Elephants on the Avenue: Race, Class and Community in Historic Germantown

Using the arts as a catalyst for community dialogue and engagement around race and class in Philadelphia's diverse Germantown neighborhood, Historic Germantown presented Elephants on the Avenue: Race, Class and Community in Historic Germantown. This multi-part project joined community members with artists such as Barbara Bullock and Benjamin Volta, poets Sonia Sanchez and Yolanda Wisher, and historians from across the US to create public art installations, educational programs, and community events. The project creatively explored such themes as indifference and respect, racism and tolerance, slavery and abolition, and exclusion and inclusion through a series of interpretive community workshops and conversations led by participating artists, which culminated in a multidisciplinary exhibition and documentary. To complement the project, Historic Germantown organized a community festival, free bus tours to its historic sites, and a series of community meals to encourage continued reflection and conversation around the project.

Additional unrestricted funds are added to each grant for general operating support.