Hang In There

Space 1026

Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | USA

Feb 07, 2025 - Feb 28, 2025

Hang In There is a snapshot of the UArts community鈥檚 students, faculty, and alumni in the aftermath of the abrupt closure of the University of the Arts. The sudden and unceremonious end to this 150 year-old institution has left an immense crater in the Philadelphia art community, the size and shape of which we are only beginning to behold. There is no single 鈥淯Arts Style鈥� but the breadth and vitality of art in this exhibition demonstrates the diversity of artists who have been connected with the university over the years.

This announcement鈥揹ecided in secrecy by a select few鈥搘as just one of several recent closures of art- and artist-making institutions in the US, occurring only months after PAFA announced its intention to end its degree programs. Losing these celebrated communities, some older than 100 years, is a symptom of larger political and cultural attitudes towards the arts and institutions. The loss of these institutions displaces a generation of artists and educators, leading to fewer artists and a blander world. Considering the state of things these days, we need the arts and artists more than ever.

The response to UArts closing was a glorious display of community support and resistance, with artists coming together to mourn, and to move forward. The UArts community and their friends have engaged in actions to bring attention to the larger threat against arts and culture that this closure portends.

As a community of artists, alumni, instructors, drop-outs, and burnouts ourselves at Space 1026, we recognize the precious yet precarious circumstances these artists find themselves in. We are reminded of our own displacement when we lost our original building at 1026 Arch St. With UArts graduates, instructors, and students amongst our membership, Space 1026ers share in this collective grief with a dedication to continue cultivating the next generation of artists and their craft here in Philadelphia. This show celebrates the friends and members of UArts; it celebrates the energy and joy of art; it celebrates our steadfast commitment to the places and people we love.