The Erie Art Museum Evolves Joseph Plavcan Exhibition with “Andrade, Garber, Speight: In Conversation”
ERIE, Pa. — With support from Art Bridges, the Museum will display works on loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, by artists Edna Andrade, Daniel Garber, and Francis Speight to explore mentorship and its transformative role in personal and community development. Andrade, Garber, Speight: In Conversation exhibition opens September 25 in the Nicholas Gallery.
The exhibit coincides with the second chapter of our multi-year, Joseph Plavcan retrospective. The second phase will focus on how mentorship impacted Plavcan’s life, as a student and a teacher as well as his legacy in the Erie community.
Andrade and Plavcan studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and were both taught by the Pennsylvania Impressionist Garber (1880-1958) and Speight (1896-1989). Andrade (1917-2008) was an early Op Artist influenced by the Bauhaus movement, German modernism, and experimental approaches to design, color, and abstraction. Plavcan is known for his plein air landscape paintings as well as his later hard-edge geometric style with bold colors. By showcasing Andrade’s art beside the works of Plavcan and their PAFA teachers, the exhibit highlights the visual intersections and stylistic influences that occur in the learning process.
The EAM will host panel discussions, workshops, as well as host new mentorship opportunities throughout the run of the exhibition.
Generous support for this project provided by Art Bridges. Art Bridges works with museums of all sizes to create and support art programs that educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local audiences.
About Art Bridges
Art Bridges Foundation is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton. Since 2017, Art Bridges has created and supported projects that bring outstanding works of American art out of storage and into communities across the United States and its territories. Art Bridges partners with a growing network of more than 240 museums of all sizes on nearly 900 projects—impacting 5.3 million people nationwide—to provide financial and strategic support for exhibitions, collection loans, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local communities. The Art Bridges Collection represents an expanding vision of American art from the 19th century to present day and encompasses multiple media and voices. For more information, visit artbridgesfoundation.org.
