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"Echoes of Our Future" honors the powerful and enduring legacy of Black artists whose lives and works intersect with the city of Philadelphia. As the birthplace of American democracy commemorates its 250th anniversary, this exhibition reframes the historical arc of the city through the lens of Black artistic excellence, cultural stewardship, and radical imagination.
Philadelphia’s rich artistic lineage is not just told through its institutions but through its classrooms, sidewalks, living rooms, churches, and community centers. Many of the featured artists were not only creatives but mentors, educators, and activists rooted in Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. Some were born here. Others came to teach, study, or organize and in doing so, became integral to the city’s evolving cultural identity.
As a forward-facing platform, “Echoes of Our Future” also initiates “The Next 250”, a living educational project that empowers students across the region to define Philadelphia’s artistic future through workshops, mentorship, and visual storytelling.
To view this exhibition, visit the Barbara Crawford Gallery (500 W. Willow Grove Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19118) during open community hours:
January 15 | 5-6:30 PM • January 19 | 10 AM-12 PM • January 31 I 12 - 1 PM • February 21 | 12 -2 PM • March 7 | 12 - 2 PM -
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Picturing Community
Philadelphia through the Artists' LensThis composition is dedicated to the myriad ways artists captured life in the city, from uplifting community members through formal portraits to abstracting their subjects as a form of social critique.
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Eustace Mamba
Blockhead, 2022Mixed Media
24 x 12 in.
61 x 30.5 cm -
Barbara Bullock
Brother, 1968Charcoal drawing on paper
20 x 15 in.
50.8 x 38.1 cm -
Donald E. Camp
Man Who Feels Shape (David Stephens), 2006Casein and raw earth on paper
30 x 22 in.
76.2 x 55.9 cm -
Hughie Lee-Smith
Going Home, 1987Oil on linen canvas
9 x 12 in.
22.9 x 30.5 cm -
Deryl Mackie
Pink Soldier, 2001Tempera on board
14 x 10 in.
35.6 x 25.4 cm -
Dox Thrash
Wandering Boy, 1940, c.Watercolor on paper
16 x 12 in.
40.6 x 30.5 cm -
Ellen Powell Tiberino
Jerri, 1974Oil on Canvas
40 x 28 in.
101.6 x 71.1 cm -
Paul Keene
Blue Dress, 1985Acrylic on paper
30 x 22 in.
76.2 x 55.9 cm -
Rex Goreleigh
Wash Day, 1979Oil on linen canvas
28 x 22 in.
71.1 x 55.9 cm -
Hughie Lee-Smith
Untitled (Seated Figure) (Seated Figure), 1938Pencil on paper
12 x 9 in.
30.5 x 22.9 cm
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Charles Searles
Untitled (Portrait of a Young Man), c. 1968-1969Oil on cotton canvas
18 x 22 in.
45.7 x 55.9 cm -
Ron Tarver
A Ride by North Philly Rows, 1993Archival Pigment Print
17 x 26 in.
43.2 x 66 cm -
Wilmer Wilson IV
Danger Potential, 2024Staples on wood
48 x 48 x 1 3/4 in.
121.9 x 121.9 x 4.4 cm -
Dox Thrash
Shipfitters, 1941Aquatint on paper
10 1/2 x 7 1/2 in.
26.7 x 19.1 cm -
Dox Thrash
Wandering Boy, 1940, c.Watercolor on paper
16 x 12 in.
40.6 x 30.5 cm -
Columbus Knox
Engagement, 1989Acrylic on canvas
45 x 25 in.
114.3 x 63.5 cm -
Erlin Geffrard
Ma Soeur Amore, 2017Mixed Media
32 x 28 in.
81.3 x 71.1 cm -
Syd Carpenter
The Provider, 2016Clay, graphite and acrylic paint
21 x 17 in.
53.3 x 43.2 cm
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Music & Movement
Celebrating Philadelphia's rich Black music heritage -
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Reginald GammonMamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds, 2002Lithograph on paper20 1/4 x 18 in.
51.4 x 45.7 cm8 of 29 -
Columbus KnoxGuitar Player II, c. 1980Watercolor17 x 27 in.
43.2 x 68.6 cm -
Columbus KnoxGuitar Player I, 1980, c.Watercolor22 x 30 in.
55.9 x 76.2 cm
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A Changing Landscape
Capturing the natural and the built environment -
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Richard WatsonLibation, 2005Oil on Canvas25 x 32 x 1 3/4 in.
63.5 x 81.3 x 4.4 cm -
Rex GoreleighStill Life Cooking Mess, 1974Watercolor on paper19 1/2 x 23 1/2 in.
49.5 x 59.7 cm -
John DowellCycle of Abundance, 1998Acrylic on canvas40 x 36 in.
101.6 x 91.4 cm
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