Honoring Kindred Arts and Little Giant Creative on the occasion of Monumental Tour's public art exhibit in the City of Philadelphia.

WHEREAS, Kindred Arts is a cultural equity initiative that conceives of and executes community arts programming in public spaces, viewing art as a catalyst for civic dialogue; and

WHEREAS, Little Giant Creative, a Philadelphia-based full-service creative agency, partnered with Kindred Arts to execute Monumental Tour in Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, Monumental

is a public art exhibit traveling across the United States, empowering social change through the arts, and exhibiting artwork throughout Philadelphia in October and November 2020; and

WHEREAS, The purpose of Monumental’s multi-state tour is to maintain the momentum of the George Floyd protests and facilitate productive civic dialogue needed to shape the national identity in the long term; and

WHEREAS, The tour’s first installation,

All Power to the People

, a 28-foot Afro pick designed by multimedia artist Hank Willis Thomas, was displayed in West Philadelphia and North Philadelphia

. Thomas’s artwork combines the afro pick and the Black Power salute, while the title references a legendary Black Panther Party slogan; and

WHEREAS, Monumental also features

Rumors of War

,

a statue designed by the renowned artist Kehinde Wiley depicting a Black man wearing dreadlocks in a topknot, ripped jeans, a hoodie, and high tops, sitting atop a rearing horse. Installed at the corner of 52nd and Locust Streets in West Philadelphia,

Rumors of War

is Wiley’s response to the Confederate statues that often depict generals on horses, while simultaneously reimagining the 1805 painting

Napoleon Crossing the Alps

by French artist Jacques-Louis David

; and

WHEREAS, The exhibit will also include artist, filmmaker, and cinematographer Arthur Jaffa’s

Big Wheel

-

four seven-foot monster truck tires laced with mesh and iron chain, with abstract medallion 3-D printed sculptures in place of hubcaps, accompanied by a loop of Teddy Pendergrast ballads that play from floor speakers; and

WHEREAS, The Monumental Tour works with grassroots organizations to leverage dialogue to create fundamental change in the American experience, including amplifying voter registration and education efforts in advance of the presidential election; and

WHEREAS, Kindred Arts’ work to ensure that all people-including but not limited to those who have been historically underrepresented based on race/ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, citizenship status, or religion-have equal access to a full, vibrant, creative life, is work that is essential to ensuring a healthy and democratic society; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby honor Kindred Arts and Little Giant Creative on the occasion of Monumental Tour’s public art exhibit in the City of Philadelphia.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Marsha Reid, Director of Kindred Arts, as an expression of the gratitude and appreciation of City Council.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Tayyib Smith, Co-founder of Little Giant Creative, as an expression of the gratitude and appreciation of City Council.

End