At the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), wandering spaces with paint on canvas or sculptures in a gallery only describes a fraction of the experience. PAFA is a space for vibrant and ever-evolving conversations, where voices from every background are heard, where artists at every age and…

Determined to Be: the Sculpture of John Rhoden is more than just an exhibition of artworks; it's a discovery show about love, art, life, travel, and determination. As you wander the exhibition, you'll explore not only John Rhoden's sculptures but also through themes, styles, and materials, the story…

It is with great sadness that PAFA joins in mourning the death of Dr. Constance E. Clayton, Philadelphia’s first Black and female schools’ superintendent and longtime collector of African American art.  

In 2019, Dr. Clayton gifted to PAFA a collection of 78 paintings, works on paper and sculptures…

For Eric Wagner (BFA ‘23), studying at PAFA is about having the space and time to try

“It's been a pretty wild ride. I’ve gone through times of painting, and other times of drawing more and writing and all kinds of things. More recently I broke into sculpture so now I do sculpture all the time too.”

C…

As a high school Summer Academy student in 2018, Safiya Wharton was a dedicated, serious painter.

She spent the school year at CAPA, Philadelphia’s public high school for creative and performing arts, surrounded by creative peers. But she wanted more. So she spent a summer studying with PAFA’s…

In the last few years, Jonathan Lyndon Chase (MFA ‘16) has been all over the world, showcasing their work in London, New York, Switzerland, China, and more. But one of their favorite places to be is in Philadelphia visiting student studios as a Visiting Critic at PAFA.

It’s one thing to see Andy Warhol’s work in a museum but Annie Thompson (MFA ‘24) says it’s an entirely different experience to hold the icon’s work in your hands. 

“It kind of blinded me a little bit. It was kind of wild to see some of his pieces in person and understand how strong the pigments were…

Being able to study art up close is one thing, but being able to engage with it deeply is another.

Pafa Alumni Dara Haskins (BFA '19), Athena Scott (MFA '22), and Meg Wolensky (BFA '14) have been awarded 2023 Wind Fellowships. Join their virtual artists’ talk on February 2nd.

CBS News interviews the artist for the exhibition Philip Cohn: My Life's Work on view in the Alumni Gallery, in "99-year-old Philly artist shows how fine arts keeps him young."

"The important big deal is me getting in front of the canvas and working today, that's the big deal, not the show," Cohn…

For her culminating work at PAFA, Zofia Chamera (MFA ’22) created Shedding Fear, a 7-foot paper figure which debuted at the Annual Student Exhibition in the spring of 2022 and then showed in Italy two months later for the Lucca Biennale, an art, architecture, and design exhibition dedicated to paper…

Philadelphia based artist Elizabeth Wilson’s first solo museum exhibition, Elizabeth Wilson: Spirit of Place comprises 30 landscape paintings that trace her life over the past two decades through travel and the pandemic isolation. Wilson's museum exhibition at SAMA marks her 15th solo show.

The…