Stop the Violence

Stop the Violence is the result of conversations with adults and children who use the Ford PAL Recreation Center about what the PAL Center represents and how it is used. The design is pulled from children’s drawings created in artist-led workshops, where they looked at fonts and thought about how the letter forms could speak about what happens at PAL.

The blues and greens build off of the actual color of the building. The words “Ford PAL Center” are filled with elements from kids’ drawings. The “Stop the Violence” sign on the right was designed by a student in the workshop.

The Ford PAL Center youth who participated in the project are:

Delmontee Jones, Siani Jones, Yaaseem Maven, Fahtene Pailin, Taahir Rowe, Janyiah Slaughter, Nahijah Thomas, Shaniyah Tinsley, Yameek Whitfield, & Nayla Wood

This project was part of a larger project, Make Sew Weave, meant to begin a literal and metaphorical dialogue between textiles representing the different communities of South Philadelphia. Textile workshops were a source for the designs that allowed for a new interweaving of visual and textile traditions. The goal of this Southeast by Southeast project was to highlight inter- relations between refugee, immigrant populations and the general and diverse South Philadelphia community through the creation of products and public art pieces.

The project also sought to revitalize and engage the rich cultures of the South of Snyder 7th Street business corridor through the artwork placed on exterior storefronts and selected non-profits. The project created opportunities for community members to come together to highlight the vibrancy of the neighborhood to the wider city.