We: The People
June 18, 2026 - October 26, 2026 | Curator: Alicia DeLarge
“We” The People is organized as a visual timeline around historical moments and cultural arrivals rather than geography. The exhibition traces Indigenous histories and pre-1776 land stewardship; nineteenth-century Black Philadelphia and self-determined communities; industrialization and European immigration in the 1800s; the Great Migration era and the movement of Black communities northward between 1916 and 1970; African Diaspora connections and cultural exchange; Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and Latin American arrivals from the mid-twentieth century onward; Asian diasporas, entrepreneurship, and cultural exchange; and BWA’s own role as a center for international artistic exchange. Its structure reflects a central premise: Philadelphia was not built by one community or one moment, but through centuries of movement, exchange, and collective contribution that continue to shape the city today.
