16 new flags will fly over Philly's Spruce Street Harbor Park, telling local stories of immigration, identity

When Philadelphia's Spruce Street Harbor Park opens for the season Friday, it will bring stories of immigration, identity and resilience from off gallery walls and into the open air.

A new public art installation called "Roots of Resilience" is transforming the Delaware River waterfront, featuring 16 flags designed by artists from Philadelphia and around the world.

Each flag tells a different story.

"Some use symbology. Some use images of their own family members who immigrated," said Libby Rosa, arts programming coordinator with the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation. "So many different artists responded to the theme in incredible ways."

The installation is part of the DRWC's "Where Freedom Flows" series ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary.

For photographer Adrian Adams, the project became personal.

"Understanding my roots really drew me to the prompt," Adams said.

Adams says his father immigrated to the United States from Antigua in the early 1980s, searching for new opportunities and a better life. That family history inspired the artwork now flying above the park.

The image featured on his flag is the firethorn, a resilient plant historically seen throughout Philadelphia.

"For me, it blends in so well with all the other plants that have also come here from other places," Adams said.

The exhibit highlights how Philadelphia has long been shaped by people who arrived carrying stories, dreams, culture and courage.

For the artists involved, the flags represent more than fabric moving in the wind.

They are reminders that freedom and belonging move across generations, across communities, and across water.

"Diversity is beautiful because it comes from so many different walks of life," Adams said. "If you take the time to actually look at the art, it's the same way of taking the time to hear somebody's story."

The "Roots of Resilience" installation will be on display at Spruce Street Harbor Park starting May 22, the day the park opens for the season. Through Sept. 7, visitors can walk the waterfront, look skyward, and experience the many threads that continue to shape Philadelphia's story.