Episode 1: The Bride Who Tried to Sell Her Skin
Hosted by Alexa Smith
Release date: November 18, 2021
The Painted Bride Art Center has long stood as a cultural monument in the city of Philadelphia. In this episode, Alexa Smith traces the Bride’s longer history, as well as the recent controversy around its sale. Through a series of interviews with different stakeholders, we explore conflicting attitudes between the local community and the organization itself on what it means to “save the Bride" when the building's future is jeopardized.
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About this episode of Monument Biography
About the host:
Alexa Smith received her MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry) from Temple University, where she currently teaches Creative Nonfiction. She also works in publishing and edits APIARY Magazine.
About the guests:
Lillian Dunn is a writer and cultural organizer in Philadelphia. She runs the SPACES Artist in Residence Program at the Village of Arts and Humanities.
Stacey Holder is the Preservation & Facilities Manager of Philadelphia's Magic Gardens. You can learn more about her work at phillymagicgardens.org/preservation.
Laurel Raczka is the Executive Director of the Painted Bride Art Center. To learn more about the Bride's mission and programming, visit paintedbride.org.
Emily Smith is the Executive Director of Philadelphia's Magic Gardens. Visit phillymagicgardens.org to learn about PMG's mission and programming, or to plan your own socially distanced outdoor trip to the Gardens.
Kathleen Volk Miller is co-editor of Painted Bride Quarterly, director of the graduate program in Publishing, director of the Drexel Publishing Group, and a teaching professor at Drexel University. Her fiction and essays have appeared in Salon.com, thesmartset.org, The New York Times, Family Circle, and elsewhere.
Yolanda Wisher was named the inaugural Poet Laureate of Montgomery County, PA, in 1999 and the third Poet Laureate of Philadelphia for 2016-2017. She is currently the Curator of Spoken Word and producer of the podcast Love Jawns: A Mixtape at Philadelphia Contemporary; listen at ljam.buzzsprout.com.
Want to Learn More about the topics covered in this episode?
“Poets’ Bill of Rites/Rights” (http://www.apiarymagazine.com/the-hive/apiarynews/%0Dpoets-bill-of-rites-rights-by-yolanda-wisher) by Yolanda Wisher, APIARY Magazine.
Peter Dobrin, “Painted Bride Sale May Proceed, Judges Say, but Isaiah Zagar Murals May Not Be Doomed,” (https://www.inquirer.com/arts/isaiah-zagar-murals-philadelphiapainted-%0Dbride-court-case-20201022.html) The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 23, 2020.
Message from Executive Director on the website of The Painted Bride Art Center: “About Us,” (paintedbride.org/about-us/), September 1, 2020.
Fabiola Cineas, “I Love My Job: Magic Gardens Director Emily Smith on Running and Preserving a Prized Philly Destination,” (www.phillymag.com/business/2018/07/11/magic-gardens-emily-smith-director-i-love-my-job/) Philadelphia Magazine, July 12, 2018.
Mosaic Mural Map from Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, (www.phillymagicgardens.org/about-us/mosaic-mural-map/) November 9, 2017.
Hilary Jay, “NIMBYs, Zoning, and Much Ado About the Painted Bride Mural”, (https://hiddencityphila.org/2021/04/nimbys-zoning-and-much-ado-about-the-painted-bride-mural/) Hidden City, April 19, 2021.
Music Credits for this episode of Monument Biography:
"Spaceship Dreams" by Oliver Prior
"Blue Memories" by Homeomorphic
"Let Me Be Your Bride" by Virgin of the Birds