News

Reconstructed print of "The Kaohsuing Series" depicting a person holding a mirror and seeing their reflection

Through Her Lens: PAFA’s Commitment to Visibility for Women Artists

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) remains steadfast in its commitment to honoring women artists year-round, engaging in partnerships, curating collections, organizing exhibitions, and developing programming that celebrates women in the arts. We actively educate, collaborate with, and…

Perspectives
Installation view of sculptures by John Rhoden

'Determined to Be: The Sculpture of John Rhoden' Closes April 7 at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) enters the final 10 days of Determined to Be: The Sculpture of John Rhoden, the first major retrospective celebrating the legacy of Rhoden, a visionary sculptor whose work continues to inspire generations. The exhibition’s final day is Sunday, April 7…

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The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is First Cultural Organization in Philadelphia to Join Free Bloomberg Connects App

PHILADELPHIA – March 22, 2024 - The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) has launched a new digital guide on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app created by Bloomberg Philanthropies. PAFA is the first cultural organization in Philadelphia, and one of hundreds around the world…

Press Release
Color photograph of John Rhoden posing by a public art sculpture in front of the entrance to the African American Museum in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Inquirer | One of John Rhoden’s Philadelphia sculptures is lost forever. Thankfully, another isn’t.

"You might not know much about John Rhoden’s Nesaika, but you have walked past it every time you have passed Seventh and Arch Streets. The 9-footbronze sculpture, which stands outside the African American Museum in Philadelphia, was dedicated on June 10, 1976, by Mayor Frank L. Rizzo.

Eight days…

In the News
View of a wooden sculpture on display in an art gallery with a person in the background.

¡Presente! Media | PAFA digitizes 5,000 archives of African-American sculptor John Rhoden

Némesis Mora attended the John Rhoden Catalogue Launch and Symposium and wrote an article for ¡Presente! Media:

"In a remodeled four-story building at 23 Cranberry Street in Brooklyn, New York, 20th-century African-American sculptor John Rhoden lived with his wife, Richanda Rhoden, from the 1960s…

In the News
Archival files spread out on a table.

Black History at PAFA | Theodore E. Wells, WWII Veteran, Teacher, and Artist

Renowned for its training in the arts, PAFA, which had been open to enrollment for Black artists since the mid-19th century, became the preferred institution for Theodore E. Wells (1922-1998) to realize his artistic aspirations, made possible by funding from the GI Bill.
Perspectives
Jennifer Bartlett, (1941-2022) Shadow, 1984 Etching, soft-ground, aquatint, spit bite, and drypoint (7 plates) on Fabriano Tiepolo paper each sheet: 30 x 22 1/4 in. (76.2 x 56.515 cm.) (4 sheets) John S. Phillips Fund and the Collector's Circle, 1989.15

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Opens Artists as Cultivators

PHILADELPHIA – February 13, 2024 - The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) has opened the exhibition, Artists as Cultivators, an examination of how artists have fostered critical social dialogues over three centuries through their use of nature as a subject, theme, and material. The…

Press Release
Black and white photograph of a Black man wearing a hat working on a sculpture of Frederick Douglass

Rhoden in the World: Public Works

John Rhoden's enduring legacy lies in his notable public sculptures, such as the Frederick Douglass statue at Lincoln University and the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth bust at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, inviting reflection on civil rights, historical remembrance, and cultural unity.
Perspectives
second floor landing

PAFA to Wind Down Degree-Granting Programming, Refocus on Core Mission

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) today announced plans to wind down its BFA and MFA degree-granting programs and return to its roots, recommitting itself to expanding the stories of American art through its collections and exhibitions and providing arts education for the full…

Press Release
Peale House Gallery Exhibition: Peter Miller: Paintings (Exhibition dates: January 30, 1969 - March 9, 1969)

Mystical Brushstrokes: Peter Miller’s Surrealist Life

“I would rather fail at painting than succeed at anything else in life” writes Peter Miller on her 1933 application to study at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA. 

The next time you visit Center City, be warned - a visit to Morton Contemporary will leave you deeply…

Perspectives
Shiva Ahmadi - Red Light, 2020, Acrylic on canvas, 56 x 72 in. Commissioned by PAFA for Rising Sun: Artists in an Uncertain America, courtesy Haines Gallery, San Francisco

Closing Soon: Rising Sun | A Reflective Exploration of American Democracy through Art

Rising Sun: Artists in an Uncertain America will be closing soon at PAFA. Featured here are a selection from all the amazing artists who contributed to the exhibition.
Perspectives
Determined To Be: The Sculpture of John Rhoden, at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, October 5, 2023– April 7, 2024 in the Hamilton Building. Courtesy of PAFA. Photography by Adrian Cubillas.

The Philadelphia Tribune | A collection of John Rhoden's creative legacy on display at PAFA

“I can’t overstate the importance of the archives, you really need to have a bit of an understanding and appreciation for his life, to fully understand his work,” says Dr. Brittany Webb, curator of the collection.

"Along with the Evelyn and Will Kaplan Curator of Twentieth Century Art and the John…

In the News

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.