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.
With works dating back to the 1790’s, time was not on the side of conservator Mary McGinn when she began preparing for PAFA’s current exhibition, From the Schuylkill to the Hudson: Landscapes of the Early American Republic.
Sarah McEneaney counts Martie Zelt, Jimmy Lueders, Elizabeth Osborne and Sidney Goodman as some of the PAFA faculty who had a great impact on her artistic development.
Eye Contact, on view through September 15th in the Salon Gallery, is an exportation of contemporary figure paintings and takes on the concept of the gaze.
For the two years Claudia Valenti (MFA ’20) is studying at PAFA for her MFA, she is making the most of her time. As a VAP coordinator, Valenti meets with all of the Visiting Artists, and goes out of her way to make sure her fellow students are taking advantage of the program. “Visiting artists like…
Usually Christine Belton (MFA ’21) is leading a class but this past summer she traded her regular role of teacher for a seat as a student.
“I love to teach. For me, my personal practice supports my teaching and my teaching supports my personal practice and it makes this fantastic circle,” she said…
Sara Havekotte initially came to Philadelphia in 2018 to study painting and making paintings for collage. But as Havekotte took classes, her work stayed in a material and textile base. She now weaves and sculpts with found objects.
“Things began to sort of compact in a singularity of home and…
Alumni Erin Addie '18 and Gary Pergolini '18 are back at PAFA. The pair recently installed their replica of the Justice Bell in the Rotunda of the Hamilton Building for a temporary exhibition.
Pax Formichella '21 is co-curating a drawing exhibition in the Anne Bryan Gallery. "A Good Habit Formed" focuses on the history of drawing at PAFA from the school’s founding to the present, and features old textbooks, sketchbooks from PAFA’s archives, as well as current student work.
16-year-old Max Brenneman is following in his older sister’s footsteps. In 2017 after his sister Sophie graduated from the MFA program, Brenneman began taking art classes at PAFA. This summer, Max dives further into his artistic practice by taking classes through the high school Summer Academy…
It might feel like you’re being watched in the Salon Gallery this summer. That's because PAFA's current exhibition of contemporary self-portraits by artists, "Eye Contact," explores how we see, judge ourselves to each other, and take control of a theoretical artistic concept known as gaze.
Critiques are integral to the learning and curricular experience at PAFA, designed to push students and make the most of their time while in school. Second-year MFA student Jess Aquino discusses her experiences with the critique process, and how they have shaped the work she makes.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at visitorservices@pafa.org — we’d love to help!
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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.
