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PAFA News

Changing Gears to Pursue A Creative Passion

Illustration student Eustace Francis worked as a creative director and designer before realizing he wanted to pursue his fine art interests. He ended up choosing PAFA after seeing the Academy featured on PBS's "Newshour" program and visiting the museum. Now a third-year student at PAFA, Francis is…
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PAFA Partners With Philadelphia Photo Arts Center To Exhibit the Women's Mobile Museum With Zanele Muholi

PAFA is proud to present "Zanele Muholi & The Women's Mobile Museum," one of four exhibitions of a year-long artist residency connecting acclaimed South African photographer Zanele Muholi and the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center (PPAC) with ten Philadelphia women. The exhibition, which also features…
Press Release
PAFA News

Njideka Akunyili Crosby, MacArthur Recipient, Visits PAFA

Visual artist and PAFA alumna Njideka Akunyili Crosby returned to campus on November 9, 2018, as part of the Visiting Artist Program organized by students of the School of Fine Arts. The Visiting Artists Program is a student-run venture that brings an outstanding roster of local, national and…
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PAFA Receives $1 Million Gift to Name New Anne Bryan Gallery

PAFA is pleased to announce a $1 million gift from Nancy Winkler and Jay Bryan to name the Anne Bryan Gallery, set to open in the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building in early 2019. The Anne Bryan Gallery will allow PAFA students to acquire creative and professional skills in creating exhibitions through…
Press Release
PAFA News

Venturing Far Outside One's Comfort Zone

While visiting her brother at the University of Pennsylvania, first-year MFA student Bhoomi Patel started looking for a graduate program so she could continue her at practice. Hailing from Ahmedabad, India, Patel said PAFA offered a flexibility that she didn’t have while completing her undergraduate…
PAFA News

Going Global: PAFA Curators Put American Art on the World Stage

Artwork from PAFA’s permanent collection is not only on view at the museum in Philadelphia but in exhibitions across the country and globe. Each year dozens of works are lent to museums that want to highlight American art. This fall, some of PAFA’s most important pieces are traveling to Germany for…
PAFA News

Moving From Master Printmaker to Painter

Second-year MFA student Mike Kondel had been helping artists make work as a master printer, but it wasn't until an encounter with MFA chair Didier William that he realized he was ready for a change in his own life. Coming to the MFA program, Kondel made a conscious decision to step away from…
PAFA News

Mentoring the Next Generation of Museum Professionals

Nzinga Simmons and T.K. Smith are recipients of the Tina Dunkley Fellowship in American Art, a 2-year fellowship providing hands-on training in curatorial practice and museum professions for individuals from historically underrepresented groups who have expressed an interest in American Art. Here at…
Lindsay Rapp

Lindsay Rapp '14: The Power of A Compliment

Lindsay Rapp '14 shares her paintings of mermaids and marine life to over 300,000 Instagram followers, and her artwork can be found in private collections across the world. But that wasn't the case during her time as a BFA student at PAFA. She credits painting professor Steven Nocella with the…
Alumni News
PAFA News

Cadaver Drawing Lets Students Train Like the Old Masters

At Hahnemann University Hospital, PAFA students draw cadavers that have been donated, giving them an opportunity to learn and practice their skills. PAFA professor Anthony Ciambella said students incorporate the experience into their work in many different ways.
PAFA News

Expanding Education Through Art with Roman Catholic High School

As Roman Catholic High School embarks on a new era of fine arts with the opening of the Howard Center for the Arts, they are reflecting on and celebrating the 25th anniversary of Roman’s partnership with PAFA through the After School Studio Arts Program for high school students.
PAFA News

Exploring Difficult Themes Through Art

The spark for Maura Roncace’s projects can come from anywhere. Read how the MFA student uses art to explore difficult themes as a means to process her feelings and experiences.

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.