News

Photo of the commencement speaker.

If you don’t see it in the world, you have to make it.

Clarity Haynes, 2024 PAFA Commencement Address


Incredible words of wisdom and inspiration from artist and #PafaAlum Clarity Haynes (Cert. ‘03) during this year's commencement ceremony deeply resonated with the graduates, making this milestone…

Perspectives
HLB exterior

PHILADELPHIA – June 28, 2024 | The iconic, Frank Furness-designed Historic Landmark Building (HLB) at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), 118 North Broad Street, will be temporarily “offline” for planned renovations to its HVAC system. The building will be unavailable to the public…

Press Release
Hubert Davis, Spring in the Coal Regions, 1944, oil on canvas, 26” x 36”, 1945.2.

PHILADELPHIA–June 24, 2024 - The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) opens Layers of Liberty: Philadelphia and the Appalachian Environment, on view June 27 through November 7, 2024, in the Samuel M. V. Hamilton Building at 128 North Broad Street. Curated by Ali Printz, PAFA’s Terra…

Press Release
Anna Bogatin Ott standing in front of a painting hung on the wall.
Anna Bogatin Ott shares her journey and inspiration, reflecting on her painting "Everglades," influenced by her visit to Everglades National Park after emigrating from the Soviet Union. Her work, now in PAFA's permanent collection, marks her transition from drawing to painting. Bogatin Ott…
Perspectives
Maggie Bosco (MFA 2023), Arch on Broad, 2023, 48 x 60 in., oil on linen, photographed by Adrian Cubillas.

PHILADELPHIA – May 3, 2024 - The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) opens its 123rd Annual Student Exhibition (ASE), a capstone exhibition celebration of the Academy’s student artists. A unique chance to view and purchase works by the art world’s emerging talents, ASE opens with the Previe

Press Release
an adult helping a kid at a arts and crafts table during the Spring Festival

PHILADELPHIA – April 17, 2024 – The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) holds its annual free Spring Family Festival, celebrating art and community, Sunday, April 28, 1:00-3:00 pm in Lenfest Plaza, 118-128 N. Broad Street. A raffle to win a free week of Summer Art Camp will be held during…

Press Release
Oil on canvas painting with spot glitter and mirror marker depicting two guinea fowl in a blue and yellow circle, with a purple rhombus shape in the background.

Featured image: Barbara Sosson, GUINEA FOWL, 2023, oil on canvas with spot glitter & mirror marker, 48 x 36 inches. © Copyright, Barbara Sosson, Philadelphia, PA USA.


PAFA is deeply intertwined with the life stories of numerous artists, including Barbara Sosson, the president and treasurer of the…

Perspectives
Installation view of Artists as Cultivators looking through a doorway to the Washington Foyer and another doorway

River Towns Magazine | Spring 2024
"Birthplace of the American Art Museum" By Patti Zielinski

"The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, in Philadelphia, holds a dual distinction as America’s first art school and first museum of fine arts. Inside the museum, visitors will find a world-class…

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

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

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…

Press Release
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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.

"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

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.