PAFA students take a gallery into their own hands with AUTOMAT

Where do new artists go when they want to be seen? Some local graduate students have an answer — open your own gallery space and invite the public to support you.

The new group is called AUTOMAT and it is made up of recent and soon-to-be MFA graduates of Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). The group, composed of Morgan Hobbs, Jillian Schley, Rebecca Sedehi, Shane Allan Smith, Tiffany Tate, and Zach Zecha, has found space at 319 N. 11th Street in Philadelphia's Loft District. They are planning their opening for First Friday April 3, 2015.

It’s an ambitious project. To pull it off, the group estimates they will need about $6,000 in start-up funds, which they are raising through an Indiegogo campaign (closing March 4), and they have already reached their goal. The money will go toward preparing the space and marketing the event. The founders see themselves as curators, showing other experimental artists as well as their own work.

Philadelphia has a rich art scene, but for artists just starting out it is often hard to break in without someone to get you access to existing galleries. The group says their goal “is to form a space that is part of an alternative conversation that emphasizes exhibiting work of emerging artists and those who wish to show experimental work.”

In addition to exhibits, the group plans to engage with the community, hold panel discussions, bring in guest curators, and work with public schools. On the Indiegogo page, they offer the Automat zine, which covers local arts and artists, as one of the perks contributors can claim. This is a project they would like to continue.

The new AUTOMAT gallery at 319 N. 11th Street, Philadelphia, will be open as part of April 3’s First Friday events.