Anatomy Academy: Graduate Symposium

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts hosted a graduate symposium in conjunction with the exhibition Anatomy/Academy: Nexus of Art and Science. In tribute to Philadelphia’s historical importance as a center for the artistic and anatomical study of the human body, this symposium examined the body in relation to the material and visual culture of American art, focusing on how Philadelphia’s dynamic art and science communities fostered knowledge of the human body from the early nineteenth century to the present.

Students presented new research in twenty-minute papers and the program concluded with a round-table discussion moderated by Kathy Foster, the Robert L. McNeil, Jr., Curator of American Art and Director of the Center for American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The discussion featured faculty responses from each university, including Alan Braddock, Wendy Bellion, Tanya Sheehan, Michael Leja, Patrick Connors, and Rachael DeLue.