 2 – 2 ½ hours, depending on the cadence of the group. For your comfort, please wear comfortable shoes. Walkers with mobility challenges are encouraged to bring a lightweight folding stool to take breaks along the way or a wheelchair for comfort. This tour will end at Rex at the Royal (on 15th and South St.), where guests can view the installation’s extended archival photo gallery and Li Sumpter’s Time Bandit.

Time Bandit of the 7th Ward features a “fictional artifact” from Illadelph Dreams: 2045, Sumpter’s latest chapter of the transmedia narrative Graffiti in the Grass. The artifact is a fully functioning 1910 Bell Mills vintage slot machine running on 5-cent nickels and its original century-old machinery but playing with a set of 6 new symbols. Sumpter designed these symbols to reflect the rich black history of Philadelphia’s 7th Ward, her own family legacy, and the archetypes and symbols of Illadelph Dreams: 2045. Time Bandit is designed to blur the lines between art and artifact, history and myth, the past, and the speculative future.

Photo: Li Sumpter’s Time Bandit of the 7th Ward. Photo Credit Jahlil Pleasant, SharpShooter Visuals.

Images from Reflecting Revenants & Time Bandit of the 7th Ward

"AT HOME" 1918. Special Collections Research Center, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. Octavia Hill Association. Installation Site: 513 Delancey Street.
“MOTHER BETHEL AFRICAN AMERICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH” 1973. Special Collections Research Center, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. Installation Site: 538 Lombard Street.
"FOR RENT" 1926-1929. Photo Illustrator's Firm, Albert M. Greenfield & Co., The Library Company of Philadelphia, PA. Installation Site: 506 Delancey Street.
“LIVING QUARTERS” 1900. Courtesy of: Special Collections Research Center, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. Octavia Hill Association. Installation Site: 518 Delancey Street.
"FOR RENT" 1926-1929. Photo Illustrator's Firm, Albert M. Greenfield & Co., The Library Company of Philadelphia, PA. Installation Site: 506 Delancey Street.
"CLIFF’S: THE POOR MAN’S FRIEND" 1958. City Archives, Department of Records, Philadelphia, PA. Installation Site: Greene Street Consignment, 700 South Street. Folder# 10th Street South, 400 Pine Street 19147.
“WOMAN WITH NEWSPAPER ON STOOP” 1958. City Archives, Department of Records, Philadelphia, PA. Installation Site: Black and Nobel, 422 South Street.
"DRA MU OPERA COMPANY AUDIENCE AT THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC" 1947. Charles L. Blockson. Afro American Collection, By John Mosely. Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, PA. Installation Site: Rex at The Royal, 1524 South Street.
REX AT THE ROYAL, 1524 SOUTH STREET. “Nat King Cole” 1944. Charles L. Blockson Afro American Collection, By John Mosely. Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, PA. Installation Site: Rex at The Royal, 1524 South Street.
"A NIGHT AT THE THEATER" 1949. Charles L. Blockson. Afro American Collection, By John Mosely. Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, PA. Installation Site: Rex at The Royal, 1524 South Street.
REX AT THE ROYAL, 1524 SOUTH STREET. “Nat King Cole” 1944. Charles L. Blockson. Afro American Collection, By John Mosely. Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, PA. Installation Site: Rex at The Royal, 1524 South Street.
“INSTITUTE FOR COLORED YOUTH BASEBALL TEAM” Earlier than 1924. Cheyney University. Installation Site: Randall School Condominiums, 915 Bainbridge Street.
“THE MOVERS” 1933. Special Collections Research Center, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. Installation Site: 1132 Lombard Street.
Time Bandit Tarot Cards by Li Sumpter. Courtesy of the artist.