The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is pleased to announce the opening of Ancient History of the Distant Future, a major exhibition featuring work by contemporary artists installed in spaces throughout PAFA's 19th century Historic Landmark Building and in conversation with selections…
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) has received a $134,000 grant from the Getty Foundation to offer a traveling seminar on contemporary prints for early-career curators, organized by the Brodsky Center, and to be held in April 2020. This initiative’s primary focus is on training and…
PAFA is pleased to announce the election of five new members to its Board of Trustees: Valentine James "Jim" Link, Jr., Kenneth Mitchell, Sandra "Sandy" Norcross, Joel Koppelman, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby (Cert. '06).
PAFA has acquired 111 historic, modern, and contemporary works to its permanent collection—including one of the earliest painted views of the Schuylkill River by artist George Beck. In addition, PAFA added works by the Brandywine Workshop, Helen Frankenthaler, Charles Grafly, John Rhoden, Aaron…
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is pleased to announce the 2019 recipients of its most prestigious awards, scholarships, and prizes. This year, PAFA awarded over $550K to its students. The award winners were announced during PAFA’s Commencement ceremony on May 10, 2019.
A new $1 million gift from The Maguire Foundation, longtime supporters of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), will allow 12 students to attend PAFA free of tuition. The Foundation initially established the James J. & Frances M. Maguire Scholarship for Artistic Excellence scholarship in…
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts has several new acquisitions and contemporary works from the permanent collection on view this summer in the Historic Landmark Building. Artists featured in PAFA's summer curatorial programming include Barkley L. Hendricks, Wangechi Mutu, Jeffrey Stockbridge…
PAFA has appointed Amy Lee Ketchum faculty and Chair of Digital and Time-based Media. Following a national search, Ketchum will lead the development of this new area of study at the school, as well as develop PAFA's current digital media offerings. Ketchum begins her new role on August 1, 2019.
PAFA has been awarded $75K from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in order to process, catalog, digitize, and make publicly available an archival collection documenting the life and career of the late African American artist John W. Rhoden.
PAFA is pleased to present "Multitudes: Walt Whitman at 200" (May 3–September 1, 2019), an exhibition curated by PAFA's Youth Council program. To celebrate the poet Walt Whitman’s 200-year legacy, this exhibition will juxtapose figurative works of Whitman with a medley of historic, modern, and…
The late Estelle Barenbaum Rubens has given nearly $8 million to PAFA school officials have announced. The bequest gift will support student scholarships and tuition for PAFA students. Rubens passed away at the age of 88 and spent almost 15 years guiding museum tours at PAFA as a docent.
PAFA is pleased to announce its 118th Annual Student Exhibition (ASE), May 10–June 2, 2019, in the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building. The exhibition opens to the public with a reception on May 10 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Preceding the ASE will be the school's 214th Commencement on May 10 at 3 p.m. in the…
Press Release
About PAFA
Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is the United States’ first school and museum of fine arts. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, PAFA offers a world-class collection of American art, innovative exhibitions of historic and contemporary American art, and educational opportunities in the fine arts. The PAFA Museum aims to tell America's diverse story through art, expanding who has been included in the canon of art history through its collections, exhibitions, and public programs, while classes educate artists and appreciators with a deep understanding of traditions and the ability to challenge conventions. PAFA’s esteemed alumni include Mary Cassatt, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, William Glackens, Barkley L. Hendricks, Violet Oakley, Louis Kahn, David Lynch, and Henry Ossawa Tanner.
