I Curated An Exhibit!

https://easternstate.org/visit/events/pop-museum

Hi All, I'm interrupting my regularly scheduled programming - which, in this case, has been interminable silence as I've been very busy with work and other commitments - to let you know about something exciting in my world: 

I've curated an exhibit at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site!

 

Eastern State Pen opened as a functioning prison in 1829, carrying the hopes of its designers to be a model prison for the world in the city of Philadelphia, a place of reflection and, as the name implies, penitence, for its inhabitants. Almost one hundred and fifty years later, the site closed down, and for many years, there were questions about its future. Would it be repurposed? Torn down? Preserved? By the late 1980s, preservation had won out, and its buildings and landscape now function as a historic site that "interprets the legacy of American criminal justice reform, from the nation’s founding through to the present day, within the long-abandoned cellblocks of the nation’s most historic prison."

Every winter holiday season, they reach into their archives of objects and documents found during preservation efforts and/or donated by those connected to the site - formerly incarcerated people, guards, and others - to explore stories around a particular theme. This year's theme is "Race and Segregation" and rather than curating the exhibit themselves, they sought an outside voice. Enter me! 

I've known members of the interpretive and archival staff at ESP for over a decade, since my time working as an educator at the African American Museum in Philadelphia. I feel very honored to have been invited in to explore this complex topic with them, to get to dig into their archives, to learn more about the stories of the men and women who were incarcerated at, worked at, or were in oversight roles for the penitentiary. Doubly so given the really thoughtful work they've been doing to help Americans think more deeply about our relationship to a criminal justice system that incarcerates people at a higher rate than anywhere else in the world and that does not treat all people equally. 

We have clearly just scratched the surface of the topic of race and segregation at Eastern State, but I'm excited for what we've been able to explore. If you're in Philly, or plan to visit between now and January 2nd, be sure to check out Segregated Cellblocks: Race and Change at Eastern State! 

To learn more, visit: https://easternstate.org/visit/events/pop-museum.