WEM A KEAR T I S T S

WE M A KEAR T I S T S

WEM A KE

AR T I S T S

V I E W B O O K

W E M A K E

your hands you hold a blueprint.

You see the world differently. You have talent, but having a career as a fine artist is about more than that. You have an

energy and an appetite for creativity and you also want to lead a fulfilling, vibrant life. You have an appreciation for

history and tradition but you’re yearning to break through to something fresh, relevant, and personal. Each step you

take affects the journey you’re on. So how do you start telling your own story? How do you build the life you want in

the fine arts?

At the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, or PAFA, we are dedicated to one unique goal. We make artists. We make

artists with a mastery of their craft. We make artists who push boundaries, enhance their communities, and inspire the

future of American art.

For over 200 years, our close-knit community of faculty, critics, scholars, curators, museum-professionals, and alumni

have created a home for contemporary artists to reinvent tradition and make their own mark on the future.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOURS .

El i z a b e t h H a m i l to n – M FA G r e g o r y B i c h é – C e r t i f i c a te

WHAT WE OFFER four

PHIL ADELPHIA six

FACILITIES eight

THE MUSEUM thirteen

FACULT Y &VISITING ARTISTS sixteen

ACADEMICS eighteen

ALUMNI twenty-nine

SUPPORT thirty-one

SCHOL ARSHIPS& AID thirty-three

W H AT W E

Founded 1805 in Philadelphia, by painter and scientist Charles Willson Peale, sculptor William Rush, and other artists

and business leaders, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is the Nation’s oldest continually operating school and

museum of art. We are at the heart of a tight knit artist community in an urban campus setting. Our classes are small

and students and faculty share and inform one another’s art.

PROGR A MS CERTIFIC ATE (CERT ) PAFA BFA COORDINATED BFA / UNIVERSIT Y OF PENNSYLVANIA POST-BACC AL AURE ATE (PB) M A STER OF FINE ARTS (MFA)

UNDERGR ADUATE M A JORS PAINTING DR AWING PRINTM AKING SCULPTURE FINE ARTS

SPECIALIZ ATIONS CONTEMPOR ARY RE ALISM FINE ARTS ILLUSTR ATION

PAFA at a Glance

4 B o n g M e e L e e – M FA

ACCREDITATION AND AWARDS

PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUC ATION

NATIONAL A SSOCIATION OF SCHOOL S OF ART AND DESIGN (NA SAD)

MIDDLE STATES COMMISSION FOR HIGHER EDUC ATION (MSCHE)

MEMBER OF THE A SSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT COLLEGES OF ART AND DESIGN ( AIC AD)

NATIONAL MEDAL OF ARTS , 2005 ( AWARDED BY PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH)

BONG MEE LEEMaster of Fine Arts - Painting - 2013

Bong Mee Lee studied painting and drawing as an undergraduate

student at MICA, the Maryland Institute College of Art. Her interest

in technique led her to PAFA for her Masters Degree, where she began

reaching more for the paintbrush than the pencil and moved away

from the black-and-white-focused work she’d been creating for years.

As her work grew more conceptual at PAFA, it also grew increasingly

more colorful. Thick applications of malleable latex house paint yield

“paint sculptures” when she molds and manipulates them into various

forms. She now channels the experience of each day—her city, her

commute, her emotional state—through the process of mixing paint.

By preserving the mixes in small jars, Lee creates personal paint sculp-

tures akin to a calendar of days gone by.

“I needed to know the foundations before I could break the rules. All of my work is autobiographical. I respond to it and it responds to me.”

Bong Mee Lee in her studio

I N S T I T U T EO F

C O N T E M P O R A R YA R T

C I T YH A L L

V O XP O P U L I

M Ü T T E RM U S E U M

F L E I S H E RA R T

M E M O R I A L

S P A C E1 0 2 6

M U R A LA R T S

P R O G R A M

O L D E N B U R G ’ SP A I N T T O R C H ,

S P L I T B U T T O N &G I A N T T H R E E -

W A Y P L U G

P H I L A D E L P H I AM U S E U MO F A R T

W O O D M E R EA R T

M U S E U M

P H I L A G R A F I K A

C E N T E R F O R E M E R G I N G V I S U A L

A R T I S T S

omething curious happens when you talk to students about their time spent at PAFA. Ask them about their classes

or favorite works of art, about what inspires them, and you’ll quickly find your conversation moving beyond PAFA’s campus

in center city Philadelphia. Talk will turn to the many famous museums nearby and architectural landmarks around the

corner before heading down countless inroads through the neighborhoods Philly is famous for. You might even pick up a

few tips about a favorite restaurant or café or hear the details of a recent memorable meal with friends. You’ll be astonished

at how easily our students describe their experience in a common language that binds the school, the museum, and the

culture of the city.

You’ll find PAFA located at the convergence of Broad Street—the Avenue of the Arts—and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway,

famed for its museums and array of sculptures. There is more public art in Philadelphia than any other American city,

and it is home to the first art school and museum in the Nation: PAFA. It’s no wonder our students consider the City of

Philadelphia an integral part of their fine arts education.

From museums that see millions of guests a year to pop-up art spaces meant to last for an evening, inspiration is never

far away. Joining PAFA’s own museum is the Rodin Museum (the largest collection of Rodin sculptures outside of Paris),

the world-class Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Fabric Workshop and Museum, and

the newly re-opened Barnes Foundation. Every First Friday of the month, the galleries of Old City open their doors to

the festive art watchers and partygoers of city life. Creative epicenters can be found in West and South Philadelphia,

Chinatown, Northern Liberties and Fishtown, where artist collectives, galleries, studios and nightlife abound, surrounded

by the thriving local music scene.

Philadelphia’s identity has been shaped through the years by a love of the arts, a dedication to craftsmanship, and a con-

nection to community. PAFA’s proximity as an urban campus stands out within the city and beyond. With New York City

and Washington, D.C. easily reachable by bus and train, PAFA students have the art world at their fingertips.

A R T I N E V E R YN E I G H B O R H O O D

Philadelphia

5 6 7

B o n g M e e L e e – M FA T H EB A R N E S

F O U N D A T I O N

R O D I NM U S E U M

THE HISTORIC L ANDM ARK BUILDING

The heart and soul of PA FA is located in the Historic Landmark Building. Built in 1876, Frank Furness’s iconic

“factory for art” is considered a work of art in its own right. Inside you’ll find our collection of American works, the

historic drawing and painting studios used by Thomas Eakins, and the beloved Cast Hall where students and alums

have been working from plaster casts of ancient and classical sculptures since the 1860s.

In the Historic Landmark Building you can feel the lineage in the air. Your voice lowers. You step softly. There is a

perceptible patina of tradition in everything you touch and see. Students know they are a part of a legacy of excellence

and it shapes their work. They cherish the experience of working in the Historic Landmark Building and often return

to the rooms in which they first honed their skills to be inspired and to stay grounded as their work evolves.

Facilities

8 9

L e s l i e S t a h l – M FA J e s s i c a B a r n u m – B FA

ISWHERE

THEART IS

Ch a r l e s W i l l s o n Pe a l eThe Artist in His Museum (1822)

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

HA MILTON BUILDING

PAFA’s nerve center is the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building. The former home to an automobile factory, the Hamilton

Building is all clean lines, glass and metal, with high ceilings and cascading light. It ’s the perfect complement to the

Historic Landmark Building. Within the elegant eleven stories you’ll find the academic offices, studios, classrooms,

and studio art facilities for the graduate, certificate and BFA programs as well as the library, digital lab, museum, and

Gallery 128, a gallery that features works from students enrolled in the Certificate, BFA, Graduate, and Continuing

Education programs. PAFA provides studio working space to all advanced students and fourth-year BFA students to

produce an independent body of work under the close mentorship of faculty and critics. Private individual studio work

is at the heart of the curriculum at PAFA, and the one-on-one supervision and nurturing is integral to the developing

life of an artist.

Lenfest Plaza unifies the new and old buildings. Here, beyond the gallery walls, you’ll find an expansive open space

where students relax and socialize beneath contemporary works by Claes Oldenburg and alum Jordan Griska.

Facilities Facilities

10 11

J o r d a n G r i s k a – C e r t i f i c a te 20 0 8

Y E S , YO U C A NB O R R O W T H E K E Y S

TO T H E

Art schools and art students have a few things in common. Openings and receptions. Installations and critiques. The

energetic student always on the go, always making something. The endless pursuit of art supplies. The paint-covered

jeans. Materials. Music. Bicycles. On PAFA’s urban campus it is no different. A PAFA student is always coming and

going in the proximity of a world class museum. Having the museum as part of everyday academic life means that from

your first day onward, you’ll develop your work in the context of our collections. Our galleries house a chronological

survey of American art from the Colonial period to the 21st century with an emphasis on the balance between historic

and contemporary. We always leave room for the up-and-coming. Every spring semester concludes with acquisitions

of student work purchased for the permanent collection.

PAFA’s collecting tradition includes works from modern and contemporary American artists such as Jennifer Bartlett,

Richard Diebenkorn, Alex Katz, Philip Pearlstein, Bill Viola, Louise Bourgeois, and Jacob Lawrence. The collection

also holds masterpieces from distinguished PAFA alumni Thomas Eakins, Mary Cassatt, and Maxfield Parrish,

among others.

Both the Historic Landmark Building and the Hamilton Building house many galleries that offer the PAFA student

a constant source of inspiration and real, art-world experience as special event exhibits and visiting speakers set up

shop alongside permanent collections.

For a full list of our collections, galleries, and exhibits please visit us online at: pafa.org/museum.

The Museum The Museum

12 13

J o n a t h a n L a n g f i e l d – M FA

A N N U A L S T U D E N T E X H I B I T I O NEvery spring, the Museum’s exhibition galleries are cleared to make room for the Annual Student Exhibition. As a

student, every thing is building up to this. Every year, over a thousand works by graduating students are hung in an

event that has been of national importance since the nineteenth century. It is an experience like no other. An exhibition

and sale, the ASE also serves as a competition for dozens of distinguished prizes and awards. The winner of the Caldwell

Purchase Prize has a work selected for purchase by the Museum and inclusion in PAFA’s permanent collection, while

travel scholarships provide winners the chance to explore the art and architecture of other cultures.

In many ways, the ASE represents everything art training at PAFA stands for. It’s the chance to see work professionally

hung in a museum setting with a real art world audience. Students and graduates meet with curators, museum profes-

sionals, gallery owners, collectors, patrons, and alumni as the public rushes in to see what all the buzz is about. It’s the

culmination of dedication, hard work, tremendous personal growth, and a chance to gauge the art world’s reaction to

emerging artists’ work.

The Museum

14

The Annual Student Exhibition

A PAFA tradition for over a century, the Annual Student

Exhibition is the crown jewel in the journey of a PAFA student.

Highly anticipated by the art community, this event is unmatched

in its outreach and energy.

“The ASE is a great opportunity to show the culmination of your experiences at PAFA. It is amazing to see the transfor-mation of the type of work students will begin with and what they f inally exhibit as they unfold their creative process. The ASE is an excellent transition between the academic and the professional as the student evolves into the artist.”–Don McPartland (MFA)

V i c to r i a M a r t i n ot t i – B FA

S te v e n D a i l e y – C e r t i f i c a te

T E L LG R E AT

FACULT Y

The relationships you develop while working at PAFA will enrich your life and your art. The small faculty-to-student

ratio and one-on-one mentoring is our trademark. The faculty’s diverse skill sets, from artists working in traditional

modes to those working in new media expose students to a vast range of opinions, artistic expertise, and individual

artists’ points of view. All faculty members at PAFA are working artists, many with studios near campus, so they are

in a unique position to understand and nurture students.

For a complete list of our faculty, visit our web site at pafa.edu/faculty.

VISITING ARTISTS

A student committee at PAFA selects and invites artists, both national and international, to speak to the student

body. PAFA’s Visiting Artists Program is student-run, and the program introduces our students to a wide

variety of artists and galleries, creating connections that can propel and inspire an artistic career. Recent visiting

artists have included Kiki Smith, Steven Assael, Eric Fischl, Faith Ringgold, Julie Heffernan,

Jayson Musson, Abigail DeVille and PAFA’s own Njideka Akunyili. Visiting artists not only lecture but also

critique students’ work, allowing them unparalleled experience interacting with established artists. Respected

emerging artists, who are on campus to spend time with PAFA students, are also invited to give lectures about their

own work in their studios.

The Fourth Wall Panel Review and Open Studio Night further enrich the role played by visiting artists in

academic life. The Fourth Wall Panel Review—a program panel created by graduate faculty critics—allows

graduate students to see their work critiqued anonymously by contemporary art professionals, while on

Open Studio Night, visitors get a rare opportunity to meet emerging artists in the spaces where they create.

In addition to the Visiting Artists Program and Visiting Artists Committee, the Museum’s Art at Lunch series pres-

ents another accessible opportunity to hear artists speak and sign up for studio visits.

Faculty & Visiting Artists

15 1716

Fa cu l t y M e m b e r : V i n c e nt D e s i d e r i o A l u m n u s : D a v i d Ly n c h

A l u m n a: N j i d e k a A ku ny i l i Fa cu l t y M e m b e r : Re n é e Fo u l k s

V i n c e nt D e s i d e r i o

Personal connections is why students choose to study at PAFA. You will never lack support for being challenged,

staying inspired, and collaborating when insight is needed. Our faculty, students, staff, alumni, and visiting critics

comprise a community of working artists and an environment of mutual respect and learning. This is where you

will meet some of the people that will inf luence your artistic decisions for the rest of your life. No matter what your

program or focus, you have the opportunity to create artwork that will transform you and impact the world you live in.

The Certificate, BFA, MFA and Post-Baccalaureate programs we offer share the same goals. We challenge our students

to form and articulate a personal philosophy and aspiration for making art, to function independently as professional

artists, to achieve and maintain a superior technical knowledge, and to experience the core disciplines of the studio

fine arts.

The Painting program encourages your imagination and creativity through skills-based training and a critical and

aesthetic understanding of painting and drawing. The goal is for you to develop a distinct artistic vision. In the painting

classes, you’ll learn both technical skills and the formal issues of color, space, shape and composition. Painting and

drawing classes explore themes in life painting, classical representation, abstraction and conceptual approaches,

such as portraiture, still life, figure composition, invented new forms, large-scale figure painting and pictorial com-

po-sition. At the advanced level, you’ll receive a private studio and work with personal mentors and critics. At all levels,

the Painting program prepares you for a professional career as a painter.

Drawing is every artists’ first foray into a life of creativity. At PAFA, drawing encompasses all of our programs. It is

the common language for all art disciplines and aesthetic philosophies, serving as the central foundation for every

student’s creative journey and fostering unique ways to see and express personal ideas. Drawing is encouraged in

every stage, including figure drawing, object and nature drawing, landscape and abstract approaches in a wide range

of drawing media. Drawing embraces many styles and many media, from sharp-edged renderings of natural forms to

highly conceptual combinations of text and image. Technical abilities and a deep appreciation of drawing as a visual

language are encouraged at all levels.

Academics

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L i n d s a y Ro b b i n s – C e r t i f i c a te

Our Printmaking program teaches you to be an expert in technique while embracing your individuality and unique

vision. The program is structured to provide highly personalized attention to each artist, through individual and

group mentoring, classes and critiques. You’ll gain mastery in many forms of printmaking, including woodcut

and relief printmaking, etching, drypoint and other intaglio processes, plate and stone lithography and the art of

screenprinting, letterpress, book arts and digital media. We teach both color and black-and-white techniques and

offer advanced courses for in-depth experience and specialized technical training with printmaking methods.

In addition, you will learn safe handling procedures with all solvents, printmaking tools and equipment.

Sculpture embraces both contemporary and classical approaches across a broad range of art making—from traditional

figurative sculpture to video and installation art. You’ll explore new, expressive ways of making sculpture and what

sculpture can be. You’ll learn about tools and technical procedures of sculptural composition and fabrication, figure

modeling and carving, bronze casting, woodcarving, welding, plaster casting, foundry and site-specific sculpture.

Courses in anatomy with sculpting the figure from the life model combine theory with practice. Courses in materials

and techniques lead up to the process of casting in the foundry. Advanced courses teach you how to get sculpture

commissions and to create public pieces. Sculpture students receive private studios while also having access to

large common studios and excellent shops and tools.

PAFA offers several opportunities to study abroad, both formally and informally. As a member of the AICAD Mobility

Program, PAFA’s students may transfer their studies, for one semester, at any AICAD-affiliated institution. Students

may also research and pursue opportunities to study abroad independently, under the guidance of PAFA’s Student

Services Office.

Academics

21

L a u r a S a l l a d e – C e r t i f i c a te

LAURA SALLADEThe PAFA Certificate - Sculpture 2013

Growing up in a small town in Pennsylvania can be a challenge when

you’re considering pursuing a life in the arts. Making the choice of

where to study can be a difficult one. After visiting art schools in

Philadelphia and seeing the level of work a PAFA student generates,

Laura was convinced she had to be a part of what she found

so inspiring. Initially drawn to a classical approach, she switched

from pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts to the Certificate Program

so she can spend more time in the studio. What began as an attempt

to cut away unwanted sections of a print with a razor blade, Laura’s

intricate cutting of translucent paper reveals patterns evocative of

nature, science, and memories.

“I want to be around people who are great at what they do. I want to be pushed.”

L a u r a S a l l a d e – C e r t i f i c a te

Laura Sallade in her studio

THE PAFA CERTIFIC ATE

The Certificate is a complete immersion in fine arts. A four-year, 120 credit education, the Certificate is PAFA’s oldest

and best-known program of fine arts. It is comprehensive creative training centered in painting, drawing, sculpture and

printmaking. It is a demanding and intense process of self-discovery for those with the goal of becoming a practicing

studio artist. Inspired by a rich heritage of serious artistic achievement, the Certificate is grounded in foundational

skills and working with master artist-instructors to develop your own style and direction as an artist.

The Certificate program gives depth and dimension to the act of making art and nurturing personal expression. Each

artist cultivates a f luency in a visual language by becoming part of PAFA’s vibrant community of working artists and

our renowned history of artistic accomplishment. For each artist, tradition emerges as a fresh set of challenges. In

this program, students learn to embrace the artistic struggle, which they come to see as offering glimmers of success

in disguise.

THE PAFA BFA

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program pairs demanding studio training with a creatively focused liberal arts educa-

tion to meet each student’s unique interests. A four-year program, the PAFA BFA enhances artistic skill and personal

expression with critical thinking using the full scope of the humanities. Taught by experts in academic disciplines,

the PAFA BFA unifies studio art and a liberal-arts view with classes specifically tailored to the working artist. The

experience furnishes the mind, cultivates skill and intellect, and promotes exploration of each student’s artistic calling.

The studio classes are the same outstanding studio art training that is offered in our historic Certificate program.

As a fourth-year student, you’ll receive a personal studio space, where you’ll work one-on-one with faculty critics and

visiting artists while developing a mature body of work and studio practice. The program requires 126 credits total,

42 in Liberal Arts and 84 in Studio Arts.

The PAFA BFA was set up with transfer students in mind. Whether you are coming from a two- or four-year institution,

we make every effort to assist in obtaining the ma ximum number of transferable credits without impacting your

creative experience.

For information on transferring credits, visit: pafa.edu/apply/transfer.

Academics Academics

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Fa cu l t y M e m b e r : Pe te r Va n D yc k

J i m my B e l l e w – C e r t i f i c a te

COORDINATED BFA

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) offer the Nation’s only

Iv y-League, Coordinated BFA Program. Founded in 1929, the Coordinated BFA merges PAFA’s renowned studio art

curriculum with an elite liberal arts education, allowing students to study simultaneously at two of the Nation’s most

distinguished institutions. The program combines three years of studio coursework at PAFA with sixteen academic

courses at Penn. Students are required to complete four courses in art history; the remaining academic coursework

is elective-based. Students may take their PAFA and Penn classes concurrently, complete their studio requirements

ahead of their academic coursework, or expedite their studies during the summer months. Graduating students receive

their BFA from the University of Pennsylvania, an Iv y-League undergraduate degree, which can support careers in

museum studies, arts administration, curatorial endeavors, and graduate-level study.

SPECIALIZ ATIONS

The Interdisciplinary Specializations of Contemporary Realism and Fine Arts Illustration are part of the programs

of Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, and Sculpture. Students with a specialization complete the requirements for a

major or concentration in Painting, Drawing, Printmaking or Sculpture and work with a group of faculty mentors

from one or several of these programs.

The Contemporary Realism specialization at PAFA provides an ideal training for representational and realist artists.

PAFA has a long tradition in teaching contemporary realism. It provides a rigorous training for figurative and perceptual

artists. You may select classes from a wide range of observational or realist-oriented courses, and study with Contemporary

Realist mentors. Drawing is at the heart of the PAFA experience. Cast drawing teaches you how to see like an artist,

and working from the life model is the basis of training as an artist. Advanced classes go far beyond the fundamentals

and teach you to draw, paint and sculpt at a professional level. Students with the specialization in Contemporary

Realism attend workshops with great contemporary realists such as Vincent Desiderio and Barkley L. Hendricks.

Fine Arts Illustration is part of the PA FA tradition. Recalling alumni and masters of fine arts illustration such

as Ma xfield Parrish, the Fine Arts Illustration specialization is part of PA FA’s skill-based and discipline-based

programs in the fine arts. Students who choose a specialization in Fine Arts Illustration use the skills and artistic

abilities gained in PAFA’s rigorous fine arts programs to learn how to create artists’ books, narrative and sequential

imagery, digital media, illustration technique and other forms of fine arts illustration.

Students with a Fine Arts Illustration emphasis are assigned a faculty mentor to create a personal course of study

within painting, drawing, printmaking, or sculpture. Frequent guest artists and workshops featuring masters of

contemporary illustration provide first-hand exposure to the professional world of fine arts illustration.

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Ve r o n i c a H a n s s e n s – C e r t i f i c a te

M ASTER OF FINE ARTS PROGR A M

The graduate program experience at PAFA is transformational. Whatever your background or experience as an artist,

you will be thrown into a community atmosphere of intense discovery and challenge. Your work, your approaches and

your sense of yourself will be questioned and provoked by members of one of the largest graduate fine arts faculty in

the world. A large and diverse body of fellow student artists working in many different artistic directions will become

your peer group. A program of visiting artists and critics will expose you to both emerging and established approaches

in contemporary art making.

The Master’s program provides daily interaction with an outstanding faculty of resident and visiting critics, seminars

in critical readings, renowned visiting artists, and graduate drawing and painting classes that support your studio

art-making practice. Over two dozen graduate faculty, critics, senior visiting critics and seminar leaders represent a

wide range of studio practice. Visiting Critics include Martha Armstrong, Katherine Bradford, David Cohen, Vincent

Desiderio, Joel Fisher, Denise Greene, Daniel Heyman, Gillian Jagger, Virgil Marti and Jody Pinto. Resident Seminar

Faculty include David Dempewolf , Judith Schaechter, Kevin Richards, Tom Czaszar, Eileen Neff, and Richard Torchia.

MFA students enroll in graduate drawing and seminar classes and work in personal studio spaces for all four semesters

in the program. The studio critique system is the heart of the program and allows a student to choose as many as 12

different faculty critics in the course of their two years of study. Within a large and supportive community of artists,

critics, visiting speakers, seminar leaders and fellow students, you devote yourself to your artwork, to developing

your personal vision and to developing the intellectual basis for studio art expression.

During the second year, students must complete a written thesis and submit work for final review by the full graduate

faculty. This is where the artistic diversity of the faculty becomes one of your strongest assets. You’ll be encouraged

to go beyond your familiar milieu and select critics from other fields. Are you a figurative painter? Select a critic that

works in installation, multimedia, or video art to learn new perspectives on the figure. Pair that with a critique on

painterly technique, and you’ll grow immensely alongside artists workin at the top of their field.

Academics

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Ty l e r K l i n e – M FA Yo n i H a m b u rg e r – M FA

YONI HAMBURGERMaster of Fine Arts - Painting - 2013

After studying film and mathematics in Tel Aviv and then a stint

living in New York City, Yoni Hamburger found his way to PAFA

because of an intense love of painting. His early visits to Philadelphia

and to PAFA revealed a laid back vibe and an environment full of

inspiration. Yoni paints portraits that ref lect an idiosyncratic

truth about his subjects. He begins with people he has a personal

connection with and tries to capture their essence through distortion,

abstraction, and exaggeration.

“Every person has a frequency that is unique only to them. I try to tune in to that in my portraiture.”

The Fourth Wall Panel Review

The Fourth Wall Panel Review provides a rare opportunity for

students to peer inside the challenges of applying for post-grad-

uate opportunities. MFA students anonymously submit works

which are critiqued before a panel of internationally-known

visiting artists, critics and curators. This experience recreates

the “behind closed doors” atmosphere of the selection process

for grants, residencies and teaching positions.

The goal of the graduate programs at PAFA is to give you the

tools, the skills and the intellectual basis for a lifetime of

creative achievement.

Yoni Hamburger in his studio

ALUMNI

eing a part of the community at PAFA is a membership into

a distinguished and f lourishing network. Every year the size of

the family grows and the connections deepen. The trajectories

of alumni serve as road maps for graduating students ready to

set off on their own course and as a playbook for those students

still working on their next breakthrough.

At PAFA, gallery shows of alumni works are regular and highly

visible events in the Museum. Our alumni are active in both the

international and national art scene as well as within Philadelphia’s

vibrant art culture. PAFA offers alumni opportunities to show and

sell their art in the gallery, and gain exposure to the museum-going

public, art collectors and other gallery owners and directors.

Students also have the resources of the Alumni Association, which

currently holds over 7,000 members, to use for seeking new oppor-

tunities and relationships.

POST-BACC AL AURE ATE PROGR A M

PAFA’s Post-Baccalaureate Certficate in Graduate Studies is a year-long, rigorous art making experience that combines

graduate-level instruction and focused faculty interaction. The Post-Baccalaureate is designed to suit a wide variety

of students, including those who seek to develop their studio work in preparation for an MFA program, artists with an

undergraduate degree outside of fine art, and individuals who purely wish to immerse themselves in studio practice.

The program draws students from a variety of backgrounds, combining studio and seminar coursework with an intimate

faculty-critique structure. All Post-Baccalaureate students receive a studio in PAFA’s Hamilton Building. Individual

and Group critiques are scheduled, bi-weekly, throughout the program. Graduate-level Drawing and Seminar Classes

are required, and may be supplemented by additional studio coursework. The program seeks to address student needs

individually, helping to form and recognize the images that best represent them as artists.

Academics Alumni

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Yo n i H a m b u rg e r – M FA

M e l Fo r k n e r – M FA ’ 13

B o d u Ya n g , M FA ’ 12

M a r y C a s s a t t – PA FA s tu d e nt , 1 8 6 0- 62Young Thomas and his Mother (1893)

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

SOME PROMINENT ALUMNI

BO BARTLE T T

CECILIA BE AUX

ARTHUR B. C ARLES

M ARY C A SSAT T

CHARLES DEMUTH

VINCENT DESIDERIO

BILLY & STE VEN DUFAL A

THOM A S E AKINS

WILLIA M GL ACKENS

BARKLE Y HENDRICKS

ROBERT HENRI

LOUIS K AHN

DAVID LYNCH

ALICE NEEL

M A XFIELD PARRISH

REMBR ANDT PE ALE

CHARLES SHEELER

J OHN SLOAN

HENRY OSSAWA TANNER

ersonal connections are why students choose to study at PAFA.

You will never lack support for being challenged, staying inspired,

and collaborating when insight is needed. Our faculty, students,

alumni, and visiting critics comprise a community of working

artists and an environment of mutual respect and learning. This

is where you will meet some of the people that will inf luence your

artistic decisions for the rest of your life. No matter what your

program or focus, you have the opportunity to create artwork that

will transform you and impact the world you live in.

Alumni Support

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HOUSING

Students seeking lodging find impressive living spaces throughout a city rich with beautiful architecture, tree lined

streets, and an abundance of reasonably priced square footage. Numerous Philadelphia neighborhoods, particularly

Fishtown, Northern Liberties, South Philly, Graduate Hospital and West Philly, offer such housing opportunities in

addition to providing inspired cultural backdrops. The Broad Street Line, Market-Frankford ((EL) Line, Green Line

trolleys, and extensive bus system make it easy to get to PAFA from elsewhere in the city. PAFA’s location at the heart

of a very walkable city makes many destinations easily reachable on foot as well.

Dedicated housing for PAFA students is available at a nearby apartment complex, though availability is limited,

and first-year students are given priority.

For questions or assistance with housing, please contact our Office of Student Services or visit our website at:

pafa.edu/housing.

C AREER SERVICES

PAFA’s Career Services Office is proactive in offering support for students at all stages of career-building, from

seeking internships to first jobs after graduation. Lectures, panels, and workshops happen throughout the year,

offering insight on résumé building, residencies, grant writing, and crucial business aspects of the art world. These

act as a supplement to the training students receive in studio practice through their academics. PAFA’s programs

offer unparalleled fine art instruction, and with this training our students graduate to a variety of successful profes-

sions. While our primary goal is to train students as professional, working artists, an education at PAFA can equip

you for careers in teaching, gallery operation, arts administration, museum studies, conservation and preparation,

design, illustration, and art fabrication. Additionally, because PA FA emphasizes both technical skill and mature

conceptual expression, our students are exceptionally well prepared for graduate-level programs.

AC ADEMIC ADVISING

The faculty and Department Chairs serve as advisors on students’ academic progress thoughout their PAFA experience.

Because of the School’s intimate environment, students also work closely with our Registrar and Dean of Students for

academic advisement.

STUDENT LIFE

PA FA is known for a close-knit community of artists, so you’ll have no shortage of creative people with whom

to bond and explore. Students spend a significant amount of time on campus, both in the classroom and interacting

with their fellow artists, often continuing working in the studios after class is over. Numerous after school activities,

such as PAFA’s Cinema Society, evening drawing sessions, and yoga classes, are offered throughout the week. Many

activities take place throughout the year, some of which are art-oriented—Holiday Print Sale, Draw-a-thon, Open

Studio Night—and some of which are not—our Annual Fall Hayride, Winter Bash, and Cupcake Social. Movie nights,

coffee hours, and visits to New York and Washington D.C. also occur throughout the year.

SCHOL ARSHIPS & FINANCIAL AID

PA FA tuition maintains an esteemed faculty, provides fine art facilities, and assists students who have financial

need. Conscious of the fiscal challenges students face, we work very hard to keep our tuition competitive and support

our students financially. To support an exceptional community of students, scholarship support is an Admissions

priority. It is our unwavering commitment to support talented students—through scholarships, certainly—but also

by helping students and families to discover the financial support that is available. We will do everything possible

to invest our resources in you. When you’re ready, arrange an appointment with our Financial Aid staff. We’ll work

together to decide if studying at PAFA is the right decision for you. Throughout this process, we are here to help you.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact our Office of Financial Aid at 215-972-2019 or financialaid@pafa.edu.

Students studying from abroad may receive partial scholarships; our International Student Scholarships are intended

to offset the financial burden of studying without federal aid. However, in many cases, international students will

need to seek out additional resources to obtain supplemental funds. The website www.eduPASS.org offers information

about many issues for international students, including financial support. Additionally, loans are now becoming

available for international students, particularly if you have an American citizen who will co-sign for you.

For more information about the scholarships and aid offered by PAFA, visit pafa.edu/scholarships.

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is committed to an environment which welcomes and encourages members of all diverse groups to apply to

our programs of study. PAFA provides equal opportunity to all students and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity/expression,

sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or status as a veteran.

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A Note on the Lettering and Ornaments

Throughout this Viewbook, much like on the ca mpus of PA FA ,

the inf luence of a rchitect Fra nk Furness is a round ever y turn.

The lettering and ornaments that adorn this publication are a ll

custom designs based on the late-Victorian and Gothic architecture

of the Historic Landmark Building. The engraved stone lettering

on the facade (1) above the main entrance became the basis for this

book’s custom typeface (2), and the patterns in the masonry and

meta lwork (3) inf luenced the decorative patterns that f low through

these pages. Whether it ’s 1876 or 2016, our dedication to spirited

craftsmanship lives on.

1 . 2 .

3 .

VISIT PAFA

Consider visiting one of the School’s major events, such as an Open Studio Night, artist talk, Open House, or the

Annual Student Exhibition for a true glimpse into PA FA . The Office of Admissions is here to assist you in learning

more about our faculty, facilities, and students. We offer individual and group tours of the School and our historic

Cast Hall. We also offer portfolio reviews for applicants to all programs, which provide prospective students with

guidance on how to create a portfolio, in general, as well as how to submit a portfolio to PAFA that will enhance your

merit scholarship opportunity. Tours and portfolio reviews are by appointment only; schedule yours to learn more

about what makes PAFA an exceptional art school.

For more information or to apply, visit pafa.edu/admissions

Office of Admissions and Financial Aid:

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

128 N. Broad Street

Philadelphia, PA 19102

Phone: 215-972-7625

Email: admissions@pafa.edu

Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

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Cl a e s O l d e n b u rg – Pa i nt To r c h

WWW.PAFA.EDU