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02-24-21-annenberg-center-of-performing-arts-penn-arts-avi-singh
The new Arts Lounge space is found in the lobby of the Annenberg Center. Credit: Avi Singh

The new Arts Lounge space in the Annenberg Center is now featuring its first exhibit, titled "It goes by fast."

The exhibit was created by 2011 Weitzman School of Design graduate Martha Rich, who was inspired by aspects of her daily life. It features approximately 90 crafted pieces strung on the 75-by-20-foot brick wall of the Arts Lounge space in Annenberg’s lobby, Penn Today reported. The exhibition will run through Dec. 17, 2021.

The exhibit is comprised of colorful representations of moments in Rich’s life, including observations she has made while in public. Since her time at Penn, Rich has been writing moments in her notebook that catch her attention. 

However, not everything she writes down gets turned into art, only "whatever feels right," Rich told Penn Today. 

In the exhibit, some of the pieces have their own individual backstories, while others are simply statements she feels strongly about. She described her art as “informal, playful, and weird and wacky,” contrasting the modernist design of the Annenberg Center itself, Penn Today reported.

The Art Lounge is the product of collaboration between Penn Live Arts and The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation. It is part of a $2 million renovation of the Annenberg Center’s public spaces funded by a gift from Penn alumni Keith and Kathy Sachs. 

According to Chloe Reison, the associate director of The Sachs Program, the goal for the lounge has always been to make it a space for the arts community to come together and host events.

The second Arts Lounge exhibit will be announced this fall, and it is set to debut this spring, according to Penn Today.