Philadelphia Museum of Art - Information : Press Room : Press Releases : 2004

March 8th, 2004

The 106th Annual Adult Student Members Exhibition Opens At The Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial’s Dene M. Louchheim Galleries, March 19 Through April 2

The Annual Adult Student Members Exhibition is the culmination of the 106th year of fine art instruction at South Philadelphia’s Fleisher Art Memorial. This year’s exhibition will consist of two parts – designed and developed by students and their instructors – exemplifying the teaching and learning philosophy of the Fleisher Art Memorial. Nearly 400 students will have their work on view in Fleisher’s galleries. Many of these works will be for sale.

Part I: March 19 – April 3, will feature drawings, paintings, prints, sculpture, and photographs by adults enrolled in Fleisher’s program of free-tuition classes. A closing reception and awards ceremony for this portion of the exhibition will be held on Saturday, April 3, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Part II: April 8 –24, will feature work from the summer, fall, and spring workshop programs. A closing reception and awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, April 24, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

18th Annual Gary Long Memorial Lecture to be delivered by sculptor Warren Holzman Wednesday, March 31, 2004:
In conjunction with the 106th Annual Adult Student Members Exhibition, the Fleisher Art Memorial will present the 18th Annual Gary Long Memorial Lecture. The lecture will be held in the Fleisher Sanctuary on Wednesday, March 31 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. This year’s guest speaker will be sculptor Warren Holzman who explores figurative forms that refer to who we are in respect to the visceral and the intellectual. Holzman’s works have a biomorphic quality about them, of something once living and breathing but entirely manmade. The sculptures exude references to industrialized structures with their own personalities and organic character. He uses iron and steel to render objects that carry the heritage of forged machines and harkens back to a nostalgic past. Mr. Holzman received his B.F.A. from Kutztown University.

Both the exhibition and the lecture are free and open to the public. Gallery hours at the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Monday through Friday), with additional hours of 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. (Monday through Thursday), and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Saturday). Admission is free.

The Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial is best known as the country’s oldest and largest free and low-tuition visual arts program for adults and children. Founded as the Graphic Sketch Club in 1898, Fleisher has been a vital educational resource that includes instruction in the visual arts, exhibitions, concerts, and interpretation of its historic buildings and permanent collection. The Fleisher Art Memorial has been administered by the Philadelphia Museum of Art since the death of Samuel Fleisher in 1945.

Fleisher’s programs are supported in part by the Samuel S. Fleisher Trust; grants from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, The Independence Foundation, the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, the Philadelphia Cultural Leadership Program funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, The Philadelphia Foundation, and The William Penn Foundation; and donations from more than 2,000 student members and friends.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest museums in the United States, with a collection of more than 227,000 works of art and more than 200 galleries presenting painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, decorative arts, textiles, and architectural settings from Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Its facilities include its landmark Main Building on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Perelman Building, located nearby on Pennsylvania Avenue, the Rodin Museum on the 2200 block of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and two 18th-century houses in Fairmount Park, Mount Pleasant and Cedar Grove. The Museum offers a wide variety of activities for public audiences, including special exhibitions, programs for children and families, lectures, concerts and films.

For additional information, contact the Marketing and Communications Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at (215) 684-7860. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. For general information, call (215) 763-8100, or visit the Museum's website at www.philamuseum.org.