The upcoming workshop, held in Concord School House, will explore the volatile topics of segregation, integration and education reform in Philadelphia public schools, past and present.

After a demonstration of two basic notebook structures-pocket and explosion-participants will make original books and book covers using collage applications.

The workshop is free, but registration is required at:http://www.freedomsbackyard.com  www.freedomsbackyard.com

IFE NII OWOO is a visual collage artist and graphic designer who lives in Germantown. She has received several public art commissions including The President’s House Commemorative Memorial Site, Independence National Historical Park and the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Community Portraits in 2014. In her work, Nii Owoo draws upon her deep knowledge of African visual traditions and freely mixes her personal experience with communal stories and symbolism.

ABIGAIL PERKISS, Assistant Professor of History at Kean University, is broadly trained in U.S. history, twentieth-century urban culture, African American history, oral history, and legal history. Her research centers on the history of race, ethnicity, and urban identity in post-WWII American cities, and has been guided by questions of identity creation, community cohesion, and historical memory.

Workshop is FREE but participants must register at www.freedomsbackyard.com

#HGElephants is the official hashtag for the Elephants on the Avenue – Race, Class and Community in Historic Germantown project. This project has been supported by the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage.