Welcome to 7th Ward Tribute

A tribute to Philadelphia’s historic 7th Ward 

The 7th Ward Tribute has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

7th Ward Tribute Overview

The Philadelphia City Archives, Little Giant Creative, and Mural Arts Philadelphia have received funding by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage to pay homage to the profound Black history of the 7th Ward. Hearkening back to its progressive beginnings, contemporary thinkers and creatives will lead the collective concepting and design of an outdoor, place-based, experiential art installation exhibit. The Tribute will be open to the public, and will be long term or permanent where possible.

A youth curriculum informed by the research of the 7th Ward’s vibrant history will be developed to capture an accurate account of an important chapter in Philadelphia’s Black history.   

A map of Philadelphia’s Historic 7th Ward.
Photo courtesy of Philadelphia City Archives.    

Painting by student of Olney Charter School
for a Mural Arts program designed to
teach about the history of Philadelphia’s 7th Ward.
   

South St and 24th St in Philadelphia’s 7th Ward.
Photo by Mark C. Leeper.  

 “ Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. ”

                   -George Santayana

The Installations

The Tribute will contextualize the Ward’s deeply-rooted Black history and profound contributions from communities often marginalized in history, underscoring that an inclusive future is possible only when we tell the full story of our past.

Artists and Historians will create a series of physical creative homages throughout Philadelphia’s historical 7th Ward to tell a place-based story of the neighborhood, communities, and people who created a vital hub of forward thought and vibrant everyday life.  

A Present & Future Project

The 7th Ward Tribute seeks to resurrect history, not just unearth it. Our place-based, art-centered project will commission and prioritize Black artists and historians to create long term (or permanent where possible) public art installations in Philadelphia, indicating the borders of what was once the 7th Ward. These artists and historians will imbue this homage with the same kind of genius that the 7th Ward was known for. The 7th Ward Tribute is not just a history project; it’s a present and future project. George Santayana’s popular aphorism rings true: “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” The coordinated disenfranchisement that ended the 7th Ward maps dovetails current conversations about gentrification, discriminatory zoning, and erasure in Philadelphia and other U.S. cities. To foster lasting equity and anti-racism in cities, we must understand that papered-over histories repeat themselves. 

Our hope is to coalesce the great work occurring in all cities to reveal its rich, vibrant + unfiltered Black history. The histories of the people who shaped our cities and country that have been systemically white washed. The Tribute posits the imperative of recognizing the national narrative of the Black and Brown experience, contributions and disenfranchisement. This history must be celebrated and permanently replace the existing paradigm of erasure and denial. 

The 7th Ward Tribute seeks to add important nuance to the story of Philadelphia by making this knowledge accessible and easy for teachers to enrich their discussions around race and history. 

Call for Artists   

Beginning April 1st, 2021, artists are invited to respond to an RFP for the project to present their concepts for the Tribute installations. The installations, to be mounted at each corner of the former 7th Ward, will premiere Fall 2022. A board of impartial stakeholders from organizations like PRIZM, Asian Arts Initiative, and Painted Bride Art Center, Mural Arts Philadelphia, Little Giant Creative, and the Philadelphia City Archives, will review the applications. Final decisions will be made by the RFP Evaluation Committee.
 
Submit proposals to info@7thWardTribute.com.

DOWNLOAD RFP

RFP Evaluation Committee 

A board made up of impartial stakeholders

Esther Park-Clemetson 

Vice President of Programming Oolite Arts 

Meegan Denenberg

Co-Founder,
Little Giant Creative 

Sunanda
Ghosh

Nonprofit Strategy Consultant 

Jane
Golden

Executive Director at
City Of Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program

Jim
Leonard

Commissioner of Records for the City of Philadelphia

Larry
Ossei-Mensah

Curator and Co-founder
of ARTNOIR 

Jennifer Miller Pouchot

Head of Creative Design, Vanguard 

Heike
Rass

Principal,
Heike Rass Art Consulting 

Marsha
Reid

Executive Director Kindred Arts – Cultural Equity Initiative 

Tayyib
Smith

Co-Founder,
Little Giant Creative 

Mikhaile
Solomon

Founder | Director Prizm Art Fair & Prizm Projects 

Caralyn
Spector

Creative Strategist, Principal, and Senior Consultant, Davis Gay + Associates – AKA Strategy – The ROZ Group 

Tracey
Williams

Deputy Commissioner at
City of Philadelphia

About the 7th Ward Tribute Team 

Little Giant Creative, Philadelphia City Archives/The Mayor’s Fund, and Mural Arts Philadelphia

Little Giant Creative 

Little Giant Creative (LGC) is a full-service creative agency that works with local and national companies and institutions to develop and execute custom brand strategies & events. We design collateral and awareness promotions for a variety of clients, including Heineken USA, Adidas, Remy Martin, The Philadelphia City Archives, KEYSPOT, Drexel University, The African American Museum of Philadelphia, Temple University, Penn Law, Living Cities, PAFA, DRWC, Visit Philly, Red Bull, vitaminwater and The Knight Foundation. We have successfully connected our clientele’s message to desired audiences with our signature methodology, keeping each interaction – no matter how large the concept – focused on its recipient.

LGC is a boutique agency with an experienced staff whose core competencies of creative thinking, style aesthetics and consistent execution translate into successful regional, national and international campaigns. LGC keeps a streamlined infrastructure to allow for open lines of communication with our clients that translate objectives into effective campaigns that are fluid and customized. Additionally, LGC prides itself on applying the significant expertise of its diverse and dynamic staff to a variety of nonprofit and social justice-related programs, including Sharp Insight, The Next Majority, and the Institute of Hip Hop Entrepreneurship along with other groundbreaking initiatives through LGC’s sister non-profit Creative Cities Lab. These programs seek transformative change in communities by fostering civic engagement, media literacy, and the expansion of economic opportunities for youth and people of color.

Philadelphia City Archives / The Mayor’s Fund

The Philadelphia City Archives was established in 1952 in accordance with Section 5-1101d of the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter of 1951. Its mission is to preserve all City records not in current use which possess historical, administrative, legal, research, cultural or other important value. Currently, it forms an integral part of the Records Management Division of the Department of Records. The Mission of the Mayor’s Fund for Philadelphia is to advance the Mayor’s goals through leveraging public-private partnerships to the benefit of the citizens of Philadelphia. The Mayor’s Fund for Philadelphia is a 501(c)(3) that works in close partnership with the City of Philadelphia, private sector businesses, and community-based organizations to advance initiatives that reflect Mayoral priorities and seek to improve the quality of life for all Philadelphians. Serving as a fiscal agent for the City of Philadelphia, the Mayor’s Fund manages between $12 and $15 million annually, on behalf of more than 150 active programs. These programs support priority areas such as public safety, education, business and economic development, culture and the creative economy, civic engagement, government ethics, and emergency preparedness.

Mural Arts Philadelphia

Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation’s largest public art program, dedicated to the belief that art ignites change. For over 35 years, Mural Arts has united artists and communities through a collaborative process, rooted in the traditions of mural-making, to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives. Mural Arts engages communities in 50–100 public art projects each year, and maintains its growing collection through a restoration initiative. Our core program areas—Art Education, Restorative Justice, and Porch Light—yield unique, project-based learning opportunities for thousands of youth and adults. Each year, 15,000 residents and visitors tour Mural Arts’ outdoor art gallery, which has become part of the city’s civic landscape and a source of pride and inspiration, earning Philadelphia international recognition as the “City of Murals.” Through participatory public art, Mural Arts Philadelphia inspires change in people, place, and practice, creating opportunity for a more just and equitable Philadelphia. Mural Arts Philadelphia envisions a world where all people have a say in the future of their lives and communities; where art and creative practice are respected as critical to sense of self and place; and where cultural vibrancy reflects and honors all human identities and experiences.

We value the essential humanity, dignity, and potential of all people. We respect the knowledge and experience of all individuals and embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are committed to inquiry-based learning, respectful communication, and mindful collaboration. We believe in the transformative power of creativity.

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