PAFA Celebrates 210th Commencement on May 15, 2015
PAFA Celebrates 210th Commencement on May 15, 2015
Donald Lipski to Deliver Commencement Address;
David Lynch to receive honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree
PHILADELPHIA (April 29, 2015) -- The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) celebrates its 210th Commencement on Friday, May 15, 2015 at 3 p.m. in the Historic Landmark Building, 118 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia.
PAFA will recognize 71 graduating students, including 12 Certificate program graduates; 10 Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) graduates; 6 BFA/Certificate graduates; 6 Post-Baccalaureate graduates, and 37 Master of Fine Arts (MFA) graduates.
Acclaimed sculptor Donald Lipski will address the class of 2015 as the Commencement speaker. Born in Chicago in 1947, Lipski is widely recognized for his installation work and large-scale works for public spaces. His work is in the permanent collections of dozens of museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and The Art Institute of Chicago.
Artist, filmmaker and PAFA alumnus David Lynch will be awarded with an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree. Lynch, who is unable to attend Commencement ceremonies, will acknowledge the award with a video message to the graduating class. In 2014, PAFA presented David Lynch: The Unified Field, the first major U.S. museum exhibition of Lynch’s work. Organized in close collaboration with the artist, The Unified Field received widespread critical acclaim.
PAFA will present the 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award to James Havard. Born in Galveston, Texas, in 1937, Havard studied at PAFA from 1961 to 1965. He was a winner of many awards at PAFA, including the William Emlen Cresson Memorial award and the J. Henry Schiedt Memorial award. His work is included in public collections at institutions including PAFA; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), Museum of Modern Art (Stockholm, Sweden), Los Angeles County Museum, among many others.
The 2015 Alumni Distinguished Service Award is being presented to Hilarie V. Hawley, who served for 13 years as President of the Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and is now its President Emerita.
