Pride and Progress
Ann Northrup, Spring 2003
A 7,986 square foot mural, at the corner of Juniper and Spruce Streets,
in Philadelphia, painted on the William Way Community Center for Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People
Description:
The mural "Pride and Progress" depicts a gay pride festival on the
streets of Philadelphia. On the left side a man pastes up a poster depicting a
gay civil rights march led by Barbara Gittings, who lives in Wilmington, Delaware,
which took place at Independence Hall, Philadelphia on July 4, 1966. The large
center section reveals a sunny plaza with a crowd of celebrants, and an emerging
rainbow, a metaphor for freedom and promise. This area is contrasted with the
right side of the picture, which is a close-up view of people dancing on the
stairs. The couples are composed in separate panels, and reach for each other
behind these girders, a metaphor for the loneliness and difficulty that lovers
have faced in the past.
