News

Power Players in Education Eric Pryor

Eric Pryor in Metro Philadelphia's List of Education Power Players

PAFA President Eric Pryor is in Metro Philadelphia's list of Education Philly Power Players today. Eric spoke about the personal growth inherent in an art education, and the necessity to champion equity in arts education.

"When I meet with PAFA students, I am consistently impressed with how the…

In the News
gallery with small works on paper

Curator Brittany Webb Art Watch Interview

Dr. Brittany Webb, Evelyn and Will Kaplan Curator of Twentieth Century Art and the John Rhoden Collection, spoke to Art Watch about her current exhibition Gift/Deeds: Collectors at PAFA. Art Watch is a radio show with Constance McBride in conversation with culture producers—artists and creative…

In the News
Woman sits on stoop in front of white wooden door

Animation Chair Amy Lee Ketchum on Building a Dream Program

When she began her position as PAFA’s chair of animation in 2019, Amy Lee Ketchum found herself with the unique opportunity to build a program in which students follow their interests and emerge able to make a career of those interests, no matter the field.

“I got to envision ‘What is my dream…

Perspectives
hanging mobile sculpture

Philadelphia Inquirer | Where to find 10 extraordinary artworks by the Calder family on display in Philadelphia

The Calder Foundation has unveiled its vision for "Calder Gardens" in Philadelphia, a new home to showcase three generations of Philadelphia artists. In anticipation, Stephen Salisbury includes PAFA's ties to the Calder family in the Philadelphia Inquirer, highlighting where to view their work even…

In the News
painting with bright blue and smaller shapes of bright yellows and greens

Elizabeth Osborne Retrospective at Berry Campbell Gallery

Berry Campbell Gallery is presenting its first exhibition of paintings and works on paper by Elizabeth Osborne (b. 1936). Elizabeth Osborne | A Retrospective will feature over thirty paintings and works on paper spanning the artist’s career from 1966 to 2021. 

Osborne is a graduate of the…

Alumni News
painting of rocks with sea behind them and pink sky

Solo Museum Exhibit of Elizabeth Wilson (Certificate '84): Spirit of Place

Philadelphia based artist Elizabeth Wilson’s first solo museum exhibition, Elizabeth Wilson: Spirit of Place comprises 30 landscape paintings that trace her life over the past two decades through travel and the pandemic isolation. Wilson's museum exhibition at SAMA marks her 15th solo show.

The…

Alumni News
Sculpture of plane in outdoor plaza

In the News: Tributes to Grumman Greenhouse

Several news organizations have helped us bid farewell to Grumman Greenhouse (2011).  PAFA has been proud to host the popular, monumental piece created by alum Jordan Griska (PAFA-Penn Coordinated BFA '08) for an extended run. Although originally intended to be up for one year, it has remained for…

In the News
Mariel Capanna's "A Nice Gift for Friends and Relatives" on display at Adams and Ollman in Portland, Oregon

Roots in Philadelphia Connect Alumni Gallerist and Artist

Years after graduating from PAFA and thousands of miles apart, two kindred spirits have found each other. Gallery owner Amy Adams (MFA ’01) has welcomed artist Mariel Capanna (BFA ’12, Certificate ’13) into the artist roster at Adams and Ollman in Portland, Oregon. With a shared love for their…

Alumni News
Varvàra Fern checks alignment of railroad sculpture hung on wall

Varvàra Fern Paving the Way for International Students

A lot has changed since 2018, when a young Varvàra Fern (BFA ’22) entered the undergraduate sculpture program at PAFA and felt the culture shock from Moscow to North Broad Street in Philadelphia. “When I came to PAFA, I had so many problems I had to solve...With the student visa time here is pretty…

Perspectives
mock up image of design for Alien Drive Thru

Burning Man grant awarded to alum Madeline Fried for "Alien Drive-Thru"

Receiving one of the first Burning Man Honoraria awarded to a PAFA alum, Madeline Fried (Cert. ‘16) is an artist helping us confront today’s challenges by imagining the future.

Fried is a founding member of Swing Shift Studio, a Bay Area collective whose work combines activism, science, art, and…

Alumni News
white walled gallery with paintings and sculptures

Woodmere Art Museum exhibits two alumni: Maci Kocizewski (MFA '22) and Nicole Michaud (Cert '12)

Two alumni are featured in the Woodmere Art Museum's 80th juried exhibition Nicole Michaud (Certificate '12) and Maci Kocizewski (MFA '22) through August 28, 2022. PAFA shares a deep history with the Woodmere, which features the art and artists of Philadelphia.
Alumni News
Vernon's Silent Hymns 2

Freeman's Presents 'Reflections' with Navanjali Kelsey and Hong-Bich Huynh Vernon

In a testimony to the work of recent Low-Residency MFA students, the oldest auction house in America is showing two alum in their gallery through September 16.
Alumni News

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.