Annual Colman Tea

You are cordially invited to join the BU School of Visual Arts to celebrate the end of the academic year, honor our graduating seniors, and learn about the important legacy of early BU arts leader Blanche E. Colman, funder of the Colman Award, an annual award for New England artists. After the celebration at the Visual Arts Research and Resource Library, join us for a walkthrough of the BFA Thesis Exhibition in the Stone Gallery.

Blanche E. Colman was the first director of the BU School of Education Art Department. Every Spring, BNY Mellon Bank in Boston sponsors the Blanche E. Colman competition to award prizes to New England artists who have completed their education and demonstrate both talent and financial need. Many SVA alumni have won this important yearly award, which has been overseen for many decades by a member of the SVA faculty, most recently Professor Richard Raiselis. The jury process usually takes place in the BU Art Galleries as it will again this year in June. Colman’s legacy has remained highly intertwined with BU and the School. 

We recently learned through a BU alum, Ford Curran (CFA 2014), that Colman hosted an Annual Tea every May. This year, the tea will help us celebrate the long history of the professional visual arts and design at BU, women’s leadership in the arts, and the impact of Colman’s gift and be a conduit to share information for future/current alumni about the Colman Award process for the following year. A new mini-exhibition vitrine, Blanche, which we established in the refurbished VARRL in Fall 2023, will have information about Colman and past iterations of the art school.   

Friday, May 10, 2024, at 4pm
Followed by a walkthrough of the BFA Thesis exhibition
Visual Arts Research and Resource Library (VARRL)
855 Commonwealth Ave., 5th Floor

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Boston University College of Fine Arts, 855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, United States