Beyond Glass Cases: The Library Company of Philadelphia’s “Collections Lab”, funded by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, represents the Library Company’s ongoing commitment to boldly, honestly, and thoughtfully interpret challenging, and at times harmful, collection items. As the Library Company approaches its 300th birthday in 2031, one of our most pressing challenges is to confront our own history as we strive to inspire our diverse constituency towards transformative and meaningful reconciliation.

Three synergistic, exploratory projects (2024), a culminating exhibition (2025), and a symposium (2025) form the scope of Beyond Glass Cases. In each of the three projects, a visual artist, activist, educator, poet, playwright, passionate scholar, musician, technologist, performer, or some combination thereof will offer an experimental mode or method of engaging with a designated collection item or collection of items. These projects may take the form of a multimedia or traditional work of art, a performance, an interactive website, or something that takes the collection beyond display a glass case! While holding space for the collection item’s historical significance, the projects will transcend traditional exhibition models with the goals of finding new and better ways of advancing understanding and engaging public awareness of their complex histories.

The focal points for the three projects are: