{"id":590368,"date":"2026-08-11T22:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T22:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/590368\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T22:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T22:26:09","slug":"italian-markets-art-installations-spotlight-immigrant-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/590368\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian Market\u2019s art installations spotlight immigrant stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

When community members came to Philadelphia\u2019s Italian Market on an August weekend, their appetites weren\u2019t just for food \u2e3a they came hungry for knowledge, listening to stories of the immigrant workers who make up the market\u2019s pay-what-you-wish tours that spotlight immigrant-focused light installations and public art<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

The speciality tours and temporary art pieces were part of a free two-night community celebration titled, \u201cLight Up The Market: Honoring the Workers of 9th Street.\u201d The event was organized by Our Market Project<\/a>, a community building and public art project dedicated to preserving the stories of the market\u2019s workers, residents and small business owners.\n<\/p>\n

Michelle Angela Ortiz, founder and lead artist of Our Market Project, said she hopes the installations encourage visitors to think about and celebrate the people who keep the space thriving.\n <\/p>\n

\u201cThe market has always been more than a place to shop, it\u2019s a place where generations of families have built livelihoods, traditions and community,\u201d Ortiz said. \u201cThrough light, storytelling and public art, we\u2019re honoring the workers whose dedication gives this place its heartbeat.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u2018Part of something bigger\u2019<\/p>\n

While the South 9th Street Curb Market<\/a> is often referred to as the \u201cItalian Market\u201d because it was founded by an Italian immigrant,<\/a> it\u2019s home to a wide variety of immigrant communities and businesses. Cultures represented in the market include Italian, Mexican, Jewish, Black, Central American, Vietnamese and Irish, among others.
\n\"picturesRepurposed produce scales showcase photos and interviews of the market\u2019s community members. (Hannah Pajtis for WHYY)\n<\/p>\n

Our Market Project\u2019s tours look to spotlight the diverse work and histories of these immigrant groups. The tours are about two hours long and include storytelling and food sampling.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cBringing these common themes and common stories in one space helps people understand that they are a part of something bigger than just the small stand that they\u2019re at,\u201d Ortiz said.\n<\/p>\n

Our Market Project\u2019s tours are operated through Beyond the Bell Tours<\/a>, a Philadelphia tour company specializing in inclusive tours highlighting marginalized groups and their histories.\n<\/p>\n

Joey Leroux, co-founder of Beyond the Bell, said the market tours are designed to educate Philadelphians who want to learn more about immigrant history and tourists who may be unfamiliar with the city and space.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important in this moment to look back and also to recognize the contributions that have been made to Philadelphia to make it the city that we love today,\u201d Leroux said.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":590369,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60],"class_list":["post-590368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=590368"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590368\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/590369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=590368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=590368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=590368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}