Artist Statement

My paintings, acrylic on canvas, are abstract explorations of color and shape, line and mass, movement and balance. I begin my paintings with a plan. The original concept is just the beginning, however – I respond to what I see happening on the canvas. I work improvisationally, intuitively developing the image.  

My love of color and movement, music and dance are reflected in my painting’s shapes and lines. The finished work often reveals the history of revisions in the pentimenti of paint. My paintings embrace ambiguity and are imbued with multiple meanings.

--Alan Lankin

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Artist Biography

Alan Lankin makes paintings and works on paper. He has had solo shows in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and has exhibited his paintings and works on paper at PAFA and the Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia, as well Salus University and West Chester University in Pennsylvania. He studied art at the University of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and has had a residency at the Vermont Studio Center. He lives and works in the Philadelphia area.

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Education

Villanova University, Villanova, PA
M.S., Computer Science

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
B.A., Physics

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Continuing Education

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA

Cheltenham Art Center, Cheltenham, PA

Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA

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Awards and Honors

2024
Honorable Mention, Absolutely Abstract, The Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA

Dorothy Wackerman Hutton Prize, Member’s Medal Show, The Plastic Club, Philadelphia, PA

2023
Abstract Award, 159th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings, The Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA

Frederick W. Reiniger Award for a Work of Abstract or Non-objective Nature, 109^th Member’s Medal Show, The Plastic Club, Philadelphia ,PA

Honorable Mention, Bright Lights, Big City, the Plastic Club, Philadelphia, PA

Honorable Mention, Love’s Great Adventure, the Plastic Club, Philadelphia, PA

2019
Third Place, Artists Equity Juried Show, Community Arts Center, Wallingford, PA

2018
Jurors Award of Special Merit, Annual Juried Exhibition, Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ

Honorable Mention, Artists Equity 2018 Spring Exhibition, West Chester University, West Chester, PA

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Residencies

1996, 1997
Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT

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Professional Experience

2024 to Present
Co-organizer, Philly Crit, Philadelphia, PA

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Affiliations

Cerulean Arts Collective, Artist Member, Philadelphia, PA

InLiquid, Artist Member, Philadelphia, PA

Da Vinci Art Alliance (DVAA), Artist Member, Philadelphia, PA

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Lectures and Talks

2021
Exhibition Walk Through, Solo Show, Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2023
“ArtShow with artist Alan Lankin” online interview by Craig Stover, Ardmore, PA

“Cerulean Arts Collective Virtual Tour & Talk June 2023” Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2022
“Powell Lane Arts: Artist's Talks with Alan Lankin” well Lane Arts, Collingswood, NJ

“Cerulean Arts Collective Virtual Tour & Talk Mar 2022” Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2021
“Cerulean Arts Collective Tour & Talk, Jan 2021” Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

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Bibliography

2020
"Artists in the time of Coronavirus, an ongoing virtual exhibition", The Artblog, June 5, 2020

2019
López, Wit, “Nothing but blue skies at Cerulean Arts’ group exhibition”, The Artblog, December 19, 2019

“‘Compatible Contrasts:’ New Art Show at Hafter Center Features Three Artists”, October 4, 2019

Taylor-Kearney, Carol, “Summer: A Time to Meet New Artists! Part 1”, WhatsArt Blog, July 28, 2019

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Publications

Meditations on Sustainability Volume 1, 2022, page 7

Philadelphia Stories Summer 2021 edition, page 5

Exhibitions

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Solo and Two-Person

2024, 2023, 2022
Solo Exhibition, Cerulean Arts Collective, Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2021
Solo Exhibition, Cerulean Arts Collective, Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2018
Two-Person Show, DVAA at Atria Center City, Philadelphia, PA

1997
Solo Show, Gallery 50, Bridgeton, NJ

1994
Two-Person Show, Vineland Public Library, Vineland, NJ

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Selected Group

2024
On Process, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: Joseph Girandola, President of the Art Academy of Cincinnati

In the Distance, The Plastic Club, Philadelphia PA
Juror: Nicole Eiland

Absolutely Abstract, The Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia PA
Juror: Michael Gallagher, Awarded an Honorable Mention  

Converge: 9th Benefit Exhibition, Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

110th Members' Medal Show, The Plastic Club, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: Tom Judd, Awarded the Dorothy Wackerman Hutton Prize

Works on Paper, The Plastic Club, Philadelphia PA
Juror: Mike Kowbuz

2023
‍2023 Annual Exhibition of the Fellowship of PAFA, Patricia Nugent Gallery, Rosemont College, Rosemont, PA
Juror: Paul Efstathiou, Director of Contemporary Art, Hollis Taggart Gallery, NY

‍Summer at CultureWorks: a DVAA Exhibition, CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA‍

A Summers' Tale, The Plastic Club, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: Sarah Gamble‍

109th Members’ Medal Show, The Plastic Club, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: James Toogood, Awarded the Frederick W. Reiniger Award for a Work of Abstract or Non-Objective Nature

159th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings, The Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: Garth Herrick, Awarded the Abstract Award

Bright Lights, Big City, The Plastic Club, Philadelphia PA
Juror: Shushanna Rucker, Awarded Honorable Mention

Love’s Great Adventure, The Plastic Club, Philadelphia PA
Juror: Tim McFarlane, Awarded Honorable Mention

2022
‍Attraction to Abstraction, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA
Juror: Stuart Shils‍

Under $100 - 17th Annual Juried Exhibition, Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Frank’s, Philadelphia, PA
Curator: Jody Sweitzer ‍

2022 Annual Exhibition of the Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: Audrey Flack‍

Joyous Disruption, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
Curators: David Acosta, Bill Brookover, Selene Nunez-Cruz, Vicente Ortiz Cortez, and William Timmins‍

Fade to Gist, The Yard, Philadelphia, PA
Curator: InLiquid ‍

Painted Echoes, three-person show, Atria Center City, Philadelphia, PA
Curator: Da Vinci Art Alliance‍

HOPE - things will probably be okay, Media Arts Council, Media, PA
Curator: Maryanne Buschini‍

Summer Juried Show 2022, Abington Art Center, Jenkintown, PA
Juror: Meg Wolensky‍

Paperworks, Powell Lane Arts, Collingswood, NJ

2021
16th Annual Juried Exhibition, Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Frank's, Philadelphia, PA
Curator: Jody Sweitzer

PAFA Fellowship Annual Exhibition, Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: Rebecca Segall

The Rainbow Show, Philadelphia Collage Works at Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA

The Spaces We Carry, The Cade Gallery, Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold, MD

Nostalgia, The Plastic Club, Philadelphia, PA

2020
Unstoppable: Philadelphia/Tri-State Artists Equity 71st Anniversary Members' Spring Juried Exhibition, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Cheltenham, PA
Juror: Michelle Marcuse

8th Annual Juried Exhibition, Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: Ying Li

Banished for the Good of the Realm, InLiquid Online, Philadelphia, PA

Cerulean Arts Collective Associate Members Winter Exhibition, Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, P/a

CFEVA 2020 Members Exhibition, The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia/Tri-State Artists Equity 71st Anniversary Members' Spring Juried Exhibition, Virtual Exhibition
Juror: Bridgette Mayer

2019
Compatible Contrasts, Three-Person Show with Stuart Lehman & Citlally Miranda, D’Arrigo Family Gallery, Salus University, Elkins Park, PA
Curator: Elynne Rosenfeld

Cerulean Arts Collective Associate Members' Exhibition, Cerulean Arts, Philadelphia, PA

The Incredible Lightness of Art, Philadelphia Tri/State Artists Equity Juried Exhibition, Community Art Center, Wallingford, PA
Juror: Michael Gallagher, Awarded Third Place

Philadelphia Artists Equity 70th Anniversary Members' Juried Exhibition, GoggleWorks, Reading, PA
Juror: Neysa Grassi

Annual Juried Exhibition, Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ
Jurors: Michael Kowbuz and Tina Rocha, Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Composition in Concert, DVAA @ IHP (Da Vinci Art Alliance at Lightbox Film Center), East Alcove Gallery, International House, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: Bill Timmins

Philadelphia Artists Equity 70th Anniversary Members' Juried Exhibition, GoggleWorks, Reading, PA
Juror: Neysa Grassi

Works on Paper II, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: Rochelle Toner

New Now II, InLiquid Gallery, Crane Arts, Philadelphia, PA

2018

Annual Juried Exhibition, Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ
Juror: Bill Scott, awarded Jurors Award of Special Merit

Artist, Reader, Writer, Da Vinci Art Alliance Members Show, POST (Philadelphia Open Studio Tours), Philadelphia, PA

Connections: Artists Equity Fall 2018 Juried Show, Cheltenham Center for the Arts Center, Cheltenham, PA
Juror: Thora Jacobson

Artists Equity 2018 Spring Exhibition, Baker Gallery, West Chester University, West Chester, PA
Juror: Kassem Amoudi
Received Honorable Mention

Motion Pictured, Da Vinci Art Alliance and Lightbox Film Center, International House, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: Robert Cargni-Mitchell, Theater and Galleries Manager, Lightbox Film Center

Personally Speaking, Da Vinci Art Alliance at International House, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: Katherine Kurtz

2017
Philadelphia/Tri State Artists Equity Members’ Juried Exhibition, Community Arts Center, Wallingford, PA
Juror: Jan Baltzell

Members Exhibition, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA

1996
Three-person Show, Artists' House Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Group Show, Red Mill Gallery, Johnson, VT

99th Annual Juried Exhibition, The Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: Jack Beal

Works on Paper, Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ
Juror: John Ollman, Director, Janet Fleisher Gallery

1995
Art of the State: Pennsylvania '95, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
Jurors: Zoltan Buki, Curator of Fine Art, NJ State Museum-Trenton and Halide Salam, Professor of Art, Radford University, Radford, VA

Philadelphia Views, Art in City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
Jurors: Anne d'Harnoncourt, John Higgins, and Edward Rendell

98th Annual Juried Exhibition, The Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, West Chester University, PA
Juror: Charles W Millard III, formerly UNC & Hirshhorn

Artists League of Mount Airy Juried Art Show, ALMA Gallery, Artists League of Mount Airy, Philadelphia, PA

1994
Philadelphia International Contemporary Art Competition, 479 Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Jurors: Melissa Feldman, John Ittmann

131st Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
Jurors: Patricia Mangione, John Costanza, and John Koomar

Springside Contemporary Art Competition, Springside School, Philadelphia, PA
Jurors: Kathryn B Hiesinger, Michael Schantz, Darrel Sewell

Annual Juried Show, Abington Art Center, Jenkintown, PA
Juror: Richard Torchia

3rd Annual Juried Art Show, William Penn Charter School, Philadelphia, PA
Jurors: Nannette Clark, Melissa Feldman, Thora Jacobson, Richard Torchia

1993
Art of the State: Pennsylvania '93, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
Jurors: Richard Hood Harryman and Sam Peters

130th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia , PA
Jurors: Jeanne Coryell, Libby Newman and William Southwell

Juried Painting and Sculpture Show, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
Jurors: Lanny Bergner, Larry Becker and Heidi Nivling

96th Annual Juried Exhibition, The Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Jurors: Wolf Kahn and Emily Mason

Annual Juried Show, Abington Art Center, Jenkintown, PA
Juror: Fred Osborne