City Hall’s art curator keeps the work in its halls as diverse as the people on our streets

Vibrant portraits of Black girls hang in three eight-foot display cases near the Mayor’s Reception Room in City Hall. Other artifacts from the Colored Girls Museum — dolls, tea sets, rugs, and books — complement the paintings.

The Colored Girls Museum’s portraits stand in bright contrast to the 99 austere ones of Philadelphia mayors mounted on the walls of the cavernous reception room. Here, citizens network, celebrate community wins, and shake Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s hand under the watchful gaze of past mayors.

People do not think of the hallowed walls in City Hall as gallery space, but that’s exactly how Tu Huynh, the building’s curator of exhibitions and programs, wants Philadelphians to see them.

He has organized municipal art shows speaking to Philadelphia’s diversity for 22 years, curating more than 300 exhibitions centering contemporary issues ranging from gun violence to climate change through the lens of Philadelphians, especially its marginalized communities. That’s extremely important, Huynh says, especially now when the voices and rights of the LGBTQI community, immigrants, brown people, Black people, and women are in the midst of being silenced.

“This is the most important building in the entire city,” said Huynh, whose quiet intonation coveys an unwavering dedication to the arts. “We have the Mayor’s Office, City Council, courtroom up the wazoo all visited by our citizens … we want [them] to know [they] are welcome to be a part of the democratic process. Our art is democracy in action.”

Four exhibitions are running concurrently in City Hall right now.

One is “The Colored Girls Museum’s ”Life Doesn’t Frighten Me … Anymore,” which celebrates the Germantown museum’s 10-year anniversary, and features eight installations — two in the lobby and six on the second floor.

“Black women work in City Hall, we are present on the streets surrounding City Hall,” said Vashti Dubois, founder and executive director of the house museum. “But in this exhibit [and] with these artifacts you can find in ordinary Black women’s homes, we are providing a more intimate experience with Black women.”

Other current exhibits include “Neuroinclusion & Neurodiversity Under One Roof — The People’s Roof,“ featuring paintings of 75 children and adults living with autism and “Philadelphia Cultures and Connections: Artworks by Individuals with Disabilities” with delicate ceramics and watercolors from 30 local artists with a range of developmental challenges.

“These exhibits are in places of power,” Huynh said. “Subconsciously, I want to remind the council members, the judges, the politicians to walk by and see what’s happening in their own backyard.”

“Made and Remade — The Art of the Philadelphia Dumpster Divers" features work that 15 artists fashioned from found objects. The 30 wall hangings in Creative Philadelphia offices, where the city’s public arts programs are housed, add a rustic pop to the white walls.

“Where else can you go in the city and see so many examples of art that appreciate how different we all are?” asked Huynh, 54, from his office. Vintage black and white photographs of Nina Simone, Harriet Tubman, and W.E.B. Du Bois are affixed behind his desk.

“People are people. They have their life experiences and they want to show it and share it. You can’t deny that.”

Huynh was 4 when he, his mom, and three brothers left Vietnam in the 1970s during the fall of Saigon.

“I remember I didn’t have any shoes on,” said Huynh. “We left on a helicopter my uncle piloted and flew out into the South China Sea. We were transferred to an aircraft carrier ship and [then] a military ship that took us to the Philippines and Guam before we settled in Miami.”

Huynh painted through his childhood, inspired by the artist Christo, known for installating pink fabric across the Miami islands. He attended University of Florida, graduating in 1995 with an art degree, specializing in painting. He moved to Philadelphia in 2000 and took a job at the African American Museum as an assistant curator and exhibits assistant before working for the city.

“I’m fortunate enough to work with so many people committed to civil rights through the arts, disability rights through the arts, and restorative justice through the arts,” he said.

As a part of his job, Huynh fields proposals from community organizations and invites arts institutions — like the Colored Girls Museum — to show their work. Exhibits remain on display for two months and are open to the public when City Hall is open.

Huynh’s budget is less than $10,000 a year, barely enough to pay arts organizations a small stipend, host receptions, print exhibition materials, and promote the shows.

Earlier this year Creative Philadelphia was awarded a $300,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation, allowing Huynh to replace several display cases.

“What Tu does isn’t just about visual arts,” said Valerie Gay, chief cultural officer for Creative Philadelphia. “He sacrifices to make space for community artists and organizations to come together and tell their own stories through their own lenses.”

In 1985, City Councilmember Joan Specter teamed with Mayor Wilson Goode for City Hall’s first art exhibit. The next year, the City Representative’s Office of Arts and Culture was established as part of the City Commerce department. There were just a few exhibits a year and most showed work from professional artists.

It wasn’t until Huynh came on board in 2003 that the program was expanded to include community organizations and self-taught artists.

That effort, however, was short-lived. Former Mayor John F. Street closed the Office of Arts and Culture in 2004 and Huynh’s job was moved to the department of public property. In 2008, former Mayor Michael Nutter reopened the office, renaming it the Office of Arts and Culture and the Creative Economy, placing it under the Creative Arts umbrella.

“He did that during the Great Recession,” Huynh said. “It was such a big deal because usually the arts are the first thing to go.”

Huynh has ensured the pulse of the city is on the walls of City Hall, with exhibits honoring Mother Bethel, the school district, and the city’s nonbinary community. He collaborated with Rue Landau last November to curate “Transcending Uncertainty: Art Endures at Home,” in response to the abrupt closing of the University of the Arts.

He has also curated two permanent exhibitions outside of City Hall. "The Reverend Dr. Leon H. Sullivan Centennial Exhibition‚" honoring the life of the Philadelphia civil rights and social justice leader, lives in Terminal A of Philadelphia International Airport. Huynh was also behind “Remembering MOVE: May 13, 1985” on exhibit in the lobby of the Municipal Services building.

“It’s about cultural heritage and legacy and keeping these very important parts of Philadelphia history alive,” Huynh said.