PHILADELPHIA (Feb. 4, 2025) – The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), the first museum and school of fine arts in the United States, today announced Lea C. Stephenson as the next Kenneth R. Woodcock Curator of Historical American Art, effective Feb. 10, 2025. In this role, Stephenson will work to strengthen the development, research, presentation, and growth of PAFA’s renowned collection of historical American art, reporting directly to Interim Museum Director Harry Philbrick.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lea to PAFA,” said Harry Philbrick, PAFA’s Interim Director of the Museum. “Her extensive background as a curator and educator and her deep knowledge of American art and art history make her an excellent addition to our team.”

Currently, Stephenson is a Ph.D. candidate in art history at the University of Delaware, completing her dissertation on “Wonderful Things”: Egyptomania, Empire, and the Senses, 1870-1922, which looks at American and British artists and collectors in Egypt during the Gilded Age. Stephenson is also the Luce Foundation Curatorial Fellow in American Paintings and Works on Paper for Historic Deerfield in Massachusetts, expanding the collection, curating exhibitions and programming, writing for publication, and fundraising.

“It is an honor to be chosen as the next Kenneth R. Woodcock Curator of Historical American Art,” said Stephenson. “It is an especially exciting time to be joining PAFA, particularly with the work in progress to curate the museum’s first, new permanent exhibition in some 20 years and prepare for its installation in 2026. PAFA is an American treasure and central to the story of America’s art history, and I could not be more excited to join.”

Stephenson’s experience in the museum world includes her recent work as exhibition curator for Historic Deerfield as well as contributions to exhibitions at the University of Delaware, The Preservation Society of Newport County (Newport, R.I.), Dallas Museum of Art, The Clark Art Institute (Williamstown, Mass.), and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Sarasota, Fla.). A published author, Stephenson has written multiple essays including “Racial Capital: Peter Marié’s Miniatures and Gilded Age Whiteness” and “The Potter Overmantel: Black Presence and the Sense of ‘Touch’.” She has two forthcoming essays: “Early Transformations in American Art: From the Colonies to an Emerging Republic,” which examines Deerfield Academy’s American art collection and major themes in American art history, specifically 18th century to Federal period paintings and works on paper; and the other on James Wells Champney’s illustrations and collaborations with Elizabeth Williams Champney.

Stephenson holds a B.A. in art history from Temple University and a M.A. in the history of art from Williams College.

About Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

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.

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