News

PAFA News
Mario Scarlato (BFA '18) didn’t think PAFA was for him when he was deciding which art school to attend. But by his second year at UArts, Scarlato realized he wanted more painting instruction and transferred to PAFA.
Perspectives
Candace Jensen speaks to visitor in front of painting at ASE Preview Party
Student walls at the Annual Student Exhibition are an expression of how artists have developed and changed during their time at PAFA. Candace Jensen (MFA ’18) and Rachel Means (MFA ‘18) discuss the path their work has taken as students in the MFA program.
Perspectives
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PAFA President and Chief Executive Officer David R. Brigham, Ph.D has been named a senior advisor to the executive director of the David C. Driskell Center for the Study of Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora. Established in 2001, the Center is committed to…
Press Release
PAFA News
PAFA's After-School Studio Arts Program for High School Students educates 200-300 Philadelphia students each year. The program, which has been running for more than 20 years, is completely free to students. Every week, classes in drawing, oil painting, illustration, comics, life drawing, and anatomy…
PAFA News
In 2018, PAFA took over responsibility for more than 275 works by the late African American sculptor John Rhoden. As the curator of the John Rhoden collection, Brittany Webb is being tasked with stewarding Rhoden’s legacy through a major exhibition at PAFA and distributing the artist’s work among…
Perspectives
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PAFA president and Chief Executive Officer David R. Brigham, Ph.D. was awarded an honorary Doctorate degree from Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania at the College's 149th Commencement on May 12, 2018. Brigham was one of four national and international leaders to be recognized during the ceremony…
Press Release
PAFA News
Kathy Putnam’s art was always on the backburner as she focused on raising her family and a career in finance, but she kept returning to PAFA. An interest in painting led her to take PAFA's Continuing Education classes 25 years ago, which lead to participating in the school's Post-Baccalaureate…
Perspectives
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The Brodsky Center, a collaborative paper and printmaking center devoted to the creation of new work, is coming to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). The Brodsky Center will become part of the School at PAFA, expanding its printmaking curriculum and providing internship and…
Press Release
PAFA News
Blinded in a car accident at the age of 21, sculptor Kathy Faul hasn’t let the disability slow her down. Faul built up her art skills alongside sighted students through Community Education classes. Her sculptural work focuses on carving animals out of stone.
Perspectives
PAFA News
As he graduates from PAFA, Aubrey Brown (Cert. '18) receives the Anne Bryan Memorial Award, named for the first friend he made at the Academy. Bryan’s young life was tragically cut short when she was killed in the Salvation Army Thrift Store building fire and collapse on June 5, 2013, at 22nd and…
Perspectives
PAFA News
Tossing aside his prepared remarks, artist Nick Cave spontaneously took questions from PAFA’s newest alumni at this year's Commencement ceremony. He urged students to take charge of their careers, continue making work, listen to their creative instincts regardless, and challenge themselves as they…
PAFA News
Sculpture professor Jody Pinto has taught at PAFA since 1978 and for 40 years she has pushed her students to seek out new experiences. The chance to explore is what drew Pinto to PAFA as an art student during the early 1960s. Pinto is now stepping away from teaching to focus on her work.
Perspectives

About PAFA

Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is America's first school and museum of fine arts. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, PAFA offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the fine arts, innovative exhibitions of historic and contemporary American art, and a world-class collection of American art. 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.