Declaration House Newspaper

Get your copy of the Declaration House newspaper, a major collaboration between Monument Lab, artist Sonya Clark, and partners including Independence National Historical Park and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation’s Getting Word African American Oral History Project.

Declaration House is a public art and history exhibition presented by Monument Lab at Independence National Historical Park that explores the site where Thomas Jefferson and Robert Hemmings spent several months in Philadelphia during the drafting of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The project poses a central question – What does the Declaration of Independence mean to us today? By moving Hemmings to the center of this moment in history, the project seeks to illuminate the entangled legacies of freedom and enslavement at the core of our nation’s founding. Declaration House presents the exclusive premiere of Sonya Clark’s “The Descendants of Monticello,” a public artwork that brings the historic house to life through a monumental montage featuring the blinking eyes of Robert Hemmings’ collateral descendants and others who are related to the over 400 people enslaved at Monticello, including descendants biologically related to Jefferson. Declaration House also includes public programs with creative residents Jeannine A. Cook and Ty “Dancing Wolf” Ellis.

Edited by Anna Arabdinan-Kesson, Paul Farber, and Yolanda Wisher.

Major support for Declaration House has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from VIA Art Fund and the National Endowment for the Arts. Lead project partners include Independence National Historical Park and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation’s Monticello and its Getting Word African American Oral History Project. Additional in-kind support provided by Wawa Welcome America, A2A Media, and Clear Channel Outdoor.

Monument Lab is a nonprofit public art, history, and design studio based in Philadelphia. We are dedicated to advancing justice by reimagining monuments as places for belonging, learning, and healing.For more information and to support, visit MonumentLab.com.