News

Justin Matherly
"The most important thing I took away from my education at PAFA was the act of actually looking at things and transferring that onto another surface."
Perspectives
Astrid Bowlby Chrysanthemum
Astrid Bowlby was attracted to PAFA because of its strong foundation in drawing from observation. “For me, everything begins with drawing,” says Bowlby. “I also like that PAFA emphasizes the private studio experience.”
Perspectives
PAFA News
As a Visiting Artist Program coordinator, Claudia Valenti (MFA '20) meets with all of the Visiting Artists, but she also goes out of her way to make sure her fellow students are taking advantage of the program too. She tells students that being busy isn’t an excuse for missing artist talks and not…
Elizabeth Osborne attended PAFA in the late 1950's and then went on to teach at the Academy for more than 40 years. This fall she is being honored at PAFA’s 21st Annual Bacchanal Wine Gala & Auction. “I’ve had such a long relationship with the Academy in my life with teaching and painting and coming…
During her time at PAFA, PAFA alum SaraNoa Mark '15 traveled to Europe thanks to a Women's Board Travel Scholarship. The experience whet her appetite for more research-oriented travel as part of her art practice. Now based in Chicago, Mark is preparing to uproot herself again and spend nine months…
School wasn’t a favorite place for Ben Volta '05 when he was growing up. After graduating high school, Volta soon realized he wanted to continue using art to think outside the box and help others do the same. Through his work with Mural Arts Philadelphia and other local arts organizations, Volta…
Certificate program alum Brian Boutwell '04 spent fourteen years in the Navy working in operations and planning, so he’s no stranger to mounting large-scale events. As PAFA's School Exhibitions Coordinator, he's tasked with making sure the school's largest event—the Annual Student Exhibition—comes…
Whether you taste her homemade tahini honey ice cream or her take on the banana split or wander through one of her labyrinths, Marie Manski wants people to put themselves in her work. It isn’t enough to just look at her art—she wants you to experience it. As an admissions counselor for PAFA’s MFA…
With an intense focus on traditional sculpture and a desire for fine arts training, Morgan Dummitt chose PAFA for the PAFA-Penn program. It allowed him the ability to zero in on his interest in sculpture, develop important relationships, and build an arsenal of skills that have helped him grow his…
Mostafa Darwish's family immigrated to the United States, his degree didn’t transfer. Faced with the prospect of starting school over again, he decided to explore art history, eventually transferring to PAFA to build up his technical skills in painting and drawing. After graduation, Darwish started…
After graduating from PAFA, printmaker Justine Ditto (BFA ’17) wanted to keep learning. While studying at PAFA, Ditto’s work evolved from figurative imagery to more architectural explorations. She will spend the next ten months working in the print shop at Millersville University through the…
For 50 years, Professor Pat Nugent (Certificate ‘63) has been opening the minds of Rosemont College students to art. In recognition of Nugent’s commitment to Rosemont College, the school is renaming the school's art gallery in honor of Nugent, where she has been its director since 1994.

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.