Student Biennial 2018

Arcadia Exhibitions is pleased to announce the opening of “Student Biennial 2018”, on display in the Harrison and Rosedale Galleries through February 11, 2018.This exhibition is the seventh in a series of student exhibitions at Arcadia juried by an outside curator. This year’s show was juried by Carrie Robbins, Curator of Art and Artifacts at Bryn Mawr College where she is responsible for organizing exhibitions utilizing works from that institution’s extensive collection.

Robbins selected 38 entries from a pool of 142 submissions by Arcadia first-years, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The works selected include photographs, paintings, prints, jewelry, ceramics, laser engraved glass, video documentation of performance, and an artist book, as well as drawings completed in graphite, ink, and charcoal.

According to Exhibitions Coordinator Matthew Borgen, “The pool of work from which the juror [Robbins] was asked to select was diverse in terms of approach, subject matter, and media. I believe her thoughtful choices honor that sense of variety, and produce a show that is at times formally and technically striking, and at other times quirky and charming. In short, though her selections I believe Ms Robbins has managed to encapsulate the unique character and strength of our students.”

The artists in the current exhibition include: Cheyenne Baker, Sarah Bartolotta, Lillian Beach, Laura Bonacci, Emma Deesing, Leo Fahringer, Chelsea Faulkner, Sage Forte, Emma Foster, Molly Foster, Rachel Geisinger, Dawn Gioia, Nicholas Ilic, Nikki Ishak, Maura Janoski, Christian Lasyone, Rachel Leonard, Christopher Miller, Justine Moulds, Sydney Mount, Matthew Neavling, Caroline Patterson, Rachel Piotte, Heather Pringle, Lexie Puls, Aarika Trice, Courtney Vincent, Emily A. Wolf, Mara Wolf, Alana Yeager, and Sarah Zimmaro.

Prior to 2006, Department of Art and Design faculty selected works for this biennial exhibition. The current practice of inviting an outside juror began that year when independent curator Julie Courtney was invited to make the selections for the exhibition. Subsequent jurors included Elyse Gonzalez, Assistant Curator, ICA, Philadelphia in 2008, Sue Spaid, Independent Curator, Philadelphia in 2010, Charles Ritchie, Artist / Associate Curator, Department of Modern Prints and Drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. in 2012, and Judith Tannenbaum, Curator, RISD Museum (Rhode Island School of Design in 2014. The 2016 exhibition was juried by Andrea Wohl Keefe and Colin Keefe, Co-Directors, Mount Airy Contemporary, Philadelphia. The Harrison Gallery, formerly the University Commons Art Gallery, has hosted this exhibition since its opening in 2012. This year’s iteration of the exhibition will extend into the Rosedale Gallery, formerly the Great Room Lobby Gallery.

ABOUT THE JUROR

Robbins holds a BA in Art from Grinnell College, as well as a MA and PhD in the History of Art from Bryn Mawr College. She has presented her research on intersections of trompe l’oeil illusionism and the history of photography at various symposia and has taught classes on art ranging from the 17th century to the present.

Her recent curatorial projects include “Kris Graves: The Testament Project,” a multi-media exhibition by the New York photographer, and “Beyond Boundaries: Feminine Forms,” a collaborative exhibition showcasing works by women artists from the collections of Bryn Mawr College and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

This exhibition was made possible by a donation to the Gateway Society by Theresa and John Rollins.

Juror’s Lecture:
Warning: Contemporary Art
January 29, 2018
In Robbins’s lecture on January 29, 2018 at 4:30 PM, she will elaborate on observations she made of her students’ reactions to displays of contemporary art in Philadelphia, New York, and abroad while leading a course titled “Contemporary Art in Exhibition: Museums and Beyond”.

Specifically, she will examine how the current political climate and shifts in social norms have heightened the need for preliminary language, verbal or written, to provide context for exhibitions of contemporary as well as historical works of art. A reception in the galleries to celebrate the exhibiting artists will follow immediately afterward. Both events are free and open to the public.