Evening star., 1938-10-16
CORCORAN PLANS
STUDENTS SHOW
Exhibit of Medium Priced
Art Planned to Meet
Demand of Public.

IN Q novel experiment, believed to
Be unprecedented heretofore among
American art galleries, the Corcoran
School Of Art of the Corcoran Gallery
Of Art in Washington will present in
. the near future an exhibit Of works of
/, its students and graduates, priced to
meet the increasing popular demand
for genuine art works within the
purse of every one, it was announced
: yesterday
3 Richard Lahey, principal Of the
School of Art, said yesterday the spe-
. cial exhibit, which is to open Novem-
sber II and continue through Decem-
Der 7, has a twofold purpoSe--to help
young and lttle-known art students
/ along the road to success and self-sup-
port and to meet the "crying need"
. in Washington for genuine art pieces
at popular prices.
Only graduates within the last 10
years and advanced students of the
Corcoran School of Art will be allowed
to enter the exhibit, Mr.. Lahey said.
A jury of two representatives OF the
Board OF Trustees of the Corcoran
Gallery of Art will consider all entries
made and pick for the exhibit only
those having merit as art pieces so
! that purchasers will be assured Of
getting something for their money.
Good Demand to BE Met.
In the past, Mr.. LAhey said, art
works sold by commercial and other
art galleries have been far beyond the
purse of Mr.. Average Citizen and yet
there has been all along q demand on
the part of the latter for real paint
inss, real watercolors. pieces of sculp-
ture, etchings, drawings, etc, to hang
In his living room.
THE public has looked on art ex-
hibits, the Corcoran Biennials for in
stance, as just something they could
see but not possess. The fne pieces
are sold to the wealthy as well as other
galleries" he said.
This exhibit is designed to remedy
this condition, he added. and the school
is prepared to sell pieces Of art in the
exhibit on the installment plan. The
. pieces, he stated, probably would run
about $50 in price.
"Washington has residents Of taste
and discrimination" he said, and,
who knows, they might pick winner
and possess the work Of some future
master. It's been done before"
We even are prepared to allow peo-
pie to take home pictures they like
and try them on their living room
walls for a day or so to see how they
look" he said.
Eager for Success.
THE school has decided to do this
he continued, because it believes the
Young artist starting out in life is
genuinely ambitious to be successful in
his or her own right, but often has to
resort to w. P. A. art projects and
other part-time methods Of support.
I'm the interest of art and the un-
employment situation among artists In
this country, we would like to see the
condition alleviated.
Heretofore, the great artists of the
world have been supported rs q result
OF wealthy patronage. Starting with
this exhibit We propose to make the
general public the patron OF the arts.
Mr.. LAhey pointed out that, OF
course, the works represented could
not meet the standards set by the
countrys great artists whose pictures
sell for from $500 upward.
Prom observation Of the work done
BY young artists, however. we expect
that there will be many works which
catch the fancy of the general public, !"
he said.
He added that he expected approx
nnately 500 art pieces would be in
cluded in the exhibit.