Common Ground

Common Ground is a permanent public art project developed in partnership with anti-homelessness organization Project HOME through the Association for Public Art’s New•Land•Marks program. Created by artists John H. Stone and Lonnie Graham in collaboration with author Lorene Cary and consulting architect George Claflen, the project is located at Project HOME’s Helen Brown Community Center at St. Elizabeth’s at 23rd and Berks Streets in North Philadelphia on the “footprint” of St. Elizabeth’s Church, which was destroyed by fire in 1995. Common Ground was completed and dedicated in June 2009.

Common Ground consists of three parts: the Sanctuary, the Inspirational Gateway, and the Common Room. The centerpiece of Common Ground is an open-air Sanctuary that rises where the altar of St. Elizabeth’s once stood. Surrounding the site is an Inspirational Gateway, a customized fence that incorporates the words “Hope”, “Strength”, and “Experience” – key concepts for many participants in Project HOME’s comprehensive programs. The Common Room, located inside the former St. Elizabeth’s rectory, is an indoor meeting space that has been redesigned by the artists and includes handmade light fixtures, photographs, and quotes from elder community members, and a white oak table crafted from a single plank of wood rescued from a farmhouse in Pennsylvania. Together, these elements provide new meeting places for the Project HOME community to gather, reflect, and celebrate the neighborhood’s history, people, and ongoing revitalization.

The three renowned African-American artists involved with the project each have close ties to the St. Elizabeth’s community. Sculptor and designer John Stone had worked in the past as a construction manager at Project HOME and helped clear out St. Elizabeth’s Church before its demolition. His past exhibits include Philadelphia venues such as the Levy Gallery at the Moore College of Art and Design. Writer and activist Lorene Cary is the award winning author of The Price of Child and founder of Art Sanctuary at the nearby Church of the Advocate. Lonnie Graham, who was named Pennsylvania Artist of the Year in 2005, is an internationally exhibited photographer who has been capturing images of the neighborhood for years.

Common Ground was commissioned through Association for Public Art’s program New·Land·Marks: public art, community, and the meaning of place which brings together artists and communities to plan and create new works of public art for Philadelphia. Common Ground was made possible with the generous support of The William Penn Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Samuel S. Fels Fund, The Barra Foundation, The Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation, Union Benevolent Association, The Honickman Foundation, Connelly Foundation, Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, Macy’s Foundation, and an anonymous donor.

New•Land•Marks: public art, community, and the meaning of place

New•Land•Marks: public art, community, and the meaning of place was a program of Association for Public Art (formerly Fairmount Park Art Association) that brought together artists and community organizations to plan and create new works throughout Philadelphia.

New•Land•Marks proposals incorporated public art into ongoing community development, urban greening, public amenities, and other revitalization initiatives. These efforts celebrated community identity, commemorated “untold” histories, and offered visionary, yet reasonable, ways to invigorate public spaces.

From News:

Artists John Stone and Lonnie Graham recently completed work on the Common Room and Community Archive for Project H.O.M.E. at 23rd and Berks Streets in North Philadelphia. These indoor elements are part of Common Ground (formerly titled Dwelling Place/Church Lot), a multi-part public art project created through the Art Association’s New•Land•Marks program in partnership with Project H.O.M.E., a nationally-recognized anti-homelessness agency.

Located on the “footprint” of St. Elizabeth’s Church, which was destroyed by fire in 1995, the project has been designed to meet the spiritual and practical needs of the neighborhood. The Common Room, which is located inside the former rectory of St. Elizabeth’s Church, has been painted two soothing shades of blue and has new custom designed light fixtures, including a large handmade chandelier. The chandelier, created by artist John Stone, hangs in the center of the room and is made from found objects that refer to the history of the community. A large white oak table, commissioned by the artists and crafted from a single plank of wood, fills the center of the room.

The artistic finishes of the Common Room pay tribute to the intergenerational nature of the project. Quotes from Ms. Miles, a local matriarch who Graham recorded while completing a series of interviews with elder community members, circle the room. Large sheer panels that have been printed with photographic images of hands belonging to women in the senior ceramics group that regularly meets in the space cover the window. Flanking the window, the artists have installed photomurals that depict the Foot Stompers, the neighborhood’s award-winning youth drill team.

The Community Archive, which occupies a corner of the Common Room, is a repository for photos, videos, and oral histories collected from the neighborhood. The artists have installed a new computer and scanner in the room, and neighborhood youths have been trained to help community members add their photos and stories. A renowned photographer, Graham has placed many portraits of the neighborhood in the Archive.

The outdoor elements of the project are currently underway. Pending construction approvals, the outdoor Sanctuary structure and Inspirational Fence will be installed in early 2009.