Phillips' Mill Program Offered To Students Considering A Career In Art

NEW HOPE BOROUGH, PA — While most high school students choose a general academic path and others are being recruited for athletics, students in the arts face different and very specific requirements when applying to the art program or college of their dreams.

Musicians and dancers must audition. Artists must create and present a portfolio. And in the background, parents may be worrying and wondering how their children will make a living.

Andrea Thompson, the arts education manager at the Michener Art Museum, presents “Art as a Life & Career Path” on Sunday, February 5 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Phillips' Mill.

Andrea holds a master’s degree in art education from the Penn State University. She is an honors graduate from Moore College of Art and Design and holds a bachelor’s degree in art education with a focus on sculpture. She has been with the Michener Art Museum since 2014.

Andrea, who has worked with students for many years, will discuss the excitement and challenges of a career path in art and address the following topics:

• The myth of the starving artist: can working artists make a living?
• Career avenues: non-traditional and other career paths artists can pursue. It’s not just about becoming a painter.
• Pursuing art in college: the challenges and differences inherent in the application process, e.g., developing a portfolio, photographing your work, etc.
• Opportunities for students at the Michener Art Museum.

The hour and a half program will allow plenty of Q & A time after Andrea’s presentation. All high school students are invited to attend. Parents are also very much welcome!

The event is free and will take place at Phillips’ Mill, 2619 River Road, two miles north of New Hope. Registration is required at www.phillipsmill.org/event/art-as-a-life-career-path.

While at the Mill, enjoy the 10th Annual Youth Art Exhibition (also free) which will be on display from January 29 to February 19, weekends from noon to 4 p.m. The exhibition showcases the works of 140 high school students from 22 area schools and includes paintings, works on paper, sculpture, photography and digital artwork.

Phillips’ Mill Community Association has been serving the arts community, young and old, since its founding by William Lathrop and his Pennsylvania Impressionist friends in 1929.