Freedom is... - Opening

Freedom is… is a permanent installation commissioned by ArtPhilly for Broad Street Love.  This monumental new work was created by the Nigerian-American artist Odili Donald Odita on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.  This project commemorates the City of Philadelphia as the “birthplace of America” and as a sanctuary city. It takes the form of a triptych of sheer fabric banners suspended from the vaulted ceiling of Broad Street Love’s historic site of sanctuary.  Bathed in natural light from Broad Street Love’s stained-glass windows, this commission pulsates with abstract shapes in vibrant colors inspired by the artwork’s title, Freedom is…. For Odita, this site-specific artwork, created in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, signals the momentous potential shared by those whose gifts are often underserved and overlooked. “For me,” Odili writes, “this anniversary offers the opportunity to lift the voices of those who will become our country’s future.”  Building on this theme, Odita has designed an evening of spoken word responding to the artwork’s poetic prompt: “Freedom is…” that features Evan Wang, the 9th National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States, and the communities served by Broad Street Love.

 

Image: Freedom is…  Odilia Donald Odita, 2026.  photograph by Matthew Hollerbush