PHILADELPHIA, PA (June 18, 2026) – As Philadelphia prepares to welcome visitors from around the
world during a year shaped by the United States semiquincentennial, international sporting events, and
citywide cultural celebrations, Brandywine Workshop and Archives (BWA) (730 S. Broad Street,
Philadelphia, PA 19146) invites visitors to reconsider a foundational question: Who is included in “We
the People?”
Opening June 18 through October 26, 2026, “We” The People transforms BWA’s Firehouse Gallery into
an exhibition exploring the communities, migrations, and cultural exchanges that shaped Philadelphia
across centuries. The exhibition, organized by BWA Curator Alicia DeLarge and independent curator
Zindzi Harley, draws from the organization’s print collection to examine how artists have documented
belonging, displacement, labor, faith, resistance, and identity while tracing Philadelphia’s evolution
through Indigenous presence, migration, diaspora, and cultural exchange.
“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.
Visitors will encounter works by artists from across generations and geographies, including American
painter Jacob Lawrence; artist and author Faith Ringgold; conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas;
Jamaican-born interdisciplinary artist Andrea Chung; Congolese artist Alexandre Mwilambwe Kyungu;
Native American artist Edgar Heap of Birds; painter and educator Benny Andrews; Cuban artist Ibrahim
Miranda; and many others represented in BWA’s collection. Together, these works reveal how artists
have used printmaking to document migration, preserve cultural memory, and reflect the many
identities and experiences that shaped Philadelphia. The exhibition includes offset lithographs, screen
prints, intaglios, woodcuts, digitally carved works, and other print-based media spanning more than four
decades of artistic production.
“‘We the People’ has always been both an invitation and a question,” said DeLarge. “This exhibition asks
visitors to think about who shaped Philadelphia, whose stories have historically been excluded from
dominant narratives, and how art helps us better understand the complexity of belonging, identity, and
community.”
Beyond the artworks themselves, “We” The People invites visitors to participate through an interactive
map installation that encourages them to reflect on their own histories of migration, ancestry, and
neighborhood identity. Guests will have the opportunity to connect their country or region of origin with
the Philadelphia neighborhood they call home using yarn and pushpins. The evolving installation visually
illustrates the many journeys and communities that continue to shape the city today. A timeline wall
guides visitors through major periods of cultural arrival and exchange, connecting personal histories
with broader narratives about Philadelphia’s development.
“For more than five decades, Brandywine Workshop and Archives has created space for artists and
communities from around the world to connect through printmaking,” said Rebecca Morrison,
Executive Director of Brandywine Workshop and Archives. “This exhibition reflects the international and
collaborative spirit that has shaped both Philadelphia and our organization.”
Admission to “We” The People is free, and Brandywine Workshop and Archives welcomes visitors by
appointment. To schedule a visit, call (267) 908-2775 or email prints@brandywineworkshop.org. Forty-
eight hours’ notice is required for individual visitors and small groups; please provide one week’s notice
for groups of four or more.
