What is a "Memory Parlor"? Inspired by the Ancient Art of memory, at Memory Parlors, we connect fragmented narratives that pertain to peace, justice and human dignity, under the protection and shelter of beauty.
Our Memory Parlors acknowledge the need for spaces to cultivate our understanding of morally relevant history. This history includes the stories of value-centric ideas and of persons who bring those ideas to life. At their core, Memory Parlors rest on the principle that morally relevant history — multidisciplinary by nature, drawing from philosophy, psychology, law, literature and beyond — is a narrative of past ethics. As such, it is an essential guide as we navigate toward a more just and compassionate future.
The Cora di Brazzà Foundation organized its first Memory Parlor in 2021 at Art Reach of Mid-Michigan.
Our second "Pop Up" Memory Parlor was held at the Friends Meeting House (Quaker House) in Washington D.C., in March 2022, also during the Covid pandemic, but when restrictions were slowly being lifted.
Our third Memory Parlor, "Toward Unity" was held at the Philadelphia Masonic Temple on July 19-20, 2023, the 175th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention of 1848.
Our fourth Memory Parlor, "Conscience in Action," was held at the Philadelphia Masonic Temple on July 17-18, 2024.
Our fifth Memory Parlor, "Archetypes of Virtue" was held at the Philadelphia Masonic Temple and at the historic Philip Jaisohn House on July 23-24, 2025.
Our sixth Memory Parlor, "Shadow of Intention" will be held at Philadelphia Masonic Temple on July 22-23, 2026.
It was in a "Suffrage Parlor" in Washington D.C. in 1886 when Adelaide Johnson, at the suggestion of a friend, first decided to sculpt Susan B. Anthony. A "Memory Parlor" is a nod to the earlier “Suffrage Parlors” and to the recognition that we need spaces to cultivate our understanding of positive history.
