SPEER GALLERY
The Speer Gallery presents rotating exhibitions by professional artists throughout the school year, exposing students to wider cultural currents and inviting everyone who passes through to explore the world of fine art up close. The gallery is open to the public and artists are invited to submit a proposal to display their work.
Inspiring and Unique Artists
Shipley's Arts Department seeks out inspiring and unique artists from the Philadelphia region and beyond. Each year's schedule includes six or seven shows — among them a Shipley alumni exhibition, the senior student show, a faculty exhibition, and a highlight exhibit curated by the internationally acclaimed West Collection.
Under the leadership of Gallery Director Julia Staples, the Speer Gallery is a hub for learning and conversation, not simply a place to hang art. Exhibitions are chosen to stop you, make you think, and spark collaboration across subjects like history, science, and English with art.
Visiting Speer Gallery
Speer Gallery is free and open to the public.
We welcome visitors Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm. All visitors should check in at the Upper School front desk, just inside Shipley's Main Entrance at 814 Yarrow Street, Bryn Mawr.
Artist Exhibition Interest Form
Shipley welcomes proposals from professional artists interested in exhibiting at the Speer Gallery. If you'd like your work considered for a future show, we'd love to hear from you.
Artists are invited to submit a proposal to display their work in our gallery.
 | Currently In Speer GalleryNick Lenker - IRL Objects "I conceptualize the experience of online life. Social media and video games are created virtual worlds where we create and embody an avatar. This disembodiment/ embodiment results in a constant state of self-consciousness where we are both subject and object. There is a duality here between what we truly are and the presentation of self within the virtual space. This is the framework for my ceramic sculptures. The objects are created using handmade/analog processes, and are complicated with references to virtual digital production processes. The objects are attempting to be “real” within a physical and virtual space. I want them to reflect the synchronicity of our digital and physical lives. I create a polygonal crude/ base form. I then try to give it an identity made up of images from online sources. It wants to be more than it is. It deceives to achieve this. We are the object. If the internet functions as a collective mind, my aim is to psychoanalyze that mind. Entering our dreams from as many different perspectives as possible within a body of my own creation to find what lies hidden in the darkness of our newly created utopia/dystopia." | On display through January 25, 2027. |
Previous Shows
| ArtAbility Exhibition |
ArtAbility ExhibitionCurated by Erin Panner, Program Coordinator for ArtAbility at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, the exhibition features approximately 30 two-dimensional and three-dimensional works. The program showcases a wide range of artistic styles, perspectives, and subjects, from thoughtful and traditional pieces to works that are playful and imaginative. |
| Mirjam Seeger and Kim Mullis |
Mirjam Seeger and Kim MullisIn 2026, artists Mirjam Seeger and Kim Mullis—each exploring how color and form shape the way we experience the world—brought their work to Shipley's Speer Gallery. |
| Class of 1980 Alumni Artist Group Show |
Jennifer Gorman-Strawbridge ’80, Meredith Haab ’80, and Susan Crawford Stevens ’80The 2025 Alumni Art show featured an exhibition of paintings and hand-hooked rugs by Shipley Class of 1980 alumnae Jennifer Gorman-Strawbridge, Meredith Haab, and Susan Crawford Stevens. |
| Drew Leshko "Friendly Money Loan" |
Group Show: Drew Leshko, Sophie White, and Nasir YoungIn 2025 local artists Drew Leshko, Sophie White, and Nasir Young featured their work in an exhibition of paintings and sculptures addressing the urban landscape of Philadelphia. |
| "La Caravana del Diablo" by Ada Trillo |
"La Caravana del Diablo" by Ada Trillo"La Caravana del Diablo" by Ada Trillo was on display in Shipley's Speer Gallery from December 1, 2024 to January 17, 2025. |
STEP INTO THE SPOTLIGHT AT SHIPLEY |
| Across art, music, and theater, students find their voices, lift one another up, and contribute something beautiful to the world. Schedule a tour to learn more. |