Growing up in a small town in Pennsylvania can be a challenge when you’re considering a life in the arts. Making the choice of where to study can be a difficult one.
Aaron Fowler first came to art-making after the tragic loss of his 6-year-old cousin. “After drawing him I felt a whole lot better about the situation, as if I had gone to therapy,” says Fowler.
Steven Dufala (Cert. ‘00) and Billy Blaise Dufala (Cert. ‘03) are prolific multidisciplinary artists whose work defies categorization extending from sculpture and drawing to theater, music and performance art. They co-teach a course in the BFA program. In conversation with artist Sharon Louden, the…
“By far the greatest part of my experience at PAFA was the one-on-one interaction with my core group of chosen critics/ teachers and my fellow MFA students. I continue many of these relationships today."
Orit Hofshi began working at Mishkan Omanim (The Artist’s Studio) in Herzliya, Israel, following a decade of studying, working and exhibiting in the U.S.
Itsuki Ogihara strives to apply her fine arts education in the design world. "The best thing I learned was to have a great eye: to be able to see and identify things, like colors. What I learned as a fine artist is universal.”
Jordan Griska originally applied to pre-medicine programs, but soon returned to his love of building and constructing, which later became a love of fine art.
“When I was 14, I apprenticed myself to a sculptor. A year later, I could make larger figures. My earliest influences were not modern. I was studying Donatello and the Renaissance sculptors.”
Since 1995, Andrea Packard has directed the List Gallery at Swarthmore College, organizing and curating over 60 exhibitions, and she co-founded Protean Gallery in Philadelphia with other PAFA alumni.
Astrid Bowlby was attracted to PAFA because of its strong foundation in drawing from observation. “For me, everything begins with drawing,” says Bowlby. “I also like that PAFA emphasizes the private studio experience.”
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…
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.
