PHILADELPHIA250 is creating a Declaration Station, a novel civic engagement resource that is mobile, attention-grabbing, interactive and playful. The Station will become a centerpiece of our public and civic engagement work and will be critical to our success. We imagine it as a mobile resource for our staff and volunteers to engage people throughout the city in meaningful civic conversation, helping us understand how the ideas of the Declaration of Independence are relevant today to the diverse people of Philadelphia.

To design the Station, in 2023 PHILADELPHIA250 launched a competition to pick a multidisciplinary team of architects, designers, artists and community engagement specialists. Three teams were selected to compete and present their proposed vision and designs at a series of events. These designs will be reviewed and judged by a panel of experts in design, art, and community and civic engagement, who will help PHILADELPHIA250 select the winning proposal.The competition is running from August through December 2023.

The three teams participating in the competition are:

· ISA and Tiny WPA with artists Chenlin Cai, Calo Rosa and Serena Saunders
· Moto Designshop + Iron Studio, with Crafted Action, RustFab, and Ann T. Dinh
· PORT + Creative Lab III + Little Giant Creative 

At the events, the teams will display design boards and a partial or full-scale model of the Station, or a key component of the Station. Members of the public will hear directly from the designers as they outline their vision for the Declaration Station, and view exhibits of their designs and models. They’ll also have the chance to give their feedback on each design.

The events will take place on October 10, 2023 (Designing the 250th, part of the 2023 DesignPhiladelphia Festival) and December 6, 20203 (PHL250’s annual Countdown to the 250th).  Visit our events page to register for these events and be a part of designing the 250th with PHILADELPHIA250!