Join Monument Lab at our newest public art and history exhibition Declaration House at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, opening on Monday, June 24. The exhibition explores the site where Thomas Jefferson and Robert Hemmings spent several months in Philadelphia during the summer of 1776 during the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. The project poses a central question: What does the Declaration of Independence mean to us today? By moving Hemmings to the center of this moment in history, the project seeks to illuminate the entangled legacies of freedom and enslavement at the core of our nation’s founding.

The opening Declaration House Block Party is Monday, June 24 from 5-8pm. Organized by Monument Lab Senior Curator Yolanda Wisher, the Block Party will feature live performances, as well as food trucks, water ice, and refreshments. We will be unveiling Sonya Clark's public artwork “The Descendants of Monticello'' with featured speakers from Monticello and its Getting Word African American Oral History Project, a procession with Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club, and other special guests including Bethlehem & Sad Patrick and Judah Burke.

We’re also giving away 150 free children’s books thanks to our partners at Harriett’s Bookshop. The Block Party will feature community tables with programmatic partners including the African American Museum in Philadelphia, Free Library of Philadelphia, Independence Historical Trust, Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Restorative Justice Program, PhillyCAM, and WHYY.

The Declaration House Opening Block Party is a part of Wawa Welcome America. 

The event is free and open to the public.

Major support for Declaration House has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from VIA Art Fund and the National Endowment for the Arts. Lead project partners include Independence National Historical Park and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation’s Monticello and its Getting Word African American Oral History Project. The Declaration House Opening Block Party is a part of Wawa Welcome America.