Jordan Griska (Cert. ’08) originally applied to pre-medicine programs, but soon returned to his love of building and constructing, which later became a love of fine art. “I was always making things, like skateboard ramps and forts when I was a little kid,” says Griska. In high school, Griska made a chair that took a first-place prize in a local furniture show, which further encouraged him.

Griska creates large-scale works and installations, and has had work on display at public and private spaces such as Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, the corporate headquarters of Urban Outfitters, and Pulse Miami. “My work deals with the relationship between objects and their collective understanding,” says Griska. “Through the physical alteration of materials, I challenge how form and function are perceived by viewers. The removal, addition or interchange of various elements allows for one object to become another, morphing a range of social, political, cognitive and formal landscapes.”

Griska’s sculpture Grumman Greenhouse was installed on PAFA’s Lenfest Plaza in 2011 and has become one of Philadelphia’s most recognized public large-scale works. The PAFA alumnus created Grumman Greenhouse from a Grumman Tracker II, a decommissioned military bomber with a wingspan of 73 feet. The cabin of the plane is outfitted with LED grow lights, powered by solar panels on the wings, and a variety of plants. “I wanted to turn this object of destruction on its head. I wanted to re-create it, to avoid destroying the destroyer. I just wanted to tame it, make it friendly,” says Griska.

PAFA faculty members Rob Roesch and Jody Pinto helped Griska navigate the professional art world. “I really admired the large-scale, public sculptures that Rob and Jody did. Jody took us on gallery trips to New York City. It put what we were doing in the studio in perspective, of getting your work into the real world, and how you can take it further,” says Griska. While attending PAFA, Griska won the Cresson Memorial Travel Scholarship, The Governors Award, and the Fellowship Award. “PAFA gave me the tools, community, and knowledge to learn the skills that I use today. As far as art schools are concerned, I can’t think of another program in the nation that rivals PAFA in any of these respects.”