As a community of artists, students, educators, administrators, scholars, and citizens, we at PAFA are united in our grief and outrage over the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other Black Americans whose lives continue to be cut short by brutal acts of racial violence. We stand in solidarity with protesters in our beloved city of Philadelphia and in communities around the country and the world, as they make their collective voices heard to demand accountability from law enforcement authorities and government officials, and justice for those who have been slain.

PAFA unequivocally condemns racial violence and discrimination of any kind, just as we lament that pervasive systems of racial oppression have existed since our nation’s founding and persist in the present day. As protests continue throughout the world, it is our sincere hope that our nation’s leaders and institutions, as well as our fellow citizens, recognize our urgent and collective responsibility to build a better and more equitable society for all.

Today, we reaffirm PAFA’s commitment to fostering a community that celebrates diversity of all kinds. We vow that equity and inclusion will be central to our mission just as it is to the well-being of the communities that we serve. We will work actively to improve our cultural leadership pipeline and create and support programs, policies, systems, and services that celebrate the diversity of American society. And, we recommit to the critical acts of self-reflection and self-criticism required to examine our privilege and to evolve the ways in which we educate and serve our communities.

PAFA’s full institutional diversity statement can be accessed online.

As a school and a museum of the fine arts, we are constantly reminded of the immeasurable value of a diversity of voices, cultures, and ideas. Art does not exist independently from a society’s current events, and as we have seen from artists whose works reside in our galleries—from Jacob Lawrence, to Faith Ringgold, to Hank Willis Thomas—art can be a powerful tool in the struggle for equity and justice. As a community, we strive to live up to their examples, and the examples of so many who continue to protest and reject the shameful status quo of racial violence, marginalization, and oppression in America.

Sincerely,

The PAFA Senior Staff

David R. Brigham, Ph.D.
President & CEO

Brooke Davis Anderson
Edna S. Tuttleman Director of the Museum

Lisa Biagas, Ed.D.
Senior Vice President of Human Resources & Title IX Coordinator

Clint Jukkala
Dean of the School of Fine Arts

Maryanne Murphy
Chief Financial Officer

Anne Stassen
Dean of Students

Casey Turner, Ph.D.
Dean of Enrollment

Monica Zimmerman
Vice President of Public Education and Engagement

The PAFA Belonging Task Force

Laura Beard
Graphic Design Manager

Lisa Biagas, Ed.D.
Senior Vice President of Human Resources & Title IX Coordinator

Nat Bombeke
2019–20 Undergraduate Student Diversity Ambassador

Anna Marley
Curator of Historical American Art

Bhoomi Patel
2019–20 Graduate Student Diversity Ambassador

Kevin Richards
Chair of the MFA Program

CJ Stahl
Manager of Undergraduate Academic Services

Judith Thomas
Director of Exhibitions

Hoang Tran
Director of Archives

Brittany Webb, Ph.D.
Curator of the John Rhoden Collection