114th Annual Student Exhibition

At the 114th Annual Student Exhibition (ASE), works by BFA students, third-year and fourth-year Certificate program students and Master of Fine Arts candidates will showcase a diversity of styles that combine traditional skill and contemporary vision. In addition to its role as an exhibition and sale, the exhibition represents a competition for the coveted Certificate program’s Cresson, Schiedt, Ware, and Women’s Board Travel Scholarships.

The longest-standing exhibition of its kind, the Annual Student Exhibition is one of the most highly anticipated student group shows in the country. It is also an art collector’s dream, as the ASE offers the opportunity to view and purchase works by the art world’s next big stars, including winners of PAFA’s Spring Prize competition, the prestigious Travel Awards, and other prizes awarded to students in recognition of various categories of excellence. This year’s ASE will feature nearly 1,000 works in various media by 36 graduating MFA students and 49 Certificate and BFA students.

An academic capstone and professional debut for PAFA students, the ASE offers students the opportunity to curate, install, and sell their own works in a professional setting. While it is not uncommon for graduating art students to exhibit work, the Annual Student Exhibition provides an opportunity to have work displayed in the galleries of a major museum. Thousands of people see the work: artists, collectors, curators, as well as the public.

Formal and informal PAFA experiences to prepare students for the ASE include studio classes in drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture; critiques from faculty and visiting artists; student-organized exhibitions during the academic year; and ASE workshops focusing on topics ranging from pricing artwork and talking about their work, to planning and installing an exhibition, as well as museum gallery pest management practices, and curator discussions.

The traditional night-before Preview Party, hosted by the PAFA Women’s Board, kicks off the historic ASE and offers guests the first chance to view and purchase paintings, sculpture, works on paper, and installations created by PAFA students on the cusp of their professional careers. The student exhibitors are present to discuss their work and they retain the majority of the purchase price of works sold.

Click here for more information about the Preview Party.