PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — When Gigi LoVond first heard about the abrupt closure of University of the Arts, she cried over the memories it brought back.
"I was also an arts student — not of UArts, but I was an arts student, and my school also closed," she said.
LoVond went to the Art Institute of Philadelphia, which shuttered in 2018.
"I understand how this could be just, totally dramatizing, and this was so spur of the moment," she said. "There's a lot of people who are very hurt and I felt as though that not only are the UArts students and staff hurt, but also the Philadelphia art community."
Through that pain came inspiration.
On Friday and Saturday night at Plays & Players Theatre in Center City, some of the students, faculty and alumni affected by the UArts closure will have a chance to show off their work.
Matt Madrigal, a sophomore film student at the university, is one of those people. On Friday, he showcased two paintings and a still from one of his short films.
"I was just very interested because it would be my first gallery and I would like to have some exposure with my art," he said.
"The arts around here, I guess it's just more alive… everybody's so tight, like a community, and that's what so special… Everyone's willing to collaborate."
Dare Oredipe also had work on display at the gallery.
His time at UArts spanned more than a decade, as he studied illustration before managing the school's print shop.
"I found my way as an artist there at UArts… There's just something that's indispensable about being able to sit in a space surrounded by like-minded artists and also artists that have completely different minds to you," he said.
Seven other artists also had work on display.
LoVond says the event is all about supporting displaced artists and showing them there is a path forward.
"You don't have to graduate from arts school to be in a gallery or to be in a play," she said.
