About the School of Fine Arts at PAFA

PAFA’s School of Fine Arts is one of the oldest and most prestigious in the world.  With a unique program that emphasizes skills in drawing, artmaking techniques and a thorough training in the fine art disciplines of painting, sculpture and works on paper, it’s graduates go on to establish successful careers as fine artists.

Featuring a large and diverse faculty of working artists, first class facilities, individual studios for advanced students and a location in the thriving art scene of Philadelphia, PAFA is a unique combination of a world class museum and a School that is devoted entirely to the training of fine artists.

“When I came to Philadelphia in 1968, the Academy was the premier established institution for the teaching of the practice of art.  The training that took place here had deep historical roots, and an established level of excellence against which student performance was measured, and it remains so.  Academy graduates define a level of mastery in visual art that is unique in the city and the region, if not the country.  Its physical visibility in the center of this great city is appropriate, and a cause for celebration.  Academy graduates are imbedded in the fabric of Philadelphia, if not the nation, and turn up in every significant corner.  The image of visual art in Philadelphia has been shaped by the Academy, its faculty and its graduates.”
--John Moore, nationally recognized painter, Chair of the Department of Art at the University of Pennsylvania and 2008 Commencement Speaker. 

School Mission Statement
Highlights
A Tradition of Excellence

School Mission Statement

The School is dedicated to educating aspiring artists in the aesthetics, methodology and history of the fine arts, specifically in drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. The Academy accomplishes this by being a community of working artists dedicated to maintaining an inspired environment that fosters a commitment to engaging art and the creative act as a lifelong pursuit of the highest order.

A Few Highlights:

• Small, intimate size with close student-faculty mentoring
• Cutting-edge studio and classroom facilities, including private studios for students
• A large and diverse faculty of professional working artists
• An emphasis on drawing from the life model and the Academy’s historic cast collection
• An exceptional program of Visiting Artists
• The opportunity for students to exhibit in a world-class museum
• Outstanding exhibitions of contemporary and emerging artists in PAFA’s Museum of Fine Arts

A Tradition of Excellence

Founded in 1805 by painter and scientist Charles Willson Peale and sculptor William Rush, the Academy continues to focus on its founding mission: to collect, exhibit, and teach fine art in America, combining studio instruction and direct contact with historic and contemporary works of art. Read more…