Making American Artists: Stories from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1776-1976

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Courtesy Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia; Photograph by Adrian Cubillas

Making American Artists presents the Pennsylvania Academy for the Fine Arts’ formidable collection of iconic historic works alongside stellar pieces by traditionally underrepresented artists. By exploring PAFA’s impressive collection with a critical eye, this exhibition catalogs changes in our national artistic identity, weighing what it meant to be an “American” artist from when the institution was founded to the late twentieth century.

Painter and scientist Charles Willson Peale and sculptor William Rush founded PAFA in 1805 to champion American art and artists.

Making American Artists features works from PAFA’s esteemed collection that helped define new chapters in the history of American art. Amidst this expansive selection emerge the compelling stories of underrepresented artists who found unparalleled support and inspiration at PAFA, including Mary Cassatt, Barkley L. Hendricks, Edward Hopper, Alice Neel, Georgia O’Keeffe, Laura Wheeler Waring, and Sonia Sekula.

The show also features icons of PAFA’s history and collection, such as Gilbert Stuart’s George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait) (1796) and Charles Willson Peale’s The Artist in His Museum (1822).

This exhibition is curated by Anna O. Marley, PhD, former Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Kenneth R. Woodcock Curator of Historical American Art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where she curated over fifteen exhibitions. Marley is a scholar of American art and material culture from the colonial era to today.

The Opening Celebration is scheduled for Saturday, October 25, 2025, with a Member-exclusive Preview Day on Sunday, October 26, 2025. The exhibition will open to the public on Thursday, October 30, 2025.

Tickets for the Opening Celebration and this exhibition will be on sale soon – stay tuned!