Throughlines

Throughlines is a river-to-river citywide public art exhibition that invites us to explore how democracy has taken shape in Philadelphia, from 1776 to the present—not just in the historic landmarks and documents we all know, but in the everyday spaces where people live, gather, work, and care for one another.

Featured artworks—including new, restored, and reimagined murals—will trace the ways Philadelphians have built and upheld democracy, through four major themes:

• Assembly: The act of coming together in a city’s public spaces to celebrate, organize, and work for change
• Labor: The physical and creative work that sustains the city—both visible and invisible, paid and unpaid
• Stewardship: The prolonged work of care for a city’s shared spaces such as parks, rivers, buildings, and blocks
• Belonging: How people feel welcomed and recognized, and come to feel part of a city

These artworks cannot be found in museums, but rather in the very places where public life happens every day: on sidewalks and underpasses, near schools and rec centers, at transit stops and neighborhood crossings. These are the spaces where a city becomes a “we,” where people share space, solve problems, and decide what kind of city they want to live in. This is where democracy takes root and thrives.

Throughlines artworks will pop up at highly visible locations throughout Philadelphia this spring, alongside paint days, trolley tours of the sites, and an opening celebration this summer, in tandem with Philadelphia’s major Semiquincentennial festivities.

Stay tuned for more information about participating artists and Throughlines artwork locations.