Thank you to our registered attendees of the 2024 Monument Lab Summit. You can find the in-person schedule and other information here. If you have not yet registered, we are sorry to report the in-person Summit passes are sold out, but livestream passes are available for all keynotes and panels. For more information, visit our Livestream page.
Information on our Field Trips and Workshops can be found here.
Please check this webpage regularly for schedule updates and announcements.
[Updated: July 16, 2024]
DAY 1: Thursday, July 18
Location: Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Monument Lab Summit Expo
9:00 AM–6:00 PM
Independence Visitor Center (First Floor, North End)
Breakfast and Registration
9:00 AM–10:00 AM
(First Floor, South End)
Welcome: Past is Presence
10:00 AM–11:00 AM
Remarks: Paul Farber (Director, Monument Lab), Elizabeth Alexander (President, Mellon Foundation), Tiffany Tavarez (Board Chair, Monument Lab), and Yolanda Wisher (Senior Curator, Monument Lab)
Keynote Conversation – Getting Word: Origins & Outcomes of Our Nation’s Founding
11:00 AM–12:00 PM
Explore the untold stories and lasting impacts of America's founding through the lens of diverse narratives and historical truths, reshaping our understanding of national identity and justice.
Poem: Kai Davis (Philadelphia Poet Laureate, 2024-25)
Moderator: Justin Garrett Moore (Program Director, Humanities in Place, Mellon Foundation)
Keynote Speakers: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (Writer, Historian, Lecturer) and Andrew M. Davenport (Director of African American History & The Getting Word African American Oral History Project, Thomas Jefferson Foundation’s Monticello)
Catered Boxed Lunch
12:00 PM–1:30 PM
Panel – Possible Futures: Visions of Democracy & Belonging
1:30 PM–2:30 PM
Envision democratic societies that foster belonging and equity, highlighting innovative approaches to public engagement and community-building.
Poem: Alexis Pauline Gumbs, “kapoi” (Writer, Dramaturg, Facilitator, 2024 Monument Lab Fellow)
Moderator: Wit López (Artist, Community Archivist, Radical Social Change Philanthropist)
Panelists: Paul Ramírez Jonas (Artist; Professor, Cornell University), Laura Huerta Migus (Deputy Director, Institute of Museum and Library Services), and Jane Golden (Executive Director, Mural Arts Philadelphia)
Break
2:30 PM–2:50 PM
Panel – Mapping Memory: Communing with the Landscape
2:50 PM–3:50 PM
Consider how landscapes serve as living archives of memory and history, and learn about the collaborative efforts to preserve and interpret these spaces for future generations.
Poem: Imani Jacqueline Brown, “Black Ecologies: an opening, an offering” (excerpt) (Artist, Activist, Curator, Writer, Architectural Researcher, 2024 Monument Lab Fellow)
Moderator: Anna Arabindan-Kesson (Art Historian, Writer, Co-Curator, Declaration House)
Panelists: Niya Bates (Public and Architectural Historian), and Dr. Joy Banner (Co-Founder and Co-Director, The Descendants Project) and Jo Banner (Co-Founder and Co-Director, The Descendants Project)
Break
3:50 PM–4:10 PM
Panel – Courage & Healing: What Do We Do With the Ghosts?
4:10 PM–5:10 PM:
Delve into the complex process of addressing historical trauma through art and public memory, exploring pathways to communal healing and reconciliation.
Poem: Fady Joudah, “Dear […]” (Poet, Physician, 2024 Monument Lab Fellow)
Moderator: Arielle Julia Brown (Performance Curator and Cultural Producer, Black Spatial Relics)
Panelists: Michelle Browder (Artist, Activist, Creator of Mothers of Gynecology Monument), Cannupa Hanska Luger (Artist, 2024 Monument Lab Fellow), Patrick Weems (Executive Director, Emmett Till Interpretive Center)
Break
5:10 PM-5:30 PM
Keynote Conversation – From Declaration to Reclamation & Back
5:30 PM–7:00 PM
Reflect on the journey from the foundational ideals of the Declaration of Independence to contemporary efforts of historical reclamation and reinterpretation, highlighting the ongoing quest for justice and inclusion.
Poem & Moderator: Yolanda Wisher (Senior Curator, Monument Lab)
Keynote Speakers: Sonya Clark (Lead Artist, Declaration House) and Dr. Jane Kamensky (President, Thomas Jefferson Foundation)
DAY 2: Friday, July 19
Location: Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 and Various Sites
Coffee/Tea and Registration
9:00 AM–10:00 AM
(First Floor, South End - Market Street Entrance)
Field Trips
10:00 AM–12:00 PM
Field Trips provide Summit participants with an opportunity to experience Philadelphia’s public history memoryscape through walking and trolley tours. Registered attendees are invited to pre-register for one Field Trip through Monument Lab. For a full list of Field Trip meet-up locations, descriptions, transportation, and accessibility notes, review the registration information page here or speak to a staffer at the registration table at the Independence Visitor Center.
- Beyond the (Liberty) Bell Tour with Joey Leroux (Co-Founder, Beyond the Bell Tours)
- ConsenSIS Poetry Walkshop—Sisterly History in Old City with Trapeta B. Mayson (Co-Founder, ConsenSIS) & Julie Rainbow (Team Member, ConsenSIS)
- Declaration House with Anna Arabindan-Kesson, Paul Farber, and Yolanda Wisher (Declaration House Curators)
- History Unveiled: Exploring Old City's Public Art and Monuments with Ashley Lippolis and Crishana Manigan (Association for Public Art)
- Imprint: Dox Thrash–Black Life and American Culture with Morgan Lloyd (Programming Coordinator and Lead Guide, the African American Museum in Philadelphia)
- Masterpieces West Vehicle Mural Tour with Mural Arts Philadelphia
- Phillis’ Librarie—A Liberatory Literary Tour with STARFIRE (Curator of Energy & Creative Expression)
- The Henry Ossawa Tanner House with Christopher R. Rogers (Co-Coordinator, the Friends of the Tanner House)
Catered Lunch
12:00 PM–1:30 PM
Locations: African American Museum in Philadelphia, 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106; Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Workshops
2:00 PM–4:00 PM
Workshops will provide Summit attendees with a facilitated space for exploration, skill-sharing, and exchange. Registered attendees are invited to pre-register for one Workshop through Monument Lab. For a full list of Workshop meet-up locations, descriptions, transportation, and accessibility notes, review the registration information page here or speak to a staffer at the registration table at the Independence Visitor Center.
- Conducting Oral Histories with Jenna Owens and Auriana Woods (Oral Historians, Getting Word African American Oral History Project at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation’s Monticello)
- Introduction to the National Monument Audit with Yannick Trapman O’Brien (Project Specialist, Monument Lab) and Tina Villadolid (Assistant Project Manager, Monument Lab)
- Performance as Monument with Marisa Williamson (Artist)
- Collaborating With the Public in Public Artmaking with Joseph Iacona, Netanel Portier, and Accra Zuberi (Mural Arts Institute)
- Street Renaming and the Municipal Politics of History with Sue Mobley (Director of Research, Monument Lab) & Thomas J. Adams (Senior Research and Historical Advisor, Monument Lab)
- The Shape of Your Mind: Making an Art Installation with Miguel Horn & Symone Salib (2024 Artists in Residence, Monument Lab)
- Time Traveling with Artificial Intelligence with Rashid Zakat (Artist)
- Monumental Lessons: The beautiful and back-breaking work of building new monuments in the deep south with Taylor Holloway (Belonging Designer, Architect, Social Impact Strategist)
Break
4:00 PM-6:00 PM
Keynote – Reimagining Commemoration
6:00 PM–7:30 PM
Learn how modern commemorative practices can honor diverse histories and narratives, fostering a more inclusive and accurate representation of our shared past.
Location: FringeArts, 140 N. Columbus Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Poem: Trapeta B. Mayson (Philadelphia Poet Laureate Emerita)
Welcome: Paul Farber (Director, Monument Lab
Keynote Speaker: Elizabeth Alexander (President, Mellon Foundation)
Moderator: Salamishah Tillet (Scholar, Activist, Critic, Curator)
Closing – Monument Lab Summer Party & Bulletin Launch Party
8:00 PM–10:00 PM
Join Monument Lab at Cherry Street Pier to celebrate the launch of Bulletin, our first-ever print journal. The inaugural issue explores the theme of “Ghosts” across the monument landscape, and our ghost-themed summer party will feature DJ sets by Samala and Rashid Zakat, food trucks, custom typewriter poems by Dream Poet for Hire, aura photos by Inner Light Aura, and more.
Location: Cherry Street Pier, 121 N. Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19106
Food Trucks: Burrito Feliz Philly, Humpty Dumplings, and Lil Pop Shop
Remarks: Paul Farber (Director, Monument Lab), Yolanda Wisher (Senior Curator, Monument Lab), and Patricia Eunji Kim (Curator at Large, Monument Lab; Bulletin Editor)
Activations: Dream Poet for Hire
DJs: Samala (Board Member, Monument Lab) and Rashid Zakat (Artist)
In-person FAQ’s
What hotels are nearby?
Hilton Garden Inn Philadelphia Center City
1100 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Link to hotel here >
Philadelphia Marriott Old City
1 Dock Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Link to hotel here >
Is there parking available?
Paid parking is available on-site at Independence Visitor Center, and there are locations to securely lock bikes at the venue. All venues are widely accessible by public transit.
Will food be provided?
Breakfast and lunch will be provided for all registered participants on July 18, and lunch will be provided on July 19. We will also provide a list of recommended coffee shops, restaurants, and bars in the area.
What is the Summit Dress Code?
The dress code is flexible. Many attendees will be dressed in business casual attire, but we encourage you to come as you are. We hope you consider your own comfort, the summer weather, and your site-specific field trips and workshops.
I have an accessibility need. Will accommodations be available?
Closed captioning and visual descriptions will be provided for all Summit panels and keynotes. Venues are ADA accessible. Field Trips include sites that are ADA accessible and others that may pose challenges for mobility. If you need assistance to accommodate a disability, you may request an accommodation at any time. Please contact [email protected] with questions or to request additional accommodations.