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Breaking Uncommon Ground on the Delaware River

Independence Seaport Museum
Shad nets used by workers to catch shad as they swam in from the Atlantic Ocean to their breeding ground in the Upper Delaware. Courtesy of Independence Seaport Museum.
Shad nets used by workers to catch shad as they swam in from the Atlantic Ocean to their breeding ground in the Upper Delaware. Courtesy of Independence Seaport Museum.
Visitors engage with the exhibit "Tides of Freedom: African Presence on the Delaware River" at the Independence Seaport Museum.
Tides of Freedom: African Presence on the Delaware River installation view with visitors. Image courtesy of Independence Seaport Museum.
An exhibit about James Forten, a Philadelphia sailmaker who fought in the Revolutionary War and employed both white and black workmen who worked alongside one another, at Independence Seaport Museum.
An exhibit about James Forten, a Philadelphia sailmaker who fought in the Revolutionary War and employed both white and black workmen who worked alongside one another. Displayed is a kit that would have been used to sew sails. Image courtesy of Independence Seaport Museum.

An oral history project collects the personal narratives of Black Philadelphians who have worked or lived along the Delaware River waterfront since the middle of the 20th century. Stories are presented in a reinstallation of the museum’s exhibition Tides of Freedom: The African Presence on the Delaware River and in a permanent public archive, offering perspectives on organized labor, the impact of highway construction on waterfront neighborhoods, and the role of Black women in waterfront culture and work. The project aims to document efforts by Black waterfront employees to secure better working conditions along with important structures like union buildings and other landmarks that are vulnerable to redevelopment and gentrification.

Visit the project website.

The total grant amount represents project funding plus an additional 20% in unrestricted general operating support.

Recipient
Independence Seaport Museum

Independence Seaport Museum

Founded in 1960 as the Philadelphia Maritime Museum, Independence Seaport Museum (ISP) is a repository of art, artifacts, and archival materials documenting the diverse maritime history of the Greater Delaware Valley, and the history of major urban ports of the Delaware River. ISP also houses one of the largest collections of maritime art and artifacts in the country, and it operates the National Historic Landmark ships Cruiser Olympia and Submarine Becuna. 

More info
News

$9 Million From The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage Supports 28 Philadelphia Organizations and 12 Artist Fellowships

Sep 12, 2023
Explore Connections
Carl Cheng: Nature Never Loses, 2025 installation view, Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania. Photo by Constance Mensh.

Artist Carl Cheng on the Nature of Being Contemporary
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Mary Testa, Taylor Trensch, and Jordan Dobson in Night Side Songs at Philadelphia Theatre Company. Photo by Nile Scott Studios.
Director Taibi Magar on Night Side Songs and the Power of Sharing Stories
Michelle Lopez, Ballast & Barricades solo exhibition, 2019-20. Photo by Constance Mensh, courtesy of the artist. 
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Pew Fellows Carmen Maria Machado and Vitche-Boul Ra. Photos by Neal Santos.
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EgoPo Classic Theater, rehearsal for Ramayana with Papermoon Puppet Theatre and Kalanari Theatre Movement, 2023, Java, Indonesia. Photo courtesy of EgoPo. 

Projects in Process: Wilma Theater and EgoPo on Creative Collaborations
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Nels Cline in performance at Royce Hall, Los Angeles. Photo by Phinn Sriployrung.

Guitarist Nels Cline on Musical Lineage
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Walking with Trane, Urban Bush Women. Photo by Gennia Cui.
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Pew Fellows Candice Iloh and Armando Veve. Photos by Neal Santos.

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Enrique Bostelmann, Portrait of Cora Flores, 1980, part of Mirages series.

Projects in Process: Discoveries in the Archives with Berman Museum and Japan America Society
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