Exploring our boundaries together….
THE WALK is
a SEGMENTED 100+ MILE WALK around the entire city border that happens TWICE A YEAR IN FEBRUARY & SEPTEMBER, with other programs throughout the year.
Participants can JOIN FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL SEGMENT OR PARTIAL SEGMENT as they are able, or set out to do it ON THEIR OWN ANYTIME.
Setting out to walk the city’s border involves….
OUR NEIGHBORS
OUR LANDSCAPE
OURSELVES
2,000+
participants
Participants can WALK or:
SINCE THE PROJECT BEGAN IN 2020
STIPEND SUPPORT
SLIDING SCALE
FREE
$200 STIPENDS
Many participants support the program through sliding scale program fees.
Anyone can register for free.
Stipends are available to facilitate access for lower income walkers.
Walkers can register in the following ways:
points of interest along the walk include...
Through FACILITATED WALKS, EXHIBITIONS, AND NARRATIVE STORYTELLING,
Walk Around Philadelphia uses the structure of exploring the city’s perimeter to ENGAGE and encourage THOUGHTFUL DISCUSSIONS with themes of: borders and boundaries, privilege and access, social and environmental justice, infrastructure and ecosystems, commerce and incarceration, indigenous history and colonization and more.
Artist workshops
Walk Around Philadelphia perimeter MAP-MAKING WORKSHOPS provide an accessible hands-on experience of imposing a border on a landscape; participants take home a unique print of their own making.
WAYFINDING
The first two Walk Around Philadelphia WAYFINDING SIGNS have been installed on Penn’s Landing and at Lardner’s Point Park, with MORE PLANNED to supplement the existing network of trail blaze stickers.
participating
Elected officials
Top (left to right): Jamie Gauthier (center), Kendra Brooks
Bottom (left to right): Helen Gym, Joe Hohenstein
Walk Around Philadelphia partners with ELECTED OFFICIALS to offer them new ways to CONNECT with their districts.
Inspired by Walk Around Philadelphia, STATE REP HOHENSTEIN has organized walks around his own district and meets Walk Around Philadelphia participants where his district shares a border with the city.
EXHIBITIONS
EXHIBITIONS & INSTALLATIONS provide additional accessible opportunities for community members to learn about the walk and engage with its themes.
Cultural partners who have supported the walk
THE SOAPBOX
The Soapbox Community Print Shop has supported the walk’s hands-on letterpress mapmaking workshops.
SCHUYLKILL CENTER
The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education invited Walk organizer JJ Tiziou to curate “Walking the Edge”, a community art exhibition inspired by the walk. [ review ]
DRWC / CHERRY STREET PIER
DRWC has invited Walk Around Philadelphia to be a program partner at Cherry Street Pier, with special access to the space & marketing support.
Educational partners
Walk Around Philadelphia partners with educational institutions to facilitate the perimeter walk experience for students, faculty & staff.
RETREAT EXPERIENCES
The SNF Paideia Program at Penn commissioned Walk Around Philadelphia to develop a custom 3-day retreat experience for their constituents. [ more info ]
ARTIST TALKS, FACILITATED WALKS
Educational partners have brought the walk into their classrooms, and their classes out onto the walk.
Press coverage
Walk Around Philadelphia has begun to grow in public consciousness, in part thanks to significant press coverage received in the past few years.
“Walk Around Philadelphia” redefines Philly’s edge – SJU Hawk News
What Walk Around Philadelphia taught me about our city’s borders—and my own
– Broad Street Review
– Philadelphia Inquirer
After a year of crises, a 100-mile walk offers a chance to see Philly anew – WHYY
Exploring along the edges of Philadelphia reveals the essence of the city – Penn Today
Jacques-Jean Tiziou
FOUNDER + ORGANIZER
Photo: ZedImages.com
JJ Tiziou is an artist and community organizer based in West Philadelphia.
His 85,000 sq ft 'How Philly Moves' mural at Philadelphia International Airport was recognized as one of the nation’s best public art projects by Americans for the Arts and is the largest piece of public art in the city.
JJ has walked the entire perimeter of Philadelphia 14 times and committed to making this unique experience of the city more accessible to all.
Walk Around Philadelphia is a walk, And conversation, A HEaling space, an equalizing space, Revolutionary shared co-created experience, slow, spacious, sane, ceaselessly changing, ever unique, EMBODIED personal accomplishment, civic practice, connection to place, connection to neighbors, A surprising, adventurous, ACT OF LOVE FOR THE CITY
WAYS TO Get InvolveD
JOIN THE WALK
You can JOIN ANY WALK segment or event, or get in touch to PARTNER FOR A PROGRAM.
SUPPORT THE WALK
FUNDERS, PHILANTHROPISTS and SPONSORS can help GROW this unique program to its FULL POTENTIAL.
SPREAD THE WORD
WORD OF MOUTH & COMMUNITY NETWORKS are the best way to invite participants into the walk.
Walk Around Philadelphia will be truly successful when its participant pool is representative of the city’s demographics, and all those who want to participate in it are able to.
Walk Around Philadelphia is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Walk Around Philadelphia must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
PLEASE JOIN US AS WE TAKE THE WALK’S NEXT STEPS!
See you at the NEXT WALK EVENT!