Pari Livermore organized Dancing at the Crossroads, a two part fundraising celebration, over the summer of 2023 honoring and supporting two import Philadelphia charitable organizations. Dancing at the Crossroads had the Irish community dancing in May and again in August.
Pari’s inspiration for this 2 part fundraising celebration was Janet McShain’s grand and luminous painting, now so synonymous with events in the Irish Center’s
Ballroom. Meeting ‘at the Crossroads’ of life’s journeys, celebrations, mourning, worship, Ceilis- the needed gathering of families, friends, community- was a theme worthy of exploration for the Artist. Janet further used as inspiration the authentic images captured of The Jim McGill family farm in Ireland’s Northwest.
The May event supported the Commodore John Barry Center for Arts and Culture (The Irish Center). The Irish Center is a lively gathering space that sponsors and supports programs and activities in the Delaware Valley that teach, celebrate and promote Irish art, culture and rich heritage. It is the Center’s goal that Irish Seniors, Irish Immigrants, Veterans, first-generation descendants of Irish Immigrants, and Irish-Americans will all benefit from its programs.
The August Dancing at the Crossroads Event helped raise funds for The Duffy’s Cut Project. The Project is undergoing archaeological excavation of Irish workers who came to Philadelphia work in Pennsylvania’s developing railroad industry. Less than two months after their arrival, all 57 are believed to have died during the second cholera pandemic. While most died of the disease, forensic evidence suggests that some may have been murdered, perhaps due to fear of cholera in the area and surrounding counties. They were buried anonymously in a ditch outside of Malvern. The team took on the momentous task of archival and archaeological search into the life and death of the forgotten men and women of Duffy’s Cut, seeking to provide insight into early 19th Century attitudes about industry, immigration, and disease in Pennsylvania.
