PAFA Hosts Annual Open Studio Night: Friday, February 20  

For one night only, visitors and art collectors get an up-close look

into the creative process of the next generation of art stars

PHILADELPHIA (February 12, 2015) -- The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is hosting its annual Open Studio Night on Friday, February 20, 5 - 9 p.m. in the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, located at 128 North Broad Street, Philadelphia.

PAFA's talented graduate and undergraduate students open their studios to the public for one night only each year, presenting their works in progress and discussing their art-making process with visitors.

Open Studio Night, an event that draws hundreds of visitors annually, also provides a sneak peek of works that will appear in the 114th Annual Student Exhibition (ASE), on view May 15 - June 7, 2015.

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 eager collectors flock to ASE every year to purchase works by the art world's next generation of stars. 

The highly anticipated exhibition marks the professional debut for PAFA students, who curate, install, and sell their own works -- many of which can be seen as works in progress during Open Studio Night. Students spend the rest of the spring 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.