A new $1 million gift from The Maguire Foundation, longtime supporters of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), will allow 12 students to attend PAFA free of tuition. The Foundation initially established the James J. & Frances M. Maguire Scholarship for Artistic Excellence scholarship in…
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts has several new acquisitions and contemporary works from the permanent collection on view this summer in the Historic Landmark Building. Artists featured in PAFA's summer curatorial programming include Barkley L. Hendricks, Wangechi Mutu, Jeffrey Stockbridge…
PAFA has appointed Amy Lee Ketchum faculty and Chair of Digital and Time-based Media. Following a national search, Ketchum will lead the development of this new area of study at the school, as well as develop PAFA's current digital media offerings. Ketchum begins her new role on August 1, 2019.
PAFA has been awarded $75K from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in order to process, catalog, digitize, and make publicly available an archival collection documenting the life and career of the late African American artist John W. Rhoden.
PAFA is pleased to present "Multitudes: Walt Whitman at 200" (May 3–September 1, 2019), an exhibition curated by PAFA's Youth Council program. To celebrate the poet Walt Whitman’s 200-year legacy, this exhibition will juxtapose figurative works of Whitman with a medley of historic, modern, and…
The late Estelle Barenbaum Rubens has given nearly $8 million to PAFA school officials have announced. The bequest gift will support student scholarships and tuition for PAFA students. Rubens passed away at the age of 88 and spent almost 15 years guiding museum tours at PAFA as a docent.
PAFA is pleased to announce its 118th Annual Student Exhibition (ASE), May 10–June 2, 2019, in the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building. The exhibition opens to the public with a reception on May 10 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Preceding the ASE will be the school's 214th Commencement on May 10 at 3 p.m. in the…
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) announced the addition of 130 historic, modern, and contemporary works to its permanent collection. Acquisition highlights feature works by an array of historical and contemporary artists, including George Hitchcock, William J. Glackens, Wangechi Mutu…
PAFA students Justine Ditto '17 and Alyssa Ebinger '18 have been accepted into the prestigious lithography program at the Tamarind Institute in New Mexico. Each year, eight students are accepted into the program; this year, two of the eight selected are from PAFA. Tamarind’s Printer Training Program…
PAFA is pleased to announce the election of Jonathan Hirsch to its Board of Trustees. Hirsch is co-founder and partner of IG Wines Ltd, and will serve as the co-chair of Bacchanal in 2019.
PAFA is proud to announce the acquisition of nearly 80 artworks from the collection of the prominent American educator, civic leader, and arts advocate, Dr. Constance E. Clayton. The collection, which spans the late 19th to the late 20th centuries, contains works primarily by African American…
PAFA is pleased to announce that 12 recipients have received funding for their work through the Fine Arts Venture Fund (FAVF). The fund was established in 2014 to support students' artistic goals and encourage their developing professional practices. This year, the FAVF awarded over $24,000 to 12…
Press Release
About PAFA
Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is America's first school and museum of fine arts. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, PAFA offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the fine arts, innovative exhibitions of historic and contemporary American art, and a world-class collection of American art. 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.
