A summer of Black art, music, performance, and community at Container Village.
Step inside Exhibit A’s studio at the 4th District Container Village, and the first thing you notice is that the walls do not sit still.
A holographic Michael Jackson illustration catches the light one way, then another. Flyers and postcards call to action. Hand-painted signs speak to growth and joy. A futuristic graphic novel here, a 3D painting there — with raised turntables you can spin.
And Exhibit A is in the middle of it all. “That’s my curation style: color,” she told us. “And put it where I want.”
With so much going on, the space should feel cluttered but instead this 8’ x 20’ shipping container feels open with possibilities. Maybe that’s part of the magic here: the way a steel box can become a studio, a gallery, a workshop, a meeting place, and still somehow have room for the next idea.
COMMON GROUND
Since 2022, the Container Village has launched countless dreams and collaborations from the humble assembly of 20 refurbished shipping containers on a half-acre lot in West Philly. Started as a local business and development incubator, the Village has grown into its own kind of creative ecosystem – an oasis of art, culture, commerce, wellness, and community pride.
It’s a meaningful place to celebrate the nation’s “semiquintcentennial” this summer. 250 Years Black in America is an ambitious exhibition of painting, sculpture, performance, multimedia, and more.
As the Village’s curator and lead residential artist, Exhibit A is organizing a full roster of exciting programming this summer through fall, including special events and workshops – with all kinds of ways for artists and neighbors to take part. “It’s more than just the exhibit,” she said. “I’m setting this up to be a boutique-style commUNITY space so that everybody can participate.”
SEE AND BE SEEN
The exhibition is loosely organized around a timeline of Black experience from ROOTS to RISE to POWER to PROGRESS to FUTURE, carrying visitors through evolving galleries, gardens, and pop-ups. Of course it’s family-friendly, and free to come in and look. There’s a bunch of picnic tables, a stage, and a full DJ deck. Often a food truck or two.
On nice weekends, don’t be surprised if a block party breaks out. You might see Councilman Curtis Jones, Jr. – Mr. 4th District himself! – who helped launch the Village after feeling inspired by a similar project in Las Vegas. He pops by often to check in with neighbors on policies or just enjoy the space he helped create.
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During a recent visit to Exhibit A’s studio, he filmed a reel highlighting the mix of local talent on display. “Spaces like these matter,” he said, “because they give our neighborhoods life, expression, and opportunity.”
Art isn’t just decoration, it’s someone’s story. It’s also a process; a way to cope, heal, and connect. As an art therapist for more than a decade, Exhibit A’s vision for 250 Years Black in America is to activate creative energy through access: to walls, buyers, instruction, materials, inspiration, and support.
LIGHTING THE WAY
Exhibit A does not play favorites with the artists she shows in her studio. But when it comes to her own work, one piece stands apart: a luminous portrait of William Still, the Father of the Underground Railroad, and a personal hero. “He helped Harriet Tubman get people to safety, and he handwrote all their stories as they passed through Philadelphia,” she told us. He supplied key resources, and hope.
The world Still documented has changed a lot since then, yet we still know what it feels like when powerful forces try to divide, provoke, and wear people down. At such a time, 250 Years Black in America is not about looking backward. It is about carrying forward with memory, imagination, and care.
This summer, the door is open. Come view the art, follow the music, meet the makers, and see what happens when you add a whole Village to your circle.
4th District Container Village
4862-70 Parkside Avenue (West Philly)
Open Weds – Sun, noon to 7pm
containervillagephl.com | @4thdistrictcv
*** 250 Years Black in America Opens Friday June 12***
Featuring tours, crafts, workshops, unique merch and original art of all styles
📢 Rolling Call for Artists! Please email exhibitaartdesign@gmail.com or DM @exhibitaartdesign
UPCOMING EVENTS (A SAMPLING)
Community Trunk Party at the Container Village: A Graduation Celebration!
Music – Art – Vendors – Food – Drinks – Games – More
FRIDAY JUNE 26 (5pm – 10pm)
Tix $10 *FREE ADMISSION WITH GIFT FOR A GRADUATE* (see flyer for a list of acceptable gifts)
Be a Part of the WORLD’S LARGEST CYPHER
On June 27 2026, thousands of lyricists, MCs, spoken word artists, DJs, youth groups, and other community performers will gather in a single, never-ending cypher circle: a living monument to Hip Hop’s purest expression. This unprecedented cultural moment is hosted by the Hip Hop Foundation of Philadelphia, and a coordinated effort to make history by setting the Guinness World Records for the Largest Continuous Hip Hop Cypher. Everyone’s invited!!!
RED: a play by Todd Anthony
Todd Anthony’s one-man stage play RED, a powerful narrative on the transformation of Detroit Red to Malcolm X, is coming to Philadelphia’s Independence Seaport Museum for two special homecoming nights on July 10 and 11. After 8 completely sold-out shows in Los Angeles, Philadelphia native Todd Anthony is bringing his raw, unfiltered, and deeply moving one-man stage play, RED, back to the city where it all began. RED dives deep into identity, transformation, and purpose through the lens of Malcolm X, chronicling a powerful story about leaving your city one way, and returning transformed by faith, resilience, and destiny.
STILL HERE
South Jersey has no shortage of famous battlefields and landmarks, but its Black history runs deeper than many people realize. Black people have been settling in the region since the 1600s, and by the time freedom seekers were moving through the Underground Railroad, towns like Lawnside had become vital places of refuge, family, work, and self-determination.
Lawnside (Exhibit A’s hometown) celebrates its 100th anniversary this year as an incorporated borough. Formerly known as Snow Hill and Free Haven, this Camden County borough is one of the great Black-history strongholds in the region, with close ties to the Still family.
That family includes William Still, the great abolitionist whose book, The Underground Railroad, set down hundreds of firsthand accounts. His brother James Still became known as the “Doctor of the Pines,” a self-taught healer whose patients came from across the region. William’s daughter, Dr. Caroline Still Anderson, became one of the first Black women physicians in America after earning her medical degree at Women’s Medical College in Philadelphia.
Today, a new mural near the Italian Market honors William Still and his family on the wall of his former Philadelphia home. It is a reminder that this history is not far away. It moves across the region — over the river, into Philly, and through the many lives it colors today.
ℹ️ LEARN MORE! Click the links in this post for more info and follow Exhibit A for a season of art, culture, and community. Comments? Questions? Please leave them below or email editor@nwlocalpaper.com.
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