Guide to The #SisterlyLove Project Street Art Exhibit in Philadelphia

Artist @lazy.beam, born to Cuban and Salvadorian immigrant parents, was drawn to Anandibai Joshi’s story, which inspired her to create a wheatpaste of the trailblazing doctor in the Callowhill neighborhood. Joshi (1856-1887) was the first Indian female physician to graduate from the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, and she used her training to champion Hindu women as physicians.

The wheatpaste installation of Barbara Gittings (1932-2007) outside Martha in East Kensington evokes the activist’s power and her commitment to LGBTQ equality. Artist @marisa.vr, whose work focuses on political and social issues, took an interest in Gittings’ work advocating for the LGBTQ community, which included editing the lesbian publication The Ladder and leading protests outside Independence Hall in the 1960s.

Chef Cristina Martinez (b. 1966) is known as much for her activism as she is for her food. And her food is stellar, earning her multiple James Beard Foundation honors for her work at South Philly Barbacoa and the former El Compadre. (She also just opened Casa Mexico in the Italian Market.) Martinez’s activism for undocumented workers inspired artist and fellow Latinx woman @symonesalibstudio to create the wheatpaste outside PIZZA Shackamaxon, a popular Fishtown destination.

What better place than the nation’s oldest continuously inhabited residential street to honor Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911)? The Underground Railroad agent and “mother of African American journalism” was at the forefront of Philadelphia’s abolitionist and suffragist movements, which she wrote and spoke about frequently. Wood burn artist @o_monica fittingly memorialized the historic hero on Elfreth’s Alley.

Gail Ann Dorsey’s (b. 1962) musical career made space for women and queer people like artist @TapedOffTV to feel represented in the industry. Born in West Philadelphia, Dorsey is best known for her time in David Bowie’s band, but she’s also worked with Tears for Fears, Lenny Kravitz, Boy George and a host of other talents.

The porcelain installation at One Shot Cafe packs a big punch at the beloved, unassuming Northern Liberties coffee shop. Ceramicist and street artist @hope_hummingbird pays tribute to Gloria Casarez (1971-2014) with one of her signature blue-and-white pieces. Casarez, the City of Philadelphia’s first Director of LGBT Affairs, was a champion for civil rights and marginalized communities. In addition to her government role, Casarez cofounded the Philadelphia Dyke March and served as the executive director of Galalei, a queer Latinx social justice organization.

Anti-slavery activism played a role in every aspect of Graceanna Lewis’ life (1821-1912). The scientist, naturalist and illustrator made a name for herself in botany and ornithology, but the Chester County native inspired people like artist @old_broads through her efforts with the Underground Railroad and advocacy for women’s right to vote.

Visual artist @nilelivingston hopes her work can have as much impact as Jane Golden’s (b. 1953). Golden, who founded Mural Arts Philadelphia, has helped earn Philadelphia the nickname of a City of Murals through the creation of a 4,000-piece outdoor gallery that honors community leaders and addresses complicated social issues. With this new #SisterlyLove wheatpaste facing the East Market pedestrian plaza, Golden joins a growing list of women honored with street art.

After moving to Philadelphia from Taiwan for graduate school, Lily Yeh (b. 1941) founded The Village of Arts and Humanities in North Philadelphia, which empowers its surrounding neighborhoods through arts and media. Yeh also established Barefoot Artists to help people around the globe take action for a more sustainable future. Both projects speak to wheatpaste artist @_mcbailey, who aspires to use her work to create community through art.

Head around back at Tattooed Mom to see the wheatpaste of Lucretia Mott (1793-1880) at Kater and Fairhill streets. One of the most historical figures on the #SisterlyLove trail, Mott was a Quaker, abolitionist and women’s rights activist who co-founded the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society and delivered powerful speeches at Arch Street Meeting House. Visitors to Historic Fair Hill in Germantown can pay respects at Mott’s grave. Wood burn artist @o_monica chose to honor Mott’s courage and tenacity.

Dancer Judith Jamison (b. 1943) was raised in Philadelphia, where the strong culture of arts and theater sparked her interest in dance. Artist @_mcbailey found a similar love of dance and created a wheatpaste at this bustling Fishtown intersection (located across the street from Cheu Fishtown) to honor Jamison’s contribution to choreography and the example she set for Black dancers. Jamison is best known for her work directing Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Internationally famed contralto Marian Anderson (1987-1993) is memorialized in her house-turned-museum in South Philadelphia, but this new wheatpaste by @old_broads gives the singer an additional presence on North Broad Street outside The Met Philadelphia, Philly’s recently revitalized opera-house-turned-music-venue. Anderson fought through racism to gain fame, ultimately performing at the Lincoln Memorial and being honored by the NAACP.

Mae Reeves (1912-2016) broke barriers when she became one of the first African Americans to open a shop in Center City (1630 South Street). Her Millinery Shop, where she made hats until age 85, has been immortalized at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. — and now Mae herself is honored by porcelain artist @hope_hummingbird.

Nijmie Zakkiyyah Dzurinko (b. 1976) is a Black and indigenous organizer, agitator, strategist and healer working in Philadelphia on the international movement to end poverty. They are the former executive director of the Philadelphia Student Union, which puts young people on the front line of education reform, and a co-founder of the Media Mobilizing Project and Put People First! PA. Artist @lazy.beam also works with students, and is moved by Dzurinko’s efforts to elevate their voices.

Nizah Morris (1955-2002) inspires people like artist @marisa.vr to live their truth. Morris was a transgender entertainer living in Philadelphia and performing on stage at the beloved Bob and Barbara’s Lounge in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood when she died, bringing awareness to anti-transgender violence. In 2011, Philadelphia opened an addiction treatment center for transgender people called The Morris Home for Trans and Gender-Variant People.

The Godmother of Soul was born right here in Philadelphia and her commitment to the city motivated artist @nilelivington to honor the songstress with a wheatpaste along the pedestrian plaza on at East Market. Patti LaBelle’s (b. 1944) time in the music industry began in the early ’60s with her fronting the vocal group the Bluebelles, kicking off a career that’s earned her more than 50 million record sales worldwide a place in the Grammy Hall of Fame. She still calls Philadelphia home, and is now also famous for her tasty pies.

Singer-songwriter Santigold (b. 1976) gets the wheatpaste treatment from artist and fan @symonesalibstudio in a most appropriate location: The Fillmore Philadelphia. The Philadelphia native and former punk rock band leader has been making hits on her own since 2007, and has since released three studio albums and two mixtapes with innovative approaches to electronic, hip-hop, new wave and other musical styles.

Artist @TapedOffTV is one of many Philadelphians who called Tara Lessard (1972-2019) a friend. Lessard photographed LGBTQ events, documenting the community’s history at events like the Philadelphia Equality Forum, the Pride Parade and Festival, the Lilith Fair, and Philadelphia Dyke March. Before she passed, Lessard also became an inspiring cancer activist.

Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski (b. 1982) got her start in Philadelphia long before she was old enough to lace up her skates. Yarnbomber @lace_in_the_moon honors the figure skater for her work on the ice, which inspired the young artist to believe that young girls can accomplish anything, no matter how difficult it seems. Fittingly, this #SisterlyLove installation is at a playground, where Lipinski’s legacy as the youngest figure skater to win Olympic gold can continue to set an example for young children.

Delaware County native Tina Fey is arguably one of the most famous changemakers on the #SisterlyLove trail, with credits including Saturday Night Live, Mean Girls and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Though her work in the writers’ room and on screen centers on comedy, Fey’s feminist effort to show that women are just as funny as men is what prompted yarnbomber @lace_in_the_moon to spin a tribute to the Hollywood star, who can still pull of an authentic Philly accent.