Graduating PAFA students prep for the big show
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View of a finished gallery of student work. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Michel Amabile, right, and Julia McGehean move one of Amabile's sculptures from his studio to the gallery. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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With hours left before the deadline, Erik Fuller completes a final sculpture. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Michel Amabile (left) and Julia McGehean move some of Amabile's sculptures from his studio to the gallery. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Ellie MacFarlane completes a last minute plexiglass box to house one of her sculptures. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Diego Rodriguez Carrion (right) helps Ryan Almodovar install his work. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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PAFA Exhibition Coordinator Brian Boutwell (right) helps student Leon Wen Xu with his installation. The painting on the wall is by Liza Samuel. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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A student and a faculty member level a support for a painting. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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With her paintings laid out on the floor, Sasha Diehl contemplates hanging her work on the gallery wall. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Justine Ditto works on a wall installation. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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PAFA Alumni Zoe Zurad holds the ladder for Aubrey Brown as he hangs his paintings. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Sasha Diehl tapes the location of two of her large paintings on the gallery wall. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Olivia Losee-Unger hangs one of her paintings. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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PAFA faculty member Jan Baltzell (left) helps students exhibit their work. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Olivia Losee-Unger contemplates the layout of her artwork. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Diego Rodriguez Carrion moves his paintings from his studio to the gallery. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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An empty gallery awaits graduating PAFA students. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
The Samuel M. V. Hamilton Building at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts was the scene of intense activity in early May as students filled the galleries with their work.
The Annual Student Exhibition has showcased the work of graduating students since 1901. Collectors, gallery owners, and art lovers from throughout the Delaware Valley will attend the exhibition, which is unique in that it takes place in a large museum setting.
For the students, the installation process was an intense one. First, students arranged the presentation of their work by laying it out on the gallery floor. In many cases, several revisions took place.
Nearly 1000 pieces of artwork were installed with precision; a quarter of an inch makes a difference. Sculptures were carefully transported, sometimes in sections, from the students’ studios to the exhibit space. Faculty were on hand for both technical and moral support.
The 116th Annual Student Exhibition will open Friday, May 12, with a reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at PAFA’s Hamilton Building and will be free to the public. The work will be on display through June 4.
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