FWM celebrates history at The African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) on Saturday, June 19th from 11:00 AM-4:00 PM. AAMP has a full day of activities planned with educational activities for youth and families, tasty bites and handmade wares sold by local vendors, and a live stage featuring performances. FWM educators will offer an opportunity to make your own commemorative print inspired by AMMP’s current exhibition, Anna Russell Jones: The Art of Design (May 6, 2021-September 12, 2021).
We are honored to be part of AAMP’s Juneteenth Celebration as a Philadelphia Collaborative Arts Consortium partner and to recognize the extraordinary life of Anna Russell Jones, the first African American woman to graduate from Philadelphia School of Design for Women (now Moore College of Art and Design), earning her degree in textile design. FWM continues the legacy of training Philadelphia youth in textile design in our founding education program, the High School Apprentice Training Program.
More on Juneteenth: The oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, Juneteenth dates back to June 19, 1865. On Wednesday, June 19, 2019, Governor Tom Wolf signed legislation designating June 19 as Juneteenth National Freedom Day in Pennsylvania; it is now permanently recognized as a state holiday.