Press Release

Dr. Anna O. Marley, PAFA Curator of Historical American Art, Named a 2020 Fellow of the Center for Curatorial Leadership

PHILADELPHIA (November 8, 2019) -- Dr. Anna O. Marley, PAFA's Curator of Historical American Art and Director of the Center for the Study of the American Artist, has been named a Center for Curatorial Leadership Fellow for 2020. Dr. Marley will join eleven other curator-participants from institutions across the United States and Canada in this prestigious fellowship, which provides curators with a custom-developed curriculum of classes taught by Columbia Business School Professors, as well as residencies, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to self-knowledge, leadership, and the social responsibility of museums.

David Brigham, President and CEO of PAFA, said, "Anna's extraordinary work at PAFA has enriched our artistic community and expanded our understanding of the history of American art. We are thrilled to congratulate her today on this achievement, and are excited by the opportunities that the Center for Curatorial Leadership fellowship will provide."

Dr. Marley has curated over 15 exhibitions at PAFA, including, "A Mine of Beauty:" Landscapes by William Trost Richards and Henry Ossawa Tanner: Modern Spirit (both 2012); Spiritual Strivings: A Celebration of African American Works on Paper (2014); The Artist's Garden (2015); and most recently From the Schuylkill to the Hudson (2019), which is on view currently at PAFA through December 29.


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.