Call for applications: Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is accepting applications for its Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

PAFA’s MFA program is an interdisciplinary, two-year program. Students are not divided by discipline or area of study, but instead are encouraged to experiment and further discover their voice in various media. In their studio work, students are encouraged to be independent, self-motivated, and open to the new possibilities and ideas that arise through the course of making. Through experimentation, one-on-one discussion with critics, and group critiques, MFA students develop their work and ideas into a sustainable, thoughtful artistic practice.

The program is not bound by the conventions and traditions of academic and technical systems, but is informed by them and aims to engage in a critical framework that strives for authenticity and open discourse. We privilege studio development, critical research, and professional practice. PAFA’s MFA candidates contribute to and benefit from a diverse community of artists, curators, writers, and problem solvers.

Outstanding Faculty
The low student-to-faculty ratio and one-on-one mentoring is one of PAFA’s trademarks. Our 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 PAFA faculty members are working artists and in a unique position to understand and nurture students.

Visiting Critics Program
One of the key components of PAFA’s graduate programs, the Visiting Critics Program brings a roster of distinguished artists to campus three times each semester for one-on-one discussions with students about their work. This experience provides an invaluable opportunity for students to receive in-studio feedback on their work as it develops. Artists in the Visiting Critics Program have included Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Abigail DeVille, Titus Kaphar, Becky Suss, Mika Tajima, and more.

Visiting Artists Program
The student-run Visiting Artists Program selects and invites a wide variety of national and international emerging and established artists to the school, creating connections that can propel and inspire an artistic career. Visiting artists spend one-on-one time with PAFA graduate students and critique their work. Past participants in the Visiting Artist Program have included Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Alex da Corte, Aaron Fowler, Josephine Halvorson, and Amy Sherald.

To apply or learn more about joining the PAFA community, visit our website.

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, Thomas Eakins, William Glackens, Barkley L. Hendricks, Violet Oakley, Louis Kahn, David Lynch, and Henry Ossawa Tanner.