Discover Lost Pieces of Philly History at Christ Church Neighborhood House 'Groundings: An Exhibit'

This summer, Christ Church Neighborhood House pulls back the curtain on a lesser known history in  the City of Brotherly Love. Christ Church has been conducting research to discover the lives and everyday acts of resilience and survival by Black people, both free and enslaved in Colonial Philadelphia. Many were buried on the grounds of Christ Church without headstones and this research is designed to shed light on who these people were. This research will culminate in On Buried Ground, an upcoming performance running during the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Part of the experience will also include an interactive art exhibit.  Groundings: An Exhibition opens July 26 at 7 p.m, explores history, memory, and hope in 18th and 19th Century Philadelphia. The exhibit is at Christ Church Neighborhood House, 40 N. American Street, Philadelphia.

More information can be found at neighborhood-house.com. 

Groundings is a multidisciplinary exhibition that leverages visual art, historical records, and storytelling to explore the known and unknown histories of Black congregants at Christ Church. One such congregant was Alice of Dunk's Ferry (1686 – 1802), who was a notable historian and storyteller.  Visitors will peek into some of the individuals portrayed in the On Buried Ground performance, and thus deepen their experience of the ancestors called forth. This exhibit features original work by artists Misty Sol, Destiny Crockett, Theodore Harris, and Intisar Hamilton.  

“The exhibit provides a multifaceted exploration of Black history in and around Christ Church, revealing narratives that have often been overlooked,” said the exhibit's  curator Malkia Okech. “Parishioners of Christ Church included both free and enslaved Black people who had complete and whole multifaceted lives. There is so much we do not know, so this exhibit attempts to shed light on methods of art and research that attempt to fill these gaps. ”

Audiences will encounter historical records, audio sensory experiences, and art that gives audiences an experience that makes the histories of the enslaved and free people of African descent in Philadelphia, and also considers what grounds us in time, place, and our identities. 

The On Buried Ground performance runs September 4-September 14, during the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Dance artist Shayla-Vie Jenkins and playwright Ang Bey have developed a piece of theatrical storytelling informed by the archival records and new scholarship. 

“Christ Church is a microcosm of what we understand as Philadelphia history.,” said Okech. “Christ Church's congregation included 15 signers of the Declaration of Independence and American Revolutionary War leaders. Attendees of Christ Church include George Washington, Robert Morris, Benjamin Franklin.  At this same church the first Black Episcopal priest in America, Absalom Jones, was ordained. A source, from the Library of Congress claims that 25 percent of all free and enslaved Africans in Philadelphia were baptized at the church.  On Buried Ground, both the performance and Groundings, the exhibit, bring Black life to the center of a typically overshadowed narrative.”

On Buried Ground is funded by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

About Christ Church Neighborhood House

Built by the Christ Church parish to serve the residents of industrial Old City, Neighborhood House opened its doors in 1915. In the late 1990s, local artists seeking unusual, flexible, and affordable venues for Live Arts/Fringe Festival performances discovered the building's large, open spaces. The Neighborhood House program solidified around that homegrown demand and the facility advanced with it, greatly aided by the significant initial investments of the William Penn Foundation.

Today, in addition to housing the Christ Church Parish and Preservation Trust offices, Christ Church Neighborhood House serves a core constituency of cross-disciplinary performing artists who imagine new and experimental works in our ADA-accessible, 110-seat theater. The reach of our arts programming extends beyond the building walls to include concerts in the Christ Church sanctuary and commissions for every corner of our historical campus.

In 2016, we took over operation of the Farmers Market at Christ Church, formerly N3rd Street Farmers Market. Every Wednesday afternoon, May-November, we invite farmers, artisans, and the community onto the brick pavers outside the church gates.

To post a comment, you must register and login.