News

Custom sheets of paper in yellow, orange, and red dry on a large table

An Old Dog Inspires New Tricks for Painter Sarah McEneaney at the Brodsky Center

“I’m primarily a painter”—an understatement from PAFA alumna Sarah McEneaney, whose autobiographical paintings can be seen in permanent collections from coast to coast—"but I have made some sculpture in the past throughout the years and they've mostly been animals. I think that’s because I live with…

Alumni News
Al Gury stands in front of group of students, leading in-studio lecture

Painting Faculty Al Gury Finds Reward in Advocacy

Al Gury wears many hats, to say the least. At PAFA alone he chairs the painting department, teaching at the undergraduate, high school, and continuing education levels, and directs the After-School Studio Art Program for young people in the city. He also works with Mural Arts Philadelphia, people…

Perspectives
Global Optimization Diagram installed in Taking Space

Video: Ana Vizcarra Rankin (MFA '12) on her Work in the PAFA Exhibition "Taking Space"

Artist Ana Vizcarra Rankin graduated from the Master of Fine Art program in 2012. She received the Judith McGregor Caldwell Purchase Prize at the Annual Student Exhibition in May 2012 for her work Global Optimization Diagram. The painting is on view at the museum in “Taking Space: Contemporary Women…
Alumni News
Artwork documentation of Man in Blue Looking Eileen Neff

MFA Resident Critic Eileen Neff Finds the Beauty Behind the Curtain at Philadelphia Museums

If you visit this weekend, you can find a man in a blue hazmat suit within the walls of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He isn’t concerned with an airborne virus; rather his suit protects him from toxic fumes of arsenic that float around his meticulously designed surroundings. This man inhabits a…

Perspectives
Florine Stettheimer, (1871-1944) "Picnic at Bedford Hills" (1918)

Philadelphia Inquirer | Women take over the walls at pair of PAFA shows

Thomas Hine's review of the recently opened exhibition Women in Motion: 150 Years of Womens Artistic Networks at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts will delight the art history lovers.

"The premise of the show, as suggested in its subtitle, is that women needed to develop networks — which…

In the News
Gallery view of Jerusalem in museum

William Wetmore Story’s Marble "Jerusalem" Moves for First Time in 30 Years

Watch a timelapse video of the process. Weighing nearly 3,600 pounds and with a pedestal that is roughly between 2,300-2,600 pounds, and made of breakable marble, the statue risks damage if not handled with the required care and expertise.
Perspectives
Anne E. McCollum profile

Anne E. McCollum Announced as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is pleased to announce the election of Anne E. McCollum as the organization's new chairperson of the Board of Trustees. McCollum will succeed Kevin Donohoe as the first female leader of America's first art museum and school. Donohoe will remain on the board…
Press Release
Clarity Haynes, with her painting "Janie" (left), at the “Taking Space:

The Philadelphia Inquirer | For ‘Taking Space’ at PAFA, women artists are as monumental as they want to be

Megan Voeller reviews Taking Space: Contemporary Women Artists and the Politics of Scale for The Inquirer, in a piece that artist Clarity Haynes made her "feel seen and understood." Read about the generation-spanning artists and works, including Haynes, Deborah Willis, Faith Ringgold, Ana Mendieta…

In the News
jill adler mfa ase install

MFA Student Jill Adler '21 Reflects on Her Art Practice and Community

The graduation class speaker reflects on what it means for an artist to have access to a skilled community, from The Brodsky Center papermaking studio at PAFA to greater Philadelphia.
Alumni News
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PAFA Announces Organizational Changes as reimagining and Presidential Search begins.

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) announced that on the heels of a nationwide search for its next President & CEO, it has paused the Edna S. Tuttleman Director of the Museum position to reimagine its work post-pandemic.
Press Release
PAFA

PAFA 2021 Commencement

After a year of remote and hybrid learning, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) will host the 216th Commencement ceremonies on-site May 14. PAFA will recognize 70 graduating students, including 5 Certificate program graduates; 42 Bachelor of Fine Arts graduates; 1 Post-Baccalaureate…

HLB_stairs

Philadelphia’s National Historic Landmarks Celebrate International Day for Monuments 2021

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is excited to celebrate International Day for Monuments and Sites on April 18th. Global Philadelphia Association is partnering with twenty-one historic sites and museums to present "Reopen House Day" and encourage in-person and virtual exploration of…

 

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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.