EXTRA CREDIT #1

THE PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS (PHILADELPHIA)

CANDYCE MUSINSKI

The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia was a delight to visit. This museum was unique from all of the others I had visited in Philadelphia because it displayed student art works. I found this to be quite amazing because the pieces that I saw were remarkable. I thought going in to this establishment that the student work would be from this present year. However, these pieces dated back years and years which I found very interesting. I wondered how this museum was run and if all students were allowed to display their art.

I did not pay to see the entire museum, but I was able to view the entire first floor of student work for free. The work, mostly paintings, was quite impressive. This piece titled Run through the Desert was created by Charles Andersen with acrylic on canvas. This is the second image posted above. Andersen was a student from 1985-1988. It was priced at $4,000. I was curious as to whether or not this painting has been on display since 1988 or if the artist just recently created it to sell. The whole idea of selling the student’s artwork in a museum was pretty interesting. I liked how students could do that.

The guest artist at the museum was Tom LaDuke. This artist used acrylic and airbrush on large scaled photos. The bright, detailed, and scattered acrylic on the dull photos was very pleasing to the eye. It released a ghost-like quality and it took me a while to take my eyes away. The installation is called run generator and they were not for sale. This is displayed in the first photo above. I appreciated the variety in the museum.

Though I did not pay for the full museum exhibit, I was able to view a lot of art for free. The entire first floor was free and this consisted of about ten different rooms/hallways. I thought it was cool that the museum offered this to the public. There was also a building next to this museum that showcased various artists from a specific theme. The theme that was presented during my visit was Narcissus in the Studio: Artist Portrait and Self-Portraits. I wish I had enough time to see this exhibit, but unfortunately I was too late! I could see some pieces from the outside through the windows, however, and it looked very captivating.

The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia was a pretty incredible place. I loved the concentration on student works. I also enjoyed that they sold some pieces. The guest artist, Tom Duke, was also displayed and I got a sample of some great professional fine art. Though I never got to the other levels of the museum or the extension next door, I could tell it was filled with lots of lovely and exciting pieces that I would one day love to see.