News

Bringing Diverse Conversations to Students Through Visiting Artists Program

As a Visiting Artist Program coordinator, Claudia Valenti (MFA '20) meets with all of the Visiting Artists, but she also goes out of her way to make sure her fellow students are taking advantage of the program too. She tells students that being busy isn’t an excuse for missing artist talks and not…

Elizabeth Osborne

Elizabeth Osborne attended PAFA in the late 1950's and then went on to teach at the Academy for more than 40 years. This fall she is being honored at PAFA’s 21st Annual Bacchanal Wine Gala & Auction. “I’ve had such a long relationship with the Academy in my life with teaching and painting and coming…

SaraNoa Mark

During her time at PAFA, PAFA alum SaraNoa Mark '15 traveled to Europe thanks to a Women's Board Travel Scholarship. The experience whet her appetite for more research-oriented travel as part of her art practice. Now based in Chicago, Mark is preparing to uproot herself again and spend nine months…

Ben Volta

School wasn’t a favorite place for Ben Volta '05 when he was growing up. After graduating high school, Volta soon realized he wanted to continue using art to think outside the box and help others do the same. Through his work with Mural Arts Philadelphia and other local arts organizations, Volta…

Brian Boutwell

Certificate program alum Brian Boutwell '04 spent fourteen years in the Navy working in operations and planning, so he’s no stranger to mounting large-scale events. As PAFA's School Exhibitions Coordinator, he's tasked with making sure the school's largest event—the Annual Student Exhibition—comes…

Marie Manski

Whether you taste her homemade tahini honey ice cream or her take on the banana split or wander through one of her labyrinths, Marie Manski wants people to put themselves in her work. It isn’t enough to just look at her art—she wants you to experience it. As an admissions counselor for PAFA’s MFA…

Morgan Dummitt

With an intense focus on traditional sculpture and a desire for fine arts training, Morgan Dummitt chose PAFA for the PAFA-Penn program. It allowed him the ability to zero in on his interest in sculpture, develop important relationships, and build an arsenal of skills that have helped him grow his…

Mostafa Darwish

Mostafa Darwish's family immigrated to the United States, his degree didn’t transfer. Faced with the prospect of starting school over again, he decided to explore art history, eventually transferring to PAFA to build up his technical skills in painting and drawing. After graduation, Darwish started…

Justine Ditto

After graduating from PAFA, printmaker Justine Ditto (BFA ’17) wanted to keep learning. While studying at PAFA, Ditto’s work evolved from figurative imagery to more architectural explorations. She will spend the next ten months working in the print shop at Millersville University through the…

Pat Nugent

For 50 years, Professor Pat Nugent (Certificate ‘63) has been opening the minds of Rosemont College students to art. In recognition of Nugent’s commitment to Rosemont College, the school is renaming the school's art gallery in honor of Nugent, where she has been its director since 1994.

Marcus Zotter

Marcus Zotter (BFA '13) mainly works in street art and graffiti but relies on the fine art education he received at PAFA to create. “PAFA really molds the greatest artist in the United States teaching us how to do the fine arts, the most complicated work out there,” he said. “Being in Philly I was…

Zachary Van Horn

It took Zachary Van Horn getting a little uncomfortable and moving to Philadelphia to become a better artist and refine his work. Van Horn says his time in the MFA program has been rigorous but rewarding. Working with PAFA’s faculty allowed him to get out of his own way when it comes to his art.

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.