Galleries and Lectures

Explore And Show Your Work In Our Prestigious Galleries.

Our collections and exhibitions offer students the unique opportunity to get up close and personal with a diverse range of fine artists and their works. Throughout the year, our talented students also have the invaluable experience of showcasing their own art on campus and in the Munson Museum, further nurturing their growth as developing artists.

Pratt Munson is a part of Munson’s Art Campus

Pratt Munson is a part of Munson’s one-of-a-kind campus that features the world-class Munson Museum of Art in the centrally located upstate New York city of Utica. Munson offers art experiences for the youngest of artists to the talented students at Pratt Munson to the European and American masters displayed in the Museum.

This environment offers Pratt Munson students the unique chance to interact with art at all levels. As part of the Munson community, Pratt Munson students have free access to all of the Museum’s programming, including weekly independent and foreign film screenings, preview events for exhibitions, and other special events.

A highlight of the Museum of Art’s year is the annual Sophomore Exhibition, when students’ works are displayed in the same spaces as Dali, Picasso, O’Keefe, Warhol, Cole, Dewitt, and others.

Also in the Museum of Art complex is the Pratt Munson Gallery located in the historic Fountain Elms adjoining mansion. This gallery features contemporary artists who are at the height of their careers. Because of Pratt Munson’s small cohort, students get unparalleled access to artists who come to Utica, often guest lecturing.

MUNSON MUSEUM OF ART

The Museum of Art includes 20 galleries and boasts a permanent collection of more than 25,000 American and European 18th-, 19th-, and 20th-Century paintings and 19th-Century decorative arts. The Museum of Art comprises two main adjoined buildings: the mid-century architectural cube designed by Philip Johnson and Fountain Elms, a refurbished 1850s mansion that houses the decorative arts collection, the Terrace Cafe, and the Pratt Munson Gallery. The Museum of Art presents three to five exhibitions each year, in addition to the six to eight exhibitions at the Pratt Munson Gallery.

two students looking at artwork

 

PRATT MUNSON GALLERY

The Pratt Munson Gallery at the Museum of Art presented exhibitions by highly qualified artists working in a range of media. 

Visiting artists provide invaluable insight into working professionally in the field at exhibition openings, gallery talks, and guest lectures. Openings are often a part of Pratt Munson’s classroom experience, with faculty understanding the value of students being able to hear directly from and engage directly with contemporary artists. 

The culmination of each Pratt Munson Gallery season is the First-Year Exhibition in April or May, when students’ work is on display for a public audience.

Pratt Munson Open Call

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McCULLEY STUDENT GALLERY

Pratt Munson Sophomore students have the opportunity to exhibit their work in the Dr. Clyde McCulley Student Gallery on campus at 14 Cottage Place. These group exhibitions are coordinated by the Student Gallery Committee and students work closely with Pratt Munson faculty to present a strong variety of student artwork. The Gallery is open to students, faculty, and staff throughout the week. The public is invited to Friday opening receptions.

LECTURES & ARTIST TALKS

From workshops and guest lectures to collaborative projects and community engagement, we strive to create an environment that fosters growth and creativity beyond the classroom and studio.

Pratt Munson faculty are masters of their craft and practicing artists. One way faculty artists’ achievements are highlighted is the annual Elizabeth Lemieux Faculty Lecture given by a select member of the faculty to present their work in the field and creative research to students and the general public. The lecture is named for its donor, who established the fund in 2013.

Additionally, three seasoned artists are invited to Utica to give presentations as part of the Easton Pribble Lecture Series at the Museum of Art. Named for a beloved late professor of painting and drawing, the mission of the series is to invite guest artists who represent a variety of creative disciplines and bring a diversity of perspectives to inspire, motivate, and challenge students. A faculty-led committee invites artists to Utica each year who amplify voices and illuminate career pathways historically and presently marginalized within the art and design worlds. Recent lectures have featured: Tommy Kha, Shaunté Gates, Lesley Dill, Shaun Leonardo, Melanie Crean, and Paul Sahre. For event information, visit munson.art

2023-2024 Easton Pribble Lecture Series

Annelise Capossela       
Thursday, October 26, 2023, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.        
The Sinnott Family - Bank of Utica Auditorium, Munson    

Aaron Coleman     
Tuesday, November 14, 2023, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.     
The Sinnott Family - Bank of Utica Auditorium, Munson    

Kelly Gallagher     
Tuesday, February 20, 2023, 2024, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.        
The Sinnott Family - Bank of Utica Auditorium, Munson