Preserving Connection in Philadelphia’s Caribbean Diaspora
Lower Level
Included with Museum Admission
A two-week pop-up art exhibition, Love Sent Across the Seas explores the experiences of Caribbean migrants and refugees in Philadelphia through the object of the shipping barrel, which embodies love, connection, and the bridging of distance and time between people.
Each year immigrants in Philadelphia send thousands of shipping barrels back to their hometowns, packed full of clothing, medicine, and other emblems of care. The act of filling a barrel is a labor of love, a process that spans days and even months, and the barrels arrive home to great anticipation and fanfare.
Inspired by UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados, five Caribbean artists transform shipping barrels into thought-provoking pieces. The artworks will be accompanied by filmed oral histories showcasing stories and experiences of Caribbean emigrants, accompanied by related artworks by local diaspora artists.
Love Sent Across the Seas is a collaboration between Caribbean Community in Philadelphia (CCP) association, the Center for Experimental Ethnography (CEE), and the Penn Museum. The project is generously sponsored by The Barra Foundation, The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, William Penn Foundation, and the Wyncote Foundation.
This pop-up exhibition is curated by Miranda Alexander, CCP Founding President and Alissa Jordan, CEE Associate Director.