On June 7, 2024, the University of the Arts (UArts) officially closed with only one week’s warning, marking the loss of one of Philadelphia’s most historic and valued arts institutions. Students were displaced with no promise of continued education and staff were left without jobs. They found themselves subsumed within the trend of institutional closures impacting our wider art community and unexpectedly needing to chart new paths forward.
Kelly Buruca, Isabella Kahn, Maria Kortz, Brittney Mallon, Alex Stevenson and Brielle Walton were rising seniors at UArts who have continued to make work following the school’s sudden closure. Their photographs and prints share momentary visions of identity and place, tangible anticipations of a promised future, and the collective strength needed to navigate in the wake of the unexpected.
This installation of Windows on Latimer amplifies the enduring voices of the students who have lost an integral cornerstone of their artistic education. It serves as a testament to the resilience we must continue to share as artists and art organizations.