PAFA and Philadelphia Zoo To Announce Winner of Poster Contest Commemorating Zoo's 150th Anniversary

 

 

 PHILADELPHIA – On Thursday, January 15, 2009, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) and the Philadelphia Zoo will join together at a special reception to announce the winner of a PAFA student poster competition commemorating the Zoo’s 150^th anniversary. The competition, which was open to second, third, and fourth-year PAFA students, is part of the excitement leading up to the Philadelphia Zoo’s 150^th anniversary, which takes place on Saturday, March 21, 2009. The competition brings together two of our nation’s firsts: the first school of fine arts and museum and America’s First Zoo.

 

The January 15 reception will be held at PAFA and will showcase the winning artwork and artist. Attendees will include members of the Board of Directors from each organization as well as key members of the Zoo’s sesquicentennial committee.

 

There were no restrictions on media but the artwork and the image were to reflect one or more endangered animal species from a list provided by the Zoo.

  

“This partnership was an extraordinary way for our organizations to work together as we get ready to celebrate our 150^th anniversary,” said Philadelphia Zoo President and CEO Vik Dewan. “This poster is just one way that people from all over the region can connect to conservation, wildlife and the environment we share through art, the Zoo and through both of our organizations.”

 

PAFA and the Philadelphia Zoo have an already existing relationship as the Zoo makes resources available to the Academy for its animal drawing classes. Zoo President Dewan originated the idea of a poster contest for PAFA’s students and presented it to the Academy’s Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, Jeffrey Carr, and Painting Department Chair, Al Gury. A plan for a student internship at the Zoo is also under consideration.

 

For Gury, the contest “touches on PAFA’s longstanding history of artists producing artwork depicting animals. This adds to the connection between the tradition of Thomas Eakins’ animal drawing classes and the Academy’s ongoing relationship with the Philadelphia Zoo. It’s exciting to see this association continue to grow.”

 

The deadline for submission was Monday, December 15, and judging took place on Thursday, December 18 at 4:00 p.m. in PAFA’s Historic Landmark Building. Judges from PAFA included Carr, Gury, and PAFA faculty member Peter Van Dyck. Representatives from the Philadelphia Zoo included Dewan, Board Chair Jerry Calvert, Board Member Susan Sherman, and Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Animal Programs Andy Baker.

 

The Zoo will exhibit all of the students’ contest entries at its “Sesquicentennial Saturday” celebration on March 21, with all the contributing artists given one-year Zoo memberships.

 

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            Philadelphia Zoo, America's First Zoo, is preparing to celebrate the 150th anniversary of its founding. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on March 21, 1859, the Zoo is currently home to over 1,300 animals from around the world, many rare and endangered. Welcoming more than one million visitors each year from throughout the region and beyond, the Zoo serves children and families as a unique and engaging public resource for wildlife conservation and education. The Philadelphia Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. For more information, including 150th Anniversary Fun Facts updated daily, or to purchase and print tickets online, visit www.philadelphiazoo.org.

 

Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is America's first school of fine arts and museum.  A recipient of the 2005 National Medal of Arts presented by the President of the United States of America, PAFA is a recognized leader in fine arts education.  Nearly every major American artist has taught, studied, or exhibited at the Academy. The institution's world-class collection of American art continues to grow and provides what only a few other art institutions in the world offer: the rare combination of an outstanding museum and an extraordinary faculty known for its commitment to students and for the stature and quality of its artistic work.