Semblance and Resemblance – Ellen Tiberino on Exhibit

Step into the First Floor Gallery West at the Parkway Central Library this summer, and you’re stepping into a living archive—a vibrant communion of memory, meaning, and artistry known as Semblance and Resemblance: Tiberino and Her Inspirations. This compelling exhibition, co-curated by artist Ellen Tiberino and the Free Library’s Suzanna Urminska, isn’t just a celebration of two Philadelphia artists—it’s a testament to the endurance of Black women’s creative legacies and the vital role public libraries play as cultural sanctuaries.

Semblance and Resemblance – The Two Ellens

At the heart of this experience are two Ellens: the late Ellen Powell Tiberino, a visual artist whose fearless, figurative work cemented her place as a pillar of Philadelphia’s Black arts community, and her daughter, mosaic artist Ellen Tiberino, who continues that legacy with quiet fire and unwavering devotion. Together, their works speak across time—sharing not only a resemblance in form and face but a shared creative spirit rooted in truth-telling and transformation.

The exhibit pairs Ellen Powell’s vivid, expressive paintings with Ellen Tiberino’s rich, meditative mosaics. But what elevates Semblance and Resemblance is the intimacy: audio recordings of both artists, family artifacts like hats and scarves, and ephemera that offer glimpses into the lived spaces of the Tiberino home, which itself has long served as an open-air museum and neighborhood beacon in West Philly.

“Inspiration is an exchange,” says Ellen Tiberino. “It’s about how we shape each other.” That sense of shared shaping permeates the show—from the visual conversations between mother and daughter, to Ellen’s acknowledgment of the mentors and community who’ve helped guide her mosaic journey. The result is a narrative of art that is not linear, but circular—iterative, generative, and deeply grounded.

And it is no coincidence that this story unfolds inside a library.

“In a time when the arts and essential public services like libraries are increasingly under threat,” Ellen notes, “this exhibition is both a celebration and a stand.” Public libraries—open, accessible, and welcoming to all—remain one of the few places where creative expression is not commodified, but communal. And Semblance and Resemblance thrives in that space, reminding us of what’s possible when our cultural institutions center legacy, learning, and liberation.

For those who’ve followed the Tiberino family’s legacy, this exhibit will feel like a homecoming. For newcomers, it’s an open invitation—to witness, to reflect, and to be moved. Ellen puts it best: “This show is about honoring legacy, yes—but it’s also about inviting people into our world and showing how creativity, even in the face of hardship, endures and evolves.”

On view through September 26, Semblance and Resemblance is a love letter to lineage, an offering of joy, and a declaration that Black art—and the spaces that nourish it—will always matter.

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Bobbi Booker

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