RECEPTION: The Pyramid Club: Garden Party
Artists: Leslie Willis-Lowry and Dr. William Dodd
Category: Photography Exhibition
Location: 1517 W Girard Avenue
Date & Time: Friday, July 25th: 4:00–6:00PM
The Pyramid Club served as a pivotal space for Black professionals, artists, and intellectuals during an era of racial segregation, embodying Alain Locke's "New Negro" philosophy through artistic freedom and integrated cultural exchange. In celebration of the on site exhibition "The Pyramid Club: Black Leisure and Cultural Empowerment" - we'll be hosting a "Garden Party", a recreation of the staple event that the Pyramid Club was once known for. Beginning promptly at 4pm, the night will feature a jazz performance by the Lovett Hines Creative Trio and will include bites and herbal mocktails from Rise and Ritual. Join us as we connect to this vital space of artistic empowerment, cultural exchange, and community empowerment.
Cultural Workers
Leslie Willis Lowry
Leslie Willis Lowry has worked in collections management as an archivist, researcher and consultant in several capacities, including special collections, exhibitions, films, television, publications and as liaison and consultant to many cultural institutions and religious organizations for over thirty years. Leslie has cataloged the work of individual photographers, photographic collections and groups of photographs that are part of an exhibition and publications; in addition to researching and planning for photographic exhibitions.
William A. Dodd , DMD
William A. Dodd, DMD, a Black art aficionado, launched Art Around Gallery in 2003 as a platform to educate the public about the cultural impact of Black Art in Philadelphia and to highlight the brilliance of Black artists in history nationwide, while giving rise to new voices on the art scene. He specializes in historic African American art, including the pivotal work of the Philadelphia Pyramid Club (1941-1957), the only exhibition space owned, operated and controlled by Black Americans, and has served as the primary Pyramid Club researcher for the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University.