Walking around Manhattan’s Lower East Side, one flows past graffiti murals, around street construction, through outdoor seating for cafes, and between the streams of city dwellers. Nestled in storefronts and second-floor spaces are a slew of galleries making up this vibrant neighborhood art scene. Focusing more on emergent talent, the LES scene has become a hub for younger galleries looking to make their mark.

1969 Gallery, opened in 2016 by owner and gallerist Quang Bao, is one such space. It is here that graduates from PAFA’s MFA class of 2018 are mounting an exhibition this summer, along with graduates from Boston University’s MFA program. This joint exhibition, titled MAP, features a selection of painting, sculpture, video, and installation work from these two programs.

For the second year, MFA Chair Didier William teamed up with BU MFA Chair Josephine Halvorson to provide graduating students the experience of putting together an exhibition in New York. Students were given the opportunity to mount the show themselves, from designing the catalog to installing the work to gallery sitting.

For most, it was their first opportunity to show in New York.

“It’s surreal,” said PAFA exhibitor Stephanie Fenner (MFA ’18). “It’s sinking in that it’s here, in New York, right after grad school.”

The excitement was palpable on opening night in the gallery.

Students, faculty, and family gathered to see the works on view and support the 27 participating artists. Things inevitably got crowded, and some escaped to the back garden area for a drink and fresh air. Addressing the crowd, Bao spoke of his excitement in bringing in fresh faces. His motto, “let different people win,” means that Bao seeks out a range of fresh voices to exhibit.

“Everyone does MFA graduation exhibitions, but they tend to maybe be on their campus, and most people that I know can’t get to them. So this is just a way to transplant things that I would never normally get to see,” Bao said. “I wanted to give it the longest stretch I could, and the Lower East Side really is where the emerging galleries are, so there’s a simpatico nature to the way we work.”

The show also gives potential patrons an opportunity to view the work. The day before the opening, Bao brought in his collectors to see the work, and by opening night several pieces had sold. This rare opportunity for recent MFA grads to get their work in front of New York collectors is a generous move by the gallery, and both Bao and William have plans to keep this tradition going for future MFA classes.

The idea for a cross-program collaboration first came about after Halvorson gave a lecture at PAFA last year as part of the Visiting Artist Program. She and William, who are longtime friends, began discussing the possibility of finding a way for their students to learn the ins-and-outs of putting together a show in New York.

For the first show in 2017, MFA students showed at On Stellar Rays. This year, Bao offered his space as an opportunity to bring in new talent.

To select the work, Halvorson visited PAFA for a whirlwind two days of studio visits. Zach Van Horn (MFA '18) almost didn’t make the cut.

“I didn’t get in the first wave because my work is fairly large and the space didn’t allow it, but then a couple of weeks later Didier comes to me and says [Halvorson] had noticed a piece of mine from my studio that she didn’t originally focus on and wanted to put it in the show. It was an interesting process,” he said.

Alternately, William visited the studios at Boston University to select the other half of the work.

In the months leading up to the exhibition, PAFA and BU students worked in teams to design and produce a color catalog, create promotional materials, as well as arrange and hang the show themselves. This experience was designed to help students learn about the behind-the-scenes logistics that goes into mounting a show, which can provide valuable knowledge as they move forward with their own curatorial projects.

As the PAFA and BU students mingled in the summer night, teacher, friends, and family gathered around them in celebration. The title of the show, MAP, indicates a sense of seeking, maybe even a feeling of being lost. As emerging artists navigate the art world, it can be heartening to have moments of support and generosity along the way, and the opportunity to exhibit with a group of peers is one such moment.

—Mari Elaine Lamp (mlamp@pafa.org)