Founded in 1805 as the first school and museum of fine arts in the United States, PAFA is a National Medal of Arts recipient that celebrates the transformative power of American art and art-making through its collections, exhibitions, and education programs.
Last Friday, workers from Atelier Art Services and Storage gathered in PAFA’s historic Cast Hall to disassemble, package, and transport Laocoӧn and His Sons, one of the school’s most famous casts. The Laocoӧn, beloved by PAFA students who frequently sketch, draw, and paint the incredible musculature…
Less than a week after the opening of Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis last November, Barbara Katus, PAFA’s Manager of Imaging Services, was methodically making her way through the exhibition with the help of her work study student, Gary Pergolini. A Hasselblad H4D digital camera was mounted on a…
Award-winning sculptor and PAFA alumna Phebe Hemphill has worked since 2006 as a medallic sculptor at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. She is one of seven people at the sprawling facility who create, design and sculpt the reliefs that end up as currency, presidential and congressional medals, and…
If you’ve ever been emotionally moved by a painting, song, or poem, you understand the power of art to inspire and brighten our lives. As certified art therapist Dona Duncan has seen first-hand, art also has the power to help people experiencing a range of symptoms from PTSD and depression to…
Renowned artist Titus Kaphar visited PAFA several times throughout the spring semester to meet with about a dozen MFA students for a series of studio critiques.
PAFA docents recently had a chance to take a tour of Faith and Family. Inspired by the World Meeting of Families 2015 and the historic visit of Pope Francis to Philadelphia, Faith and Family is PAFA's first online Collections Focus, yet these works are also on view in the galleries currently. Anna…
Liza Samuel recently demonstrated her process for making oil-based paint, as a large group of students crowded around to watch. Her formulas have become the go-to paints for many fellow students—and teachers—at PAFA.
“PAFA was a very exciting environment where I was able to figure out and develop a type of critical thinking that is applicable to many aspects of life, not just painting."
PAFA’s community of faculty, students and alumni came together this week to kick off a new school year at an assembly that served up encouragement, ideas, advice – and lunch, of course – to new and returning graduate and undergraduate students.
The first assembly of the 2015-2016 academic year was…
Moe Brooker '63 credits instructors at PAFA with helping him develop as an artist. “What I learned at PAFA allowed me to go from being a realistic painter, which I did for more than 10 years, to become an abstract painter, which took seven years, and is what I do today.”
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at visitorservices@pafa.org — we’d love to help!
Subscribe to PAFA Happenings
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.
