(Pittsburgh, PA), May 25, 2003……Associated Artists of Pittsburgh (AAP) is pleased to present their 93^rd Annual Exhibition at the University Art Gallery in the Frick Fine Arts Building of the University of Pittsburgh from June 20 to July 22, 2003.  An Opening Reception will be held Friday, June 20 from 4-7 p.m.  The University Art Gallery is located at 104 Frick Fine Arts Building on Schenley Drive, just across form the entrance to the Carnegie Library.

AAP is one of the oldest artists’ organizations in the United States, and is the only one to traditionally hold an annual exhibition in a major museum.  However,   due to remodeling in the Carnegie Museum, this year AAP will present it’s exhibition in the University Art  Gallery of the University of Pittsburgh for the first time.  

The jurors for this year’s exhibition are Laura Hoptman, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Carnegie Museum, and Elizabeth Thomas, Assistant Curator.  Laura Hoptman holds a Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts at NYU.  She previously worked in the Department of Drawings at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York, specializing in the work of emerging artists.  She is now traveling around the world on behalf of the Carngie Museum of Art as the curator for the 2004 Carnegie International.  Elizabeth Thomas is a graduate of The Art Institute of Chicago with a degree in Modern and Contemporary Art History, Theory and Criticism.  Elizabeth Thomas has worked as a Curatorial Fellow at the Walker Art Center, MN. and was the founder and managing editor of TENbyTEN Magazine. Elizabeth is now working with Laura in prepartion for the 2004 Carnegie International.

Founded in 1910 and incorporated in 1930, Associated Artists of Pittsburgh is one of the oldest continuously exhibiting visual arts organizations in the country.  AAP is a non-profit artist-run organization that exists to support regional artists through contemporary visual arts exhibitions and educational outreach programs, contributing to the vitality of the community.