Philadelphia— This fall, the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design is launching PostScript:Immersive Studio Project. The initiative is housed in a new multi-use exhibition space located in the Crane Arts building in the Kensington section of Philadelphia that will host a series of public programs in 2018 and 2019.
Funded by The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation at Penn, the facility functions as a studio/work space, as well as a satellite location for public programs that engage Penn students from multiple disciplines, as well as the wider Philadelphia arts and culture community. PostScript programs will include curated exhibitions, experimental class residencies, interdisciplinary programs with departments across the School, and curatorial fellowships for undergraduate and graduate fine arts students.
Ken Lum, professor and chair of the Department of Fine Arts, said “We recognize Philadelphia as a gift. Philadelphia is a great and complex city, and a laboratory of endless learning. PostScript is an acknowledgement of our place within Philadelphia."
Matt Neff, director of the Undergraduate Program in Fine Arts, said “The Fine Arts Department is excited to launch PostScript with a malleable, public-facing, venue that provides students and faculty with the opportunity to expand learning beyond the classroom.”
“PostScript places the PennDesign community in the heart of Kensington’s dynamic arts scene, alongside experimental galleries including Icebox, Fjord and the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, said The Sachs Program Executive Director John McInerney. “It directly connects Penn to the wider spectrum of creative practice in the city.”
The first PostScript exhibition opens on Thursday, September 13, with a reception from 6:00 - 9:00pm. Well, Susan, this is a fine mess you’ve gotten us into, curated by alumna Lydia Rosenberg (MFA’15) features work from alumna Paz Ortuzar (MFA’14), Jason Carey-Sheppard, and Alexandra Phillips. The exhibition, whose title refers to an example taken from The Elements of Style of how to properly use the comma as a parenthetical device, brings together three artists whose works interact with unseen forces including humidity, blunt force, and bacterial bloom.
In October and November, the site hosts an exhibition curated by Phoebe Wang (BA’15).
Spring 2019 programs will include additional exhibitions as well as artist residencies organized in conjunction with Penn’s Department of Music and the graduate program in the Department of Fine Arts.
The University of Pennsylvania School of Design (PennDesign) prepares students to address complex sociocultural and environmental issues through thoughtful inquiry, creative expression, and innovation.As a diverse community of scholars and practitioners, we are committed to advancing the public good–both locally and globally–through art, design, planning, and preservation. Learn more at www.design.upenn.edu.