PAFA Hosts Annual Open Studio Night
Friday, February 19

It happens one night a year! An up-close and personal look into the creative process, and works in progress, of a new generation of emerging artists

PHILADELPHIA (February 1, 2016) -- The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is hosting its annual Open Studio Night on Friday, February 19, 5 - 9 p.m. in the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, located at 128 North Broad Street, Philadelphia.

One of the most buzzed-about events on the academic calendar, Open Studio Night is the one time each year when PAFA's talented graduate and undergraduate students open their studios to the public. The event is an opportunity for these emerging artists to show their works in progress and discuss their art-making process with art collectors, gallery owners and the public.

An event that draws hundreds of visitors annually, Open Studio Night also provides a sneak peek of works that will appear in the 115th Annual Student Exhibition (ASE), on view May 13 through June 5, 2016.

The culmination of PAFA's academic calendar, the ASE is the largest and longest-standing exhibition of its kind, featuring over 1,000 works of art by third- and fourth-year Certificate students and graduating MFA and BFA students. Thousands of excited collectors flock to ASE every year to purchase works by the art world's next generation of stars.

The ASE marks the professional debut for PAFA students, who curate, install, and sell their own work - many of which can be seen as works in progress on Open Studio Night. Students spend the rest of the semester completing their work with feedback from faculty and guest critics.

Visitors are encouraged to follow @PAFAcademy on Twitter and Instagram, and to share their photos of Open Studio Night using the hashtag #PAFAOpenStudio.

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Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is America's first school and museum of fine arts. A recipient of the 2005 National Medal of Arts, PAFA is a recognized leader in fine arts education with a world-class permanent collection of American art.