Make your own historic tunnel book with Elephants on the Avenue

Are we aware of the ways that typical historical narratives highlight a “Eurocentric” perspective? Instead of focusing on rich, famous, or politically notable figures, how do we get to the stories of ordinary people who lived and worked in servitude in Philadelphia? On January 9, Historic Germantown’s (HG) Elephants on the Avenue project continues to ask with its second workshop, “Behind Closed Doors: Hidden Stories and Truths,” at La Salle University Art Museum.

Elephants on the Avenue, launched last year through dollars from the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, is a program of HG that will last for two years, featuring special events and artist-led workshops that tackle Northwest Philly’s “elephants”: issues of race and class in the region’s history. Local historians and HG member sites collaborate with participating artists who give neighbors the chance to share and hear stories through different gatherings and workshops.

According to HG, “Artful engagement with these ‘elephants’ may allow for productive tension and provide opportunities for honest, deeper discussions and authentic engagement with these issues.”

Saturday’s workshop is happening with the leadership of Germantown’s Ife Nii Owoo, a visual collage artist and graphic designer, and Abigail Perkiss, an assistant professor of history at Kean University who specializes in American cities’ post-WWII African-American history, oral history, and legal history.

Participants will have a chance to make a “tunnel book,” which is a multimedia art form dating back to the 18th century.

“Like moveable or pop-up books, tunnel books present ideas and images in a 3-dimensional format,” HG explains, letting viewers literally read between the lines and look through the stories the artwork tells. Participants can bring photos, artifacts, and their own experiences to make their own “tunnel book memoir,” and no previous art experience is needed.

“Behind Closed Doors: Hidden Stories and Truths” is coming to Historic Germantown member site La Salle University Art Museum, 1900 W. Olney Avenue, Philadelphia, on Saturday, January 9 from 10am-1pm. The workshop is free, but advanced registration is required: email [email protected] or call 215-844-1683.

At right: "The Arrival," an example of a tunnel book by Ife Nii Owoo. Photo by Nathea Lee.