Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is the oldest art museum and school in the nation.

PAFA's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th- and 20th-century American paintings, sculptures, and works on paper. Since its founding in 1805, PAFA has been committed to fostering and collecting American art. Their collection is not only of national significant, it is of immense value as an educational tool for PAFA students.

Celebrating its 200th Anniversary in 2005, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts was honored to be the first arts institution to receive the National Medal for the Arts.

PAFA’s Historic Landmark Building is considered one of the finest surviving examples of Victorian Gothic architecture in America.
The School has small class sizes, enabling student-faculty mentoring which is a critical component in all programs at the Academy. Every third-year and fourth-year Certificate student is assigned a private on-campus studio to produce an independent body of work. Students who undertake the Masters of Fine Arts receive their own private studio in the new Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, with ample ventilation and 24 hour secure access to facilities.

The School is renowned for its four year Academy Certificate Program where in the first two years, students receive a traditional atelier-style training in painting, drawing, sculpture and printmaking.  Under the mentorship of master artists, students take classes in cast drawing, life drawing and painting, anatomy, color, still life, figure modeling, perspective, etching, woodcut and art history.
In 2008 the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts introduced a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Courses at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

Bachelor of Fine Arts
Drawing
Painting
Sculpture
Printmaking

Coordinated Bachelor fo Fine Arts Program with the University of Pennsylvania
Since 1929, the Pennsylvania Academy has had a coordinated BFA program with the University of Pennsylvania. To receive the Penn BFA, Academy students must complete 90 credits at the PAFA and 16 classes at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Graduate Studies

Masters of Fine Arts Program
Drawing
Painting
Sculpture
Printmaking

Non-degree programs
Continuing Education programs
Evening, weekday, weekend classes
Workshops
Classes for high school students
Lectures for the public
Workshops for families
Community outreach

Past students - established and famous artists
Cecilia Beaux
Mary Cassatt
Maxfield Parrish
Charles Sheeler
John Sloan
Charles Demuth
Arthur B. Carles
Louis I. Kahn - architect
David Lynch - filmmaker
Alice Neel
Thomas Eakins

Contact Details for Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
118-128 N. Broad St.
Philadelphia, PA 19102
http://www.pafa.org