The Culture of African American Storytelling – Wisdom of Our Elders (R.W. Brown Boys and Girls Club panel)

Alloyius Mcilwaine designed The Culture of African American Storytelling – Wisdom of Our Elders as a triptych, a work of art divided into three sections. These three sections work separately and together to illustrate three aspects of African American storytelling. The first section features a little boy representing the potential of an African American storyteller and shows various parts of the boy’s imagination and aspirations. The second section depicts the history of the African American experience. It showcases how many critical aspects of African American history are passed down through stories and are not represented in many of our history books. The third section illustrates the fables and tales originating from African storytellers than have been passed down through the generations to our current elders. These stories often provide essential life lessons and teach youth about morality.
 
As part of Comcast’s celebration of Black History Month, Mcilwaine’s design was then sent to Paintillio, who created 1×1 ft. paint by numbers squares and kits for 200+ Comcast Employees to paint. These 200+ squares were then mailed back to Mcilwaine to reassemble as a completed mural across 18 4x4ft squares (6 squares per section of the triptych design). The completed murals were then installed by Madison Art Consulting at three Caring People Alliance locations around Philadelphia, including:

-South Philadelphia Boys and Girls Club (CPA), 2433 S 15th St.
-West Philadelphia Boys and Girls Club (CPA), 5843 Catherine St.
-R.W. Brown Boys and Girls Club (CPA), 1701 N 8th St.

Location Note: This mural is located inside the R.W. Brown Boys and Girls Club and may not be available for public viewing.