Sep 5, 2017

9 Reasons to Get Excited About Monument Lab

by: Laura Kochman

We know you know about Monument Lab. The massive, citywide public art exhibition launches September 16, with events galore and projects that range from eco-histories to sound installations to digital apps (and yes, murals). What is an appropriate monument for the current city of Philadelphia? Nine artists below are trying to find out.

1. Karyn Olivier’s The Battle Is Joined 

A monument that literally reflects the world around it.

2. Shira Walinsky and Southeast by Southeast’s Free Speech 

Reimagining the significance of your neighborhood kiosk.

3. King Britt and Joshua Mays’ Dreams, Diaspora, and Destiny 

A one-night-only performance as a monument to youth and the future.

4. Sharon Hayes’ If They Should Ask 

Asking you to look at what’s missing: women.

5. Klip Collective’s Passage :: Migration 

Integrating fabric, smoke, and projections for an immersive monument to immigrants.

6. Jamel Shabazz’s Love Is the Message 

A tribute to African American veterans’ service, style, and resilience.

7. Kaitlin Pomerantz’s On the Threshold 

The stoop as a site of public interaction that is fundamentally Philly.

8. Kara Crombie’s Sample Philly 

An interactive boombox remixing the city’s soundscape.

9. Tyree Guyton’s THE TIMES 

Covering a multi-story façade with clocks and questions.


Lead Monument Lab partners include the City of Philadelphia; Philadelphia Parks & Recreation; Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy; Historic Philadelphia; Independence National Historic Park; Penn Institute for Urban Research; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; Price Lab for Digital Humanities; and the University of Pennsylvania.

Major support for Monument Lab projects staged in Philadelphia’s five squares has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

An expanded artist roster and projects at five neighborhood sites have been made possible by a significant grant from the William Penn Foundation.

Lead corporate sponsor is Bank of America.

Additional support has been provided by Susanna Lachs & Dean Adler, William & Debbie Becker, City of Philadelphia, CLAWS Foundation, Davis Charitable Foundation, Hummingbird Foundation, J2 Design, National Endowment for the Arts, Nick & Dee Adams Charitable Fund, Parkway Corporation, Relief Communications LLC, Stacey Spector & Ira Brind, Tiffany Tavarez, Tuttleman Family Foundation, Joe & Renee Zuritsky, and 432 Kickstarter backers. Support for Monument Lab‘s final publication provided by the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation.

Last updated: Sep 5, 2017

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Share Your Thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *