Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0876333102 ISBN 13: 9780876333105

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2026

Synopsis

An exploration of the impact and cultural significance of the legendary Rocky statue located at the foot of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s steps   Fifty years after the premiere of the original Rocky movie, the legacy of the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa endures, as millions of people visit the Rocky statue located outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art each year. Commemorating the most famous Philadelphian who never lived, the landmark has become a monument with its own cultural mystique. In Rising Up, Paul Farber and a diverse group of scholars, cultural figures, literary critics, and artists tell the stories around the statue—of immigrant neighborhoods, Philadelphia’s Black boxing legends, the fight for the future of public spaces, and the changing meanings of monuments today. These stories reveal how our monuments reflect civic power and historical identity while raising questions about social belonging. Recalling Rocky’s story of going the distance, Rising Up also asks why we root for underdogs, untangling the dualities of struggle and triumph, vulnerability and strength, and strife and solidarity embodied in the iconic statue.   Distributed for the Philadelphia Art Museum   Exhibition Schedule:   Philadelphia Art Museum (April 25–August 2, 2026)

About this title

About the Author

Paul M. Farber is director and co-founder of Monument Lab and host of the podcast The Statue on NPR/WHYY.

Edition details

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0876333102
• ISBN 13: 9780876333105
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 140
• Editor: Paul Farber