Rowhouse Workshop is an interactive exhibition showcasing the unique personalities of rowhouse blocks in North, South, and West Philadelphia. Dinner workshops held in 2019 invited local residents to share, discuss and document the neighborhoods and histories of Philadelphia’s urban fabric. The exhibition leads visitors through a series of rowhouse block installations, sharing collectively curated songs, recipes, images and videos. Drawings, photographs, and objects offered by participants are displayed in totems fabricated by local fabrication partner, Tiny WPA, and its community building program. In the fall of 2019, project participants attended an exhibition opening event at Philadelphia’s Cherry Street Pier as guest artists, and visitors contributed to the project through their own self-directed participation in the exhibition’s large- scale sticker wall and workbooks. Original support for Rowhouse Workshop was provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, Philadelphia.The exhibition was conceived and curated by Brian Phillips and his firm, ISA, based in Philadelphia.
Rowhouse Workshop: Turchin Center
Rowhouse Workshop: Turchin Center
Rowhouse Workshop: Philadelphia
Rowhouse Workshop: Philadelphia
Artist statement
The exhibition’s arrival in Boone, NC emphasizes the potential for Rowhouse Workshop to be a template for other cities, neighborhoods and communities to reflect on their shared histories, experiences and social connectedness. Three Philadelphia blocks are represented in the Turchin Center’s Mayer Gallery through interactive installations from the original exhibition. Residents of the Boone region are invited to explore these Philadelphia blocks, and record their own observations and ideas about how the physical organizations of their own communities might help to shape and connect their collective identities.
About the artist
ISA is an architecture office engaged in design and research projects in cities across the US. The firm works closely with project stakeholders to produce buildings, master plans, installations, and conversations that provide innovative solutions for their clients while productively addressing changing climates, lifestyles, technologies, and urban environments. ISA’s work has been featured in ARCHITECT, Architectural Record, DWELL, Metropolis, The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The New York Times, and on NPR Radio. The office has won over fifty local, regional, and national design citations, including the Philadelphia American Institute of Architects (AIA) Silver and Gold Medals, the AIA COTE Top 10, and 5 AIA National Housing Awards.
Additional resources
- Flickr – Installation images
- ISA – ISA website.
- ISA Rowhouse Workshop
- Tiny WPA
- Pew Center for Arts & Heritage