The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage

Both the Presbyterian Historical Society (founded 1852) and Community College of Philadelphia (founded 1965) have known one city as home. But without substantial grant support from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage there’s no telling how long it would have been before our institutions formed the partnership at the heart of Building Knowledge and Breaking Barriers.

PHS and CCP Friends

In addition to BKBB project staff, educators, and students listed on our People page, hundreds of PHS and CCP community members made BKBB a success.  Special thanks are owed to all the PHS staff who assisted new student researchers, and to the CCP students, student supporters, and educators who eagerly explored PHS materials at 425 Lombard Street and online. At CCP, Judith Gay in the Office of Academic Affairs, Beverly Halsey and Ayanna Washington in the Office of Career Connections, and Chae Sweet in the Division of Liberal Studies were especially supportive. 

Cultural Institutions and Project Sharing

The student exhibit team enjoyed behind-the-scenes visits to the National Constitution Center, Second National Bank, Museum of the American Revolution, and Penn Museum. The team also received inspiration from a trip to the Brooklyn Historical Society (now Center for Brooklyn History). Thank you to the professional exhibitors and archivists of those institutions who gave so freely of their time and insights. And thank you to Berry & Homer of Chester, PA, for helping our student exhibitors turn their visions into first-class installations.

NewMedia Solutions created a website that manages to be both user-friendly and beautifully designed. Bellevue Communications helped us tell our project story to cultural communities in the Delaware Valley and around the country. Both groups went far beyond what we asked of them, reminding us again that for a project like BKBB, it takes a city.