The Center, a bronze and limestone sculpture by Dyymond Whipper-Young, KLN ’18, and Michael Coppage, features the hands of five members of the local Grays Ferry community. It was unveiled at Vare Recreation Center on Oct. 23.
The Center features five hands were cast from actual members of the Vare Recreation Center community, who were chosen through a collaborative, vote-driven selection process.
Photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg
Rising 10 feet tall in front of Vare Recreation Center in Philadelphia’s Grays Ferry neighborhood is The Center, the recently unveiled sculpture by Dyymond Whipper-Young, KLN ’18, and Cincinnati-based sculptor Michael Coppage. The bronze and limestone sculpture depicts a young Black woman with one arm raised toward the sky, holding a ring encircled by five hands, each cast from the actual hands of community members. The sculpture celebrates local residents’ contributions to their community.
“The pose represents unity. The hands represent her uplifting the community, but the community also uplifting her,” said Whipper-Young.
The Center was commissioned by Philadelphia’s landmark Percent for Art Program, which mandates that 1% of any new construction or remodeling project more than $1 million must be dedicated to public art. The commission was part of a major renovation of Vare Recreation Center completed in 2024.
Four years in the making, The Center was unveiled on Oct. 23 at an outdoor community event featuring remarks from Whipper-Young, Coppage and other leaders in the local community and Philadelphia’s public arts scene. A documentary about the entire creation of the sculpture was also screened indoors.
After expressing gratitude to attendees, Whipper-Young emphasized the significance of depicting a Black woman, a demographic that is underrepresented in Philadelphia’s public sculptures.
“I really want to emphasize the importance of Black women and I want us to get our recognition. Out of the hundreds of sculptures in this city, you can count on one hand how many sculptures there are of Black women,” said Whipper-Young. “I want to thank the Black women who raised me, the Black women I have yet to meet and the Black women that came before me.”
Valerie Gay, BYR ’10, chief cultural officer for the City of Philadelphia and executive director of Creative Philadelphia, reflected on the significance of the artwork in her remarks.
“It represents connection, what brings us together and the strength we find in each other,” said Gay. “We hope that every time someone walks past The Center, they will be reminded of the people that support them. The Center celebrates the people who bring a community to life. I hope it will inspire others to lend their own helping hand in the future.”
The sculpture’s five hands were cast from actual members of the Vare Recreation Center community, who were chosen through a collaborative, vote-driven selection process. Whipper-Young also hosted hand-casting workshops for community members, who were able to take their own hand cast home.
Creating a tribute to the Vare Recreation Center community was paramount for Whipper-Young throughout her creative process. “We’re including the people whose stories are being told in the process of creating the art so nothing is getting lost in translation,” said Whipper-Young. “I think that should be a very important part of public art, that the public is a part of it.”
For Whipper-Young, the commission represents another milestone in an artistic career that spans public art, education and collaborations with major organizations.
Previously, she has created murals at a juvenile detention center and Philadelphia public schools, partnered with Nike’s Jordan brand to develop a social-emotional learning coloring book for students in Philadelphia and Chicago and worked on voter advocacy campaigns. She also worked with the School District of Philadelphia and the Father’s Day Rally Committee to create a public art incubator program in which she trained students to create public art.
In 2021, Whipper-Young created 6,150-square-foot drawing on the floor of the Franklin Institute as part of its Crayola IDEAworks exhibition, breaking the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest drawing.
At Temple, Whipper-Young studied advertising, with a focus on art direction and a minor in business entrepreneurship. She credits her education with preparing her for the business side of working in the arts.
“I attribute a lot of the skills I use every day to my time at Temple, from learning how to clearly communicate my designs to understanding the business side of being an artist, like contracts, taxes and all the things we don’t talk about enough. I’ve even gone on to teach courses on the business of art, so those lessons have really stayed with me,” she said.
For Whipper-Young and Coppage, finishing The Center does not mark the end of their commitment to their community.
“Michael and I are really proud of what we’ve created with the Vare community, but we know there’s more work to do,” she said. “We look forward to creating more sculptures that honor communities, preserve their stories and give people a lasting place in public art.”