In early 2017, alumna and Adjunct Professor Krista Profitt ‘11 saw an advertisement for a studio space in the well-known Crane Arts building in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. She thought it would be a fun challenge to create a studio collective to help create the type of artist community she had missed since completing her M.F.A. in Painting at Illinois State University in 2015. Profitt reached out to fellow alumna Aly Sims ‘14 and artist Sean Hildreth, and they worked together to create Spillway Collective, an artist collective and studio space. (A “spillway” is the area where water collects near a dam.) The artist members of Spillway Collective intend for the group to give them the opportunity to show their artwork, build a community with one another and the larger Crane Arts community, curate exhibitions, and keep an ongoing critical dialogue about art.

There are eleven members, including seven Arcadia alumni, and they are still seeking a 12th and final member. The members include: Krista Profitt ‘11, George Barreca ‘08, Becca Daniels ‘11, Megan Coonelly ‘06, Aly Sims ‘14, Shannon Moriarty ‘15, Jenny Clay ‘12, Megan Webb, Sean Hildreth, Mark Basco, and Justine Ditto.

Spillway Collective’s space is located in studio 100B of the Crane Arts Building, 1400 N. American Street, Philadelphia. To secure the space, Profitt, Sims, and Hildreth wrote a proposal, formed the group of artists, wrote contracts, signed the lease, and planned their inaugural exhibition, Mixtape, which opened on March 9, 2017.

Learn more about Spillway Collective and see examples of Profitt’s work at kristagprofitt.com.

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