The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Opens its Annual Student Exhibition, Showcasing nearly 1000 Student Artworks
Exhibition opens with Preview Party May 9 and to the public May 10, and remains on view through June 2
PHILADELPHIA – May 3, 2024 - The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) opens its 123rd Annual Student Exhibition (ASE), a capstone exhibition celebration of the Academy’s student artists. A unique chance to view and purchase works by the art world’s emerging talents, ASE opens with the Preview Party May 9, and to the public May 10, and remains on view through June 2 in eight galleries of the Hamilton Building at 128 North Broad Street.
For more than a century, PAFA’s ASE has been the crowning academic achievement for its students, and a highly anticipated event in Philadelphia for students, alumni, art lovers and collectors. The exhibition, which this year showcases nearly 1000 works of art by 56 third- and fourth-year undergraduate students, second-year graduate students, and post- baccalaureate students, allows them the opportunity to curate, install, and sell their own works in PAFA’s galleries.
“The Annual Student Exhibition is the highlight of our year, an opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate our exceptionally talented students, as well as the faculty, alumni, volunteers, and staff who have trained and supported them,” said PAFA President and CEO Eric Pryor. “These emerging artists are the foremost creatives and makers of tomorrow, the leaders of their generation of artists, and our future. We are immensely proud of their tremendous accomplishments, and we look forward to following their artistic practices and impact.”
Among the many successful artists who have launched their careers through PAFA’s ASE are living artists such as Bo Bartlett, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, and Elizabeth Osborne, as well as titans of the PAFA legacy, including Edna Andrade, Daniel Garber, Barkley L. Hendricks, and Laura Wheeler Waring. In addition to serving as both an exhibition and art sale, the ASE includes a competition for the coveted Cresson, Rubens, Schiedt, von Hess, Ware, and Women’s Committee Travel Scholarships, funded opportunities for awardees to travel within the United States as well as internationally to further their artistic discovery and practice.
Annual Student Exhibition Preview Party and Art Sale | Thursday, May 9, 5:00 – 8:30 PM
Hosted by the Women’s Committee of PAFA, the Annual Student Exhibition Preview Party and Art Sale offers guests the first chance to view and purchase student paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and installations before the exhibition opens to the public.
In recognition of their longtime support and leadership at PAFA, this year’s Honorary Chairs are Dorothy Mather Ix, President of the Women’s Committee, and Raymond Ix. The Preview Party Co-Chairs are Pia Halloran and Iris Shea. Special thanks to the many generous Preview Party supporters including Benefactor Sponsor: The Ball Family Foundation and Partner Sponsors: Brown Brothers Harriman, Lincoln Financial Group, Marianne N. Dean, and Dorothy Mather Ix and Raymond Ix, among many more.
Annual Student Exhibition Public Opening Reception | Friday, May 10, 4:00 - 7:00 PM
The Public Opening of the Annual Student Exhibition is free to the public, and kicks off with an Alumni Social from 4:30 to 5:30 in Tableau Cafe. Advance registration is requested for the Alumni Social.
About the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is America’s first school and museum of fine arts. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, PAFA offers a world-class collection of American art, innovative exhibitions of historic and contemporary American art, and undergraduate and graduate programs in the fine arts. The PAFA Museum aims to tell the sweeping story of American art, expanding who has been included in the canon of art history through its collections, exhibitions, and public programs, while the College and extended classes of the School of Fine Arts educate artists with a deep understanding of traditions and the ability to challenge conventions. PAFA’s esteemed alumni include Mary Cassatt, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Maxfield Parrish, William Glackens, Barkley L. Hendricks, Violet Oakley, Louis Kahn, David Lynch and Henry Ossawa Tanner. Learn more at PAFA.org.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Katherine E. Blodgett
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215.431.1230
Featured Image: Maggie Bosco (MFA 2023), Arch on Broad, 2023, 48 x 60 in., oil on linen, photographed by Adrian Cubillas.
