Monument Lab: Creative Speculations for Philadelphia
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A senior from Masterman High School performs at the opening of Monument Lab, at Terry Adkins' temporary monument in City Hall Courtyard. Photo by Lisa Boughter.
Monument Lab: Creative Speculations for Philadelphia is a public art and urban research project taking place at City Hall in the spring of 2015. Through a series of art installations, public events, and community-sourced maps, the project asks a central guiding question: What is an appropriate monument for the current city of Philadelphia? The project includes an innovative research pavilion at City Hall, a prototype monument by artist Terry Adkins, and free dialogues led by Philadelphia artists and critical thinkers using William Penn's iconic plan for the city's five public squares as inspiration.
Funded by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, Penn Institute for Urban Research's Monument Lab also precedes a planned Philadelphia monuments festival, to take place in 2017.