An artist’s education doesn’t end at graduation. PAFA has a long-standing tradition of encouraging artists to explore the world and travel. Awarded each spring, PAFA's travel prizes—the Cresson, von Hess, and the newly-established Rubens—are among the most coveted at the Academy.
An unexpected job loss in 2011 forced Illustration student Frank Genuardi '19 to rethink his future and reconsider past decisions. So Genuardi went back to community college with the intent to earn a degree in business. Upon re-enrolling, he discovered he was a few credits shy of earning a degree in…
Pax Formichella '21 is co-curating a drawing exhibition in the Anne Bryan Gallery. "A Good Habit Formed" focuses on the history of drawing at PAFA from the school’s founding to the present, and features old textbooks, sketchbooks from PAFA’s archives, as well as current student work.
In high school, Ivonne Perez (BFA '19) thought she might become a doctor. But after two weeks attending a community college biology program, Perez knew she needed a change and switched to studio art. After receiving her Associate's degree, Perez arrived at PAFA as a transfer student to pursue a…
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.
The art of illustration is woven into the DNA of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. The Illustration program was officially introduced at PAFA in the fall of 2015 but there is a long-standing tradition of illustration at the academy. Fine Arts Dean Clint Jukkala sat down with Jessica Abel…
Brad Davis (MFA '18) walks Philadelphia’s neighborhoods for inspiration. The painter was particularly drawn to a newsstand in Rittenhouse Square that became the basis of a painting he will show at this year's Annual Student Exhibition (ASE).
Artist Melissa Joseph (MFA '18) has focused her work on gun violence and the difficult task of healing while studying at PAFA. For three days, Joseph invited anyone to join her in the Broad Street Studio to wash and talk, as part of her Expunge project.
PAFA's student-run Visiting Artists Program brings an outstanding roster of local, national and international artists to PAFA each semester. Students get the opportunity to experience one-on-one private critiques with artists such as Amy Sherald, Njideka Akunyili, and Cosmo Whyte.
An art education at PAFA can begin long before students enroll. For students looking to strengthen their art practice, PAFA’s Summer Academy offers high schoolers a five-week, college-level art-making experience. Many students see Summer Academy as the opportunity to "try out" art school or an art…
Growing up in the New York City area, MFA student Melanie Delach thought she already was where she needed to be as an artist. But her undergraduate professors encouraged her to branch out. Now about to enter her second year in the MFA program, Delach spoke about how a change of scenery has impacted…
Orit Hofshi began working at Mishkan Omanim (The Artist’s Studio) in Herzliya, Israel, following a decade of studying, working and exhibiting in the U.S.
Jordan Griska originally applied to pre-medicine programs, but soon returned to his love of building and constructing, which later became a love of fine art.
Moe Brooker '63 credits instructors at PAFA with helping him develop as an artist. “What I learned at PAFA allowed me to go from being a realistic painter, which I did for more than 10 years, to become an abstract painter, which took seven years, and is what I do today.”
Sarah McEneaney counts Martie Zelt, Jimmy Lueders, Elizabeth Osborne and Sidney Goodman as some of the PAFA faculty who had a great impact on her artistic development.
Since 1995, Andrea Packard has directed the List Gallery at Swarthmore College, organizing and curating over 60 exhibitions, and she co-founded Protean Gallery in Philadelphia with other PAFA alumni.
Bodu Yang decided to make museums her main subject in her paintings, as PAFA’s museum was a critical factor in her artistic development. “I really value the relationship between artwork and exhibition spaces.”
Aaron Fowler first came to art-making after the tragic loss of his 6-year-old cousin. “After drawing him I felt a whole lot better about the situation, as if I had gone to therapy,” says Fowler.
