Jackie Neale: Wide Awake In Blue
Experience Wide Awake In Blue by Jackie Neale, a bold, immersive photography installation tackling immigration and human rights through sound, textiles, and powerful visuals.
The Marketplace and continues upstairs in the Terrace Gallery
Opening Reception: January 9, 6-8 pm
Experience Wide Awake in Blue, a powerful, immersive exhibition by acclaimed artist Jackie Neale, on view at Cherry Street Pier. This museum-scale installation brings together striking cyanotype portraits, textiles, sound, and storytelling to explore immigration, human rights, and collective identity.
Presented for the first time in full in the U.S., the exhibition combines three major bodies of work: Crossing Over: Immigration Stories, Common Ground Tacony, and We The People Are The Wide Awakes. These deeply human, visually bold works have captivated audiences across the globe, from the Venice Biennale to Governors Island, and now arrive in Philly for a limited time.
Using large-scale cyanotypes on fabric, Neale captures hauntingly beautiful silhouettes that honor lived experience while protecting individual identity. Through personal testimonies and participatory art, Wide Awake in Blue turns the gallery into a civic space for reflection, resistance, and hope.
Wide Awake in Blue Upcoming Programming:
Fridays, February 6, 13, 20, 27, 2026, 2–4pm
Link to sign up: https://tinyurl.com/3mrmyjv7 –
The Procession of Madonna di Montevergine and The Feast of Candelora
Friday, February 6, 2026, 5:45pm–8:00pmThe Procession of Madonna di Montevergine and The Feast of Candelora an emulation of the Italian Catholic Patron Saint parade where we create music and sing as a celebration of this important Patron Saint. Madonna di Montevergine is known to be the champion of queer and trans people and a Protectress of LGBTQIA+ people. Join a local Southern Italian and Sicilian folk music group from Philly as the band performs in the main Cherry Street Pier under the immersive exhibition, Wide Awake in Blue by Jackie Neale, containing textile portraits and audio interviews of immigrant and community stories of belonging.The Procession of Madonna di Montevergine and The Feast of Candelora is held yearly in Avellino, Italy on February 2, with satellite processions being held in close proximity to that date. In Philadelphia, the Procession celebration will be held on Friday, 2/6/26 to honor this tradition of celebration of the Madonna di Montevergine and the feast of Candelora.
More information about the Madonna di Montevergine here: https://qspirit.net/madonna-montevergine-lgbtq/
Saturday, February 28, 2026, in two sessions from 12–2pm and 3–5pm
- Workshop 1: 12–2pm – Registration RSVP is required – https://tinyurl.com/4b2sy2nz
- Workshop 2: 3–5pm – Registration RSVP is required – https://tinyurl.com/nhjzad8e
Know Before You Go:
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