File/Life: We Remember Stories of Pennhurst

Over nearly eight decades, more than 10,000 people lived at the Pennhurst State School and Hospital. Their lives contain its history. Who are they? What do their stories have to say to us today? With generous support from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University is pleased to announce the world premiere of File/Life: We Remember Stories of Pennhurst.
Part installation, part event, and part community gathering, File/Life will have a strictly limited Philadelphia engagement April 20-23, 2023, at the Arch Street Meeting House.
FILE/LIFE is a community-led exploration of the Pennhurst archives. Seven archivists (all people with disabilities and/or family members) share stories from the archives that made them listen, feel, imagine, and remember. In doing so, they ask the question: Can a file ever contain a life?

Thursday - Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Admission is free but ticket reservations are strongly encouraged.
Viewer advisory: This installation includes potentially challenging historical content. (See details on the Institute's File/Life webpage)

Access: File/Lifeis ASL interpreted, open captioned, and audio described. Community conversations will be CART captioned. An ASL interpreter will be on site every day. Relaxed viewing hours Thursday-Saturday, 9am-10am.