12:01 p.m., Sept. 16, 2008----The opening of UD@Crane, the University's new 3,000-square-foot gallery and performance space in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia, was marked Thursday evening, Sept. 11, with an artist reception at which all eight of the artists represented in the gallery's inaugural show, “Symbiotic Faction,” were present.

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UD@Crane, which stretches across two floors in the Crane Arts Building in Philadelphia, was selected by UD's College of Arts and Sciences and Department of Art as prime exhibition and performance space for ventures in visual art, music, and literary and performance art, said Virginia Bradley, formerly the chairperson of UD's Department of Art and now this year's director and professor of art at the new satellite space.

“We plan to use the space for interdisciplinary work,” Bradley said, adding that poetry readings, in collaboration with the Department of English, and new music performances, in collaboration with the Department of Music, are in the works.

“Because it's a two-story space, most of the time the bottom will be a project space for graduate art students to do collaborative work, as well as collaborative projects with other departments,” Bradley said. “This could mean teaming with the fashion department for a show or working with the Department of Engineering on a robotics venture.”

Besides expanding exhibition, performance and creative horizons for students at UD, Bradley said, UD@Crane also will offer exhibition opportunities for UD alumni and enhance regional visibility of the University's visual and performing arts departments.

“We're in the process of asking UD art graduates to send us 10 digital images, a statement about their work and a resume for a digital image bank, which will be used to curate future exhibitions,” Bradley said, adding that outreach efforts with designers and galleries in Philadelphia should further boost sale and display opportunities for alumni artists.

As for student shows at UD@Crane, exhibitors can sell everything they display, and the 10 percent commission fee they pay will go toward keeping the space up and running. Grants this year came to $75,000 and included a transformational grant for $25,000 from the College of Arts and Sciences, a $25,000 grant from the Department of Art and a two-year $25,000 graduate student improvement grant from the Office of the Provost.

“We have several long-term plans that we hope to use to promote the Department of Art and the College of Arts and Sciences,” said Bradley. Three upcoming events that will place UD@Crane in a prominent light, she added, are two spring MFA shows that will be curated by a curator from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City and an alumni photo show that will be curated by the director of exhibitions at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.

The opening of the group exhibition, “Symbiotic Faction,” was planned to coincide with the official opening of UD@Crane in order to highlight work by talented artists in the brand new space, Bradley said.

“This is one of the best groups of MFA students we've had in recent years, and it seemed like a nice way to showcase the space and our students, who are really a strong group,” she said.

The show, which will run through Sunday, Sept. 28, features artwork in a variety of mediums by second-year master of fine arts graduate students Jennifer Dillner, Mark Donohue, Francine Fox, Jeanine Hill, Eugenia Huskins, Jarad Mimm, Anthony Vega and James Zeske. The same artists will be represented in a group thesis show at the end of the spring semester.

In all, UD@Crane will host six exhibitions during the 2008-09 academic year. The next, which will feature faculty work, will run from Oct. 9-30.

To keep current on UD sponsored art events at Crane Arts, go to [www.udel.edu/art/news/cranearts.htm].

Article by Becca Hutchinson
Photos by Greg Drew