A former University of the Arts student’s exhibition designs come to life at Cherry Street Pier

Two years ago, Carolyn Quick was in her final year of a master’s in exhibition design at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia when she received a yearlong assignment called “The Philadelphia Project.”

Every student in the program had to pick a topic and create an exhibition centered on social justice in the city. Quick, a Lebanon, Ind., native who received her bachelor’s degree in industrial design at Purdue, pondered potential topics. She wanted a challenge, something that was different from anything she’d done before, and something that would resonate with the community.

Suddenly, it hit her: “Why not talk about a baseball?” Through her design, Quick conveyed the ongoing legacy of those who broke barriers with the Philadelphia Stars and in the Negro Leagues.

With the help of Brian Michael, the owner of Shibe Vintage Sports and an economics professor at Temple, Quick’s designs are on display until Aug. 24 at the Cherry Street Pier. The exhibition, called A League Apart, explores how players, including Octavius V. Catto, Ed Bolden, and Dick Allen, challenged the biases and traditions of baseball.

» READ MORE: Dick Allen was a baseball pioneer in Philadelphia

“This was a good opportunity for me to do something different,” said Quick, now an exhibits coordinator at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum in Denver. “It’s a story that definitely needs to be told. I struggled in the beginning, because I’m a white female from Indiana. I’m not from Philly — I questioned if I’m the right person to be telling this story.”

Her professor connected Quick to Michael because of his deep knowledge of baseball. The Northeast Philly native founded Phillies Nation, a blog about the team, in 2004

Quick also gathered information from the Society for American Baseball Research, which provided a grant for the exhibition at Cherry Street Pier, and spoke with Kenny Johnson, the Phillies community engagement manager. Johnson gave her a tour of Citizens Bank Park and connected her with one of Mahlon Duckett’s daughters. Duckett was the last surviving member of the Philadelphia Stars when he passed at age 92 in June 2015.

It was important to understand the local history, Quick said, and tie in more recent events, like Mo’ne Davis becoming the first girl to win a Little League World Series with the Anderson Monarchs, a South Philly recreation center, in 2014.

“This was a huge learning experience,” Quick said. “I do feel more comfortable talking about the subject. It was important to make sure that I share the voices and work with the community, so I tell the right story.

“After I had the foundation, then we could build upon the look. I wanted something a little more bold, but bright colors. I wanted to make sure that even though this is a historic story that it didn’t feel stale or old. I wanted it to feel fresh and updated.”

» READ MORE: Philadelphia played an important role in the development of Black baseball

It took countless hours, long nights, and not much sleep, Quick said, to finish the project, but once she finally handed in the 90-page assignment, she felt confident that it had the potential of one day serving as an exhibition.

“Once I saw it, it was well done,” Michael said. “I mean, down to the colors, the fonts, the sizes, the measurements, all the interactivity, she did an amazing job. I said to her, ‘Let’s try to make this happen if you want,’ and she said, ‘Yes!’ We kind of spent the past year planning it.”

Michael worked on fundraising and finding a location, while Quick fleshed out the designs. By the end of June, they opened the exhibit to the public and have seen it as an engaging space for community members and tourists alike to walk through and catch a glimpse of history.

The current display is a condensed version, Michael said, but a start. As it grows, they want to add more memorabilia and interactive elements to the layout. The two hope to find a permanent location for the exhibit before 2026, when Philadelphia will host the MLB All-Star Game.

“Still to this day, I’m kind of in disbelief,” Quick said. “It’s one of those things where it’s like all that hard work, effort, time, energy — all paid off, and I couldn’t be happier.”