Resolution 170947

..Title Honoring and recognizing the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts for its over 200-year history of providing Philadelphia with exhibitions on fine art, outstanding educational opportunities for our artistic students, and for their fundraising abilities. ..Body WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts was founded in 1805 by Charles Willson Peale and William Rush as a museum with a mission of "promote the cultivation of the Fine Arts, in the United States of America, by [. . .] exciting the efforts of artists, gradually to unfold, enlighten, and invigorate the talents of our Countrymen"; and WHEREAS, The PAFA first began teaching students in 1810, offering studies on things such as cast drawing and a life academy. Today, the PAFA offers students multiple areas to study, including painting, drawing, illustrations, printmaking and sculpting; and WHEREAS, Amongst the many famous artists to study at the PAFA, one stands above the rest, by the name of Thomas Eakins. Mr. Eakins was born and raised here in Philadelphia, and then attended the PAFA in 1861 to study drawing and anatomy, before returning to teach there in 1876. Mr. Eakins is most notably known for his painting titled "The Gross Clinic". Many of Thomas Eakins paintings hang in the PAFA to this day; and WHEREAS, Other notable artists to attend the PAFA are Elizabeth Osborne, Henry Ossawa Tanner, John French Sloan, Cecilia Beaux, Mary Cassatt, Maxfield Parrish and many more. These outstanding and important art collections are housed in the Historic Landmark Building which opened in 1876 and was designed by architects Frank Furness and George W. Hewitt; and WHEREAS, The PAFA is holding its 19th Annual Bacchanal Wine Gala & Auction, which raises over $500,000 annually to support PAFA scholarships and community education programs. The money raised at this gala goes to assisting student's financial needs, opening the artistic doors that may have never been open to these students; and RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby honor and recognize the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts for its continued service to Philadelphia, its students, and to the advancement of art. ..End