Press Release Holding Still, Holding On

For immediate release

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

For the first time, The Andy Warhol Museum and Carnegie Mellon University School of Art MFA Program co-present a joint exhibition, Holding Still, Holding On, on view March 14 – April 21, 2025.

Holding Still, Holding On features new works by the CMU School of Art MFA Class of 2025—Frankmarlin, Izsys Archer, Tingting Cheng, Chantal Feitosa-Desouza and Max Tristan Watkins. The exhibition spans wide-ranging media and highlights the distinct perspectives of these five artists as they complete their final year of study. Presented in The Warhol’s rotating exhibition gallery, the exhibition offers a dynamic exploration of contemporary artmaking.

The featured artists in Holding Still, Holding On each employ diverse approaches to storytelling, through mediums including photography, painting, archival assemblage, sculptural installations, text, sound and film. Their works collectively explore the intersections of memory, place and belonging, together revealing art’s unique capacity to hold and transform complex personal and collective histories.

Click here to view artist bios and photographs.

Andy Warhol (then Andrew Warhola) earned his degree in pictorial design in 1949 from CMU (then the Carnegie Institute of Technology). He struggled in his first-year arts classes and had to take a summer drawing course to improve his skills. Warhol’s drawings of his brother Paul’s produce truck made during that summer of 1946 earned him the Martin B. Leisser Prize and the chance to exhibit in the college’s fine arts gallery. He became a star student who joined several student campus organizations including the modern dance club and was also the editor of the student publication Cano.

“Andy Warhol’s legacy as an alum and groundbreaking artist is a profound source of pride for the School of Art,” said Charlie White, the Regina and Marlin Miller head of school, and professor of art at CMU. “It is a tremendous honor to partner with The Andy Warhol Museum on this exhibition and to showcase the talent and creative vision of our MFA students in a space dedicated to one of our most celebrated alumni.”

“We are happy to be able to provide CMU with a location for their important MFA exhibition while the building of the new ICA Pittsburgh is underway,” said Amber Morgan, The Warhol’s director of collections and exhibitions. “The connection between Andy Warhol and CMU makes The Warhol a natural fit for showcasing the legacy of talent emerging from that program.”

The Carnegie Mellon University School of Art MFA Program is an interdisciplinary, experimental, research-based program that provides students with a challenging and supportive context to expand and develop their work and thinking as artists. As one of the top-ranked graduate programs in the country, CMU views artmaking as a vital social, critical and intellectual pursuit. Graduate students are encouraged to employ a comparative and intersectional approach to critical and cultural theories, and to allow this inquiry to inform and expand what it means to be an artist and to make art within the contemporary condition.

A press preview of the exhibition will take place on Thursday, March 13, 2025 at 2 p.m. at The Warhol. Reservations are required. Email press@warhol.org.

About the Carnegie Mellon University School of Art

The Carnegie Mellon School of Art is the premier location for the interface between art, technology, and interdisciplinary art practice. Combining the advantages of a renowned studio program with the resources of a top-tier university, the School offers two fine arts degrees, the Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts, and supports three interdisciplinary degrees known collectively as the BXA Intercollege Degree Programs. Connect with the School on Instagram at @cmuschoolofart or visit art.cmu.edu for more information.

About Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 13,000 students in the university’s seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation.

The Warhol receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; and The Heinz Endowments. Further support is provided by the Allegheny Regional Asset District.

The Andy Warhol Museum

Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the place of Andy Warhol’s birth, The Andy Warhol Museum holds the largest collection of Warhol’s artworks and archival materials and is one of the most comprehensive single-artist museums in the world. The Warhol is one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.

Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

Established in 1895 by Andrew Carnegie, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh is a collection of four distinctive museums: Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Science Center, and The Andy Warhol Museum. The museums reach more than 1.4 million people a year through exhibitions, educational programs, outreach activities, and special events.

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