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City councilor Rue Landau says a planned exhibition at City Hall featuring artwork by former University of the Arts students and faculty will send “a message” to those who decided to abruptly close the downtown art school last June.
“People are very angry about what happened at University Arts, and rightly so,” Landau said. “This will give them an opportunity to say, ‘You’ve harmed us, and we’re angry. But look what we’re doing now. We’re at City Hall, and we’ll be somewhere else. Shame on you.'”
Landau and Creative Philadelphia, the new name of the city’s Office of Arts, Culture and Creative Industries led by Val Gay, have begun soliciting the UArts community to submit works that are expected to be exhibited on two floors of City Hall in November. The exhibition is titled “Transcending Uncertainty: Art Endures at Home in Philadelphia.” Interested artists can use this online submission form.
The idea for the exhibit was born at a City Council hearing on August 8, where people affected by the sudden closure of UArts had the opportunity to testify on the record. People described disruptions to their education, careers, housing and finances.
“The hearing was heartbreaking. We all had tears in our eyes,” said Landau, whose mother studied painting at UArts’ predecessor, the Philadelphia Colleges of the Arts.
“When you consider how many generations of people have graduated there and been able to make a living doing their jobs or hone their craft,” she said, “it’s just outrageous that it’s now coming to a halt and people’s education and employment is suddenly ending.”
