Don’t Miss Kaitlin Pomerantz’s Temporary Monument to The Philly Stoop in Washington Square Park

November 10, 2017

This weekend is your last chance to catch Kaitlin Pomerantz‘s temporary monument to the Philly stoop, titled On the Threshold (Salvaged Stoops, Philadelphia,) in Washington Square park before they’re deinstalled on Monday.

This installation is one of 20 artist-created “prototype monuments” apart of Monument Lab, a citywide public art and history exhibition that’s asking, What is an appropriate monument for the current city of Philadelphia? (Full disclosure: As I announced in September, I am on the Monument Lab Curatorial Team.)

As she writes in her artist statement, Kaitlin’s installation is a response to the recent immense change and transformation across Philly’s neighborhoods: “This monument consists of a dozen stoops that have been salvaged from recently demolished buildings around the city of Philadelphia, and reconstructed using historical and traditional masonry techniques by Bricklayers and Allied Craftsworkers Local 1 PA-DE. These fragments-become-whole-again invite viewers to consider the vast changes taking place in the landscape of Philadelphia—the city’s architectural and social histories, and what is being lost as well as preserved in a time of rampant development. They remind us of how built space shapes social space, and ask us to be active citizens in matters pertaining to the landscape of Philadelphia as it passes into this new threshold of economic growth.”

Anyone else think these should be permanent?! They’re such a perfect addition to the park, and as you can see in the photos, they’re quite utilitarian too. People know exactly how to use the stoops, because it’s how Philadelphians have been using stoops for generations. Read: for everything from chatting with friends and neighbors to eating a hoagie at lunch. Please keep these, or install them in another park, please please please!