Exhibits & Events

MAC is pleased to present Affinities, an exhibition of works by Nancy Agati, Nathan Pankratz and Kate VanVliet.

In our first show in 2009, And So On And So Forth, we designed the exhibition to model how social connections between artists are forged, and how these are driven by friendship, creative affinity, chemistry and respect for each other’s work.  Over the subsequent decade we revisited this model in various ways: Invite artists we respect, and ask them to invite others to join them. In our first exhibition in the main gallery space since 2019, we’re returning to this pattern.  

We’ve long had admiration for Nancy Agati’s work and for her practices as an artist, curator, and community builder.  Her work is visually rich and draws you into the organic spaces she creates. Earlier this spring we invited Agati to show with us. As we were considering who to pair her with, without prompting she immediately suggested Nathan Pankratz as an exhibition partner. This proactive offering by an artist felt serendipitous to us, and we shifted gears.  

Nancy Agati and Nathan Pankratz were MFA students and studiomates at University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and worked together for twelve years at the Haverford School.  Agati says “I have always had an affinity to Nate's work and have wanted to show work alongside his for years.”  She sees connections between her work and Pankratz’s - moving scapes of water and land, abstractions, spirals, and play calm and tension.

Nathan Pankratz invited Kate VanVliet.  Pankratz shared that “Art is a relationship between creator and viewer. I see my work in relationship with Kate’s, as a reflection of the creator or, as Kate puts it, a ‘human heirloom machine.’ I’m all in!”

We at MAC will add our own thoughts on connection. All three artists have expansive practices that include teaching, curating and community building - Agati has engaged in artist collaborations and curatorial projects, Pankratz is a co-founder of Tiger Strikes Asteroid, and VanVliet is a founder and co-director of BYO Printmaking Collaborative.  It’s our belief that like often seeks like, and all three artists approach the art community through a connective lens.