VR EXHIBIT

Philadelphia's motto was officially expanded to "The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection" by the efforts of the godmother of Black Music Month, Dyana Williams. To continue amplifying the female voice in discussions about our city, SIMBY Presents: The Voices of Sisterly Affection by Kyra Williams is a glance at Philly’s Black music herstory through photography and a labor of love and respect for the Black women who have been the soundtrack to our lives: Billie Holiday, Patti LaBelle, Phyllis Hyman, Left Eye, Eve, Jill Scott, DJ Diamond Kuts, Jazmine Sullivan, and Tierra Whack.

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Inspired by moments in their careers, these portraits tell nine stories in our backyard as portrayed by Black women and girls from the Philadelphia area —both in front of and behind the camera— to honor these artists' legacies and origins from The City of Sisterly Affection. As the founder of Stories In My Backyard (SIMBY) and a two-time Black Music City grantee, Kyra Williams has partnered with The Free Library of Philadelphia and The Philadelphia School District’s TV Station (PSTV) to expand this work beyond printed images to include a virtual reality experience, artist bios, resource lists, and culturally relevant photo programming with Philadelphia high schools. This project is supported by Black Music City: WXPN, WRTI, REC Philly, and the William Penn Foundation.

 

The exhibit was displayed at the 2024 Black Music City showcase at World Cafe Live on Juneteenth, the African American Museum in Philadelphia during Black Music Month, PSTV for their grand re-opening, and REC Philly during the Black Music City Homecoming.

 

Now it's on display in front of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Field Teen Center where we will educate our youth on artists who share their roots while motivating them as the next generation of Black storytellers. More details to come.