INAUGURAL WPCA & SACHS ARTIST IN RESIDENCE - 2025
SHANINA DIONNA
Shanina Dionna, a visual and movement artist, has been selected as the Inaugural Artist in Residence at the Paul Robeson House & Museum starting April 21 and ending June 28, 2025. Eighteen other artists and organizations were awarded grants totaling $45,000 in this second round of the West Philadelphia Arts Initiative.
Shanina’s residency, titled “Free Transform,” will include a series of workshops in the newly renovated Frances P. Aulston Annex adjacent to the museum, 4949 Walnut St., Philadelphia. She will lead the workshops in collaboration with local visual artists, musicians, horticulturalists, entrepreneurs, clay makers, tea alchemists, yoga guides and more. The sessions will be free, open to the public and publicized via social media.
She will also offer open studio hours for visitors, which will be announced on Instagram (@shaninadionna). Join the artist for the culminating event of her residency on Saturday, June 28 from 5p to 8pm at the Paul Robeson House & Museum.
The residency and grants are managed by the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance/Paul Robeson House & Museum, the West Philadelphia Arts Council and the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania through a 400,000 lead grant from the William Penn Foundation.
Participants at the Clay Workshop on May 24, 2025.
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE FREE WORKSHOPS
You’re Invited: free transform Workshops at Paul Robeson House & Museum
Join artist-in-residence shanina dionna for free transform – an intentionally curated series of wellness-based workshops made possible through the brilliance of Philly collaborators in movement, food, plant medicine, clay, storytelling, and more!
Inspired by Paul Robeson’s legacy and rooted in art, expression, and communal healing, each gathering invites reflection, connection, and joy.
Space is limited for all sessions except the culminating event on Saturday, June 28, 2025. Be sure to RSVP early.
Location: Paul Robeson House & Museum’s Frances P. Aulston Annex
4949 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19139
Contact: info@shaninadionna.com
The West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance/Paul Robeson House & Museum, the West Philadelphia Arts Council and The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation are thrilled to announce the second round of West Philadelphia Creative Grants, as well as the inaugural Artist Residency opportunity at the Paul Robeson House & Museum.
Decisions will be made in February for the Artist Residency and in March for the West Philadelphia Creative Grants.
This round is part of a $400,000 24-month grant from the William Penn Foundation to help sustain the creativity of West Philadelphia artists.
REFLECTIONS: WOMEN OF ROBESON'S LEGACY
A new exhibit highlights five women who were pivotal to Paul Robeson’s life story
The legacy of Paul Robeson stands on a foundation built by powerful women who were instrumental in putting his mark on history. Like most women, they did it while creating legacies of their own. They are a reflection of all women who made their own way, are making their own way or have a vision of how they will create their own legacies.
In June, five of those women will share the stage at the Paul Robeson House & Museum in an exciting new exhibit showcasing their contributions.
Follow the route of Eslanda Goode Robeson as she traveled through Africa with her son and embraced the concept of an African Diaspora. Meet Maria Bustill Robeson the mother who died too young. Applaud Marian Robeson Forsythe who as a widowed mother bought the house at 4951 Walnut at a time when single women did nothing of the sort. Immerse yourself in the life of Frances P. Aulston the librarian who believed that the arts could save a community. Journey with Vernoca L. Michael who grew up in a family that practiced community service.
Our multimedia exhibit on these women starts on June 22, 2024, at the house, 4951 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. It is part of the city’s Juneteenth celebration and the Wawa Welcome America Festival. Visitors can sign up for tours at bit.ly/paulrobesonhousetours.
Here’s more about the women:
Eslanda Goode Robeson, his wife and business manager, was an anthropologist, writer, actress, photographer, and civil-rights and women’s-rights activist.
Maria Bustill Robeson, his mother who descended from abolitionists, was a schoolteacher before becoming a homemaker.
Marian Robeson Forsythe, his big sister, was a special-education teacher in the Philadelphia public schools and active in community service.
Frances P. Aulston was a librarian, community activist and advocate for the arts who founded the Paul Robeson House & Museum in Marian’s home, where Robeson spent the final years of his life.
Vernoca L. Michael is a woman of many firsts, including the first licensed female African American boxing promoter in Pennsylvania, whose family was so close to Paul Robeson and Marian Forsythe that she calls them “Uncle Paul” and “Aunt Marian.”
These women are impactful in their own ways, and each of us are the same. We invite visitors to interact with the exhibit by reflecting on the contributions that they and other women have made. We encourage you to take selfies, post your own experiences and share your stories: the lessons you’ve learned, your values and beliefs, and your hopes and dreams.
