New light boxes at the South Ninth Street Market honor work, love, and family
“The boxes are, in fact, a love letter to this community,” said South Philadelphia artist Michelle Angela Ortiz, 43.
Amid the stores and stands of the South Ninth Street Italian Market, local artist Michelle Angela Ortiz has installed a series of light boxes that reflect the stories of those who toil and flourish there.
The works are reminiscent of church stained glass, combining beauty and spirituality illuminated by light. Images and words are merged to create displays of work, honor, family, and love.
“The boxes are, in fact, a love letter to this community,” said Ortiz, 43, a visual artist, muralist, community arts educator, and filmmaker who was born and raised in South Philadelphia, where she continues to live.
Her mother, Epifania, immigrated to the community from Colombia more than 50 years ago, and worked in the Market for 25 years as a housekeeper and cook for the Giordano family, among the longtime purveyors there.
“I developed this project in honor of my mother,” Ortiz said.
The light boxes are part of the “Our Market” project begun by Ortiz in 2019. She describes it as a “community-centered, multilayered effort” focused on supporting immigrant vendors, business owners, and neighbors who work and reside in and around the Ninth Street Market.
Ortiz said she derived her inspiration for the work from conversations with people connected to the market who discussed issues of gentrification, racism, and displacement.
“It’s about collecting stories about survival and triumph, love and dedication, that are unseen by people who use the market,” Ortiz said.
Currently, each of five businesses in the market has two light boxes measuring two feet by four feet. The images are printed waterproof pieces, sustainable in all weather and illuminated by waterproof LED lighting.
In addition to adding beauty and interest to the market, the light boxes also serve the prosaic function of lighting dark pockets of the area to enhance safety, Ortiz said.
Among the market light box images and accompanying Spanish-language messages, the one at Mole Poblano restaurant depicts a mother embracing a child with the words, “Siempre hay una luz en el camino,” which translate to, “There is always light on your path.” Interpreting the thoughts and emotions of owners Javier and Pedro Ríos, Ortiz depicted mother and child to express the idea that “a mother is always searching for ways to fight for her children.”
In addition to the light boxes, Ortiz has revitalized two market stands, Trans Produce and Ramos Produce, with new metal and wood fixtures and awnings with painted sayings.
Funding for Ortiz’s local work comes from various sources.
The current light boxes were supported by the Philadelphia Department of Planning and Development and an Art is PHL grant. Art is PHL is a project of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority’s Fund for Art and Civic Engagement with support from the Knight Foundation.
On Wednesday, Mural Arts Philadelphia announced a collaboration with Ortiz’s Our Market program through 2024 that’s underwritten by a $1 million grant from the William Penn Foundation. The work will include more light boxes, updated vendor stand awnings, and murals.
Ortiz is internationally known, having worked with numerous artists in Mexico, Argentina, Cuba, Fiji, and Honduras, among other countries. She holds the title of “cultural envoy,” which has allowed her to teach, discuss, and create art abroad through U.S. embassies.