PAFA Announces 2016 Fine Arts Venture Fund Recipients

$28,000 awarded to 17 PAFA students to advance their artistic goals

PHILADELPHIA (February 10, 2016) -- The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the PAFA Fine Arts Venture Fund for 2016.

The Venture Fund was established in 2014 to support students' artistic goals and encourage their developing professional practices. The first program of its kind at PAFA, it allows students to engage in a grant-seeking process in which they develop a unique art project, write a grant proposal and, for the semi-finalists in the process, present their work to funders. 

This year, the Venture Fund awarded approximately $28,000 to 17 applicants. The 2016 awardees include painters, sculptors, and installation artists at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The 2016 Fine Arts Venture Fund recipients are: Andrew Boerder, Elise Broadway, Sami Brussels, Chenlin Cai, Jonathan Chase, Zachary Chomyszak, Zachary Combs, Josias Figueirido Rivas, Madeline Fried, Erik Fuller, Robyn Gavigan, Janyce Glasper, Travis Grant, Holly Mathews, Joseph Noorigian, Olivia Rodriguez, and Juan Pablo Ruiz. An additional 18 students who did not make the list of finalists were awarded an honorarium in recognition of their efforts in submitting an application and participating in the process.

Student works created under the auspices of the Fine Arts Venture Fund will be on display at PAFA this spring, and some will be included in the 115th Annual Student Exhibition, on view May 13 - June 5, 2016.

One of the most highly anticipated events at PAFA each year, the ASE is the largest and longest-standing exhibition of its kind, featuring 1,000 works of art by third- and fourth-year Certificate students and graduating MFA and BFA students.