Pennsylvania College of Art & DesignAlumni News Archives - Pennsylvania College of Art & Design

AJ Nutter ’10 brings his filmmaking expertise to campus for Artist Talk

Being ready to “jump in and help,” AJ Nutter says, is one of the best skills that those who aspire to work in the film industry can cultivate. The 2010 graduate of PCA&D has just finished working as Director of Photography on Transient, a sci-fi/horror feature film dealing with loss, grief, death, and the […]

Designathon ’23 brings 15th annual event full circle

At last weekend’s 15th Designathon, the annual event came full circle. About two dozen students, seven faculty, and seven alumni worked for 12 hours to deliver new logos, brochures, marketing materials, and more to eight non-profit organizations. And not only were alumni represented in the faculty who assisted, they also this year were represented in […]

Justin Carney ’20 shares his journey with Photography & Video seniors in a virtual artist talk

When Justin Carney was thinking about grad school after PCA&D, he had some questions: Would it be worthwhile? Would it be a good fit for his ambitions for a career in photography? Because he was at a school like PCA&D and knew faculty well enough to use them as a sounding board, he’s ended up […]

Recent accomplishments in our PCA&D community

The work of former Fine Art Alumni Artist in Residence Jason Herr ’16 is part of Idle Times: Pop Disorder, a group exhibition through Feb. 4 at Current Space gallery, studio, and performance space in Baltimore. Learn more here. Aubrey Maurer ’22, Fine Art, is featured in a solo exhibition opening this month at the Sykes Gallery, Millersville University. Strictly Unconventional, sculptures exploring […]

Alumni profile: AGA graduate Jeremy Bensing works to build a career in animation

When Jeremy Bensing was introduced to animation as a career possibility, it was love at first sight. Since then the 2021 magna cum laude Animation & Game Art graduate has steadily worked to break into the field, continuing to keep in touch with mentors, and always in pursuit of refining and polishing his knowledge and […]

From Lancaster to LEGO, Steve Geist brings illustration skills to product development

Steve Geist loves creating something from nothing. That process of concept through multiple iterations to finished product or design has been tested time and again during Geist’s career, ever since he graduated from PCA&D in 2006 with his BFA in Illustration. It’s taken him through several career evolutions, from companies like classic LEGO to startup […]

Kaitlyn McCulley ’21 designs the College’s New Year’s greetings

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design’s 2023 New Year’s card, a lush rendition of the College peacock mascot with a tail of gleaming blue, green, and gold, wasn’t just designed by an artist destined to remain anonymous. Instead, it was created by one of the College’s own, illustrator Kaitlyn McCulley ’21. Working digitally with Photoshop, […]

Accomplishments in our PCA&D community

PCA&D Illustration alumni were name-checked in a recent LNP LancasterOnline article about Addvent, an arts collaboration that joins artists from the U.S. and Italy in a series of poster designs. Jay Aman ’22, Joanna Becker’21, Sage Dougherty ’20, and Tyler Le ’20, all are part of Addvent’s roster of 20 or so artists from the two countries, and Addvent’s Creative Director, Laura […]

Insider Inc.’s Tyler Le ’20, Illustration, is drawing up a dynamic career in editorial illustration

When Tyler Le graduated from PCA&D in 2020 with his BFA in Illustration, he says his ultimate goal was to make and create for a living. Right out of the gate, he landed a freelance illustration project for The New York Times. More freelance editorial opportunities followed. Now, nearly three years later, he’s working full-time […]

Recent accomplishments in the PCA&D community

Salina Almanzar-Oree and Natalie Lascek of the College’s Center for Creative Exploration (CCE) were recognized in the November issue of Susquehanna Style for their championing of creative initiatives in the Central Pennsylvania region. Lascek, CCE’s Director, and Almanzar-Oree, Program Coordinator, were honored not only for what CCE brings to the community, but also for their […]

Accomplishments in our PCA&D community

Klecksomancy, an installation by Foundation adjunct Tyler Kline, ran through October at Pink Noise Projects, Philadelphia, Klecksomancy is divination summoned through the use of inkblots. This exhibition is built upon playful installations, gameplay, and ambiguity endurance. The forms created for the show, Kline writes, “search for meaning that defines the Chthulucene, this new epoch we have entered, […]

Leah Limpert Walt ’18 named Fine Art Alumni Artist in Residence

Leah Limpert Walt ’18, Fine Art, embraces the fluidity of shape-shifting. A non-traditional student when she first arrived at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design, she used the myriad classes she took at other institutions to help inform and hone the vision she wanted to create as she pursued her BFA. Now, new experiences like […]

Adding good design to live events with Kevin Foss ’20

From Cardi B to Bon Jovi, Lizzo to Nickelback, Chris Brown, and Green Day, it’s been a busy and demanding couple of years of work and clients for Class of 2020’s Kevin Foss. Yet the magna cum laude Graphic Design graduate of Pennsylvania College of Art & Design probably wouldn’t have it any other way. […]

Recent accomplishments in the PCA&D community

The work of three 2021 Illustration graduates has been chosen to be part of the art collection at Penn State Health’s new Lancaster facility. Joanna Becker of Lancaster, Amelia Mellberg of Columbia, Pa., and Alex Zhao of Harrisburg, Pa., all had pieces selected from those submitted by nearly 300 artists to demonstrate the bridge between the arts and healing. Giclee prints […]

Faculty Grant Series: Profs. Warshawsky and Cochran explore SIGGRAPH conference

Attendance at the national SIGGRAPH conference gives attendees an inside look not only at trend-setting computer graphics and interactive techniques, but also at developments that are so early-stage that they haven’t even had a chance to yet become trends. The summer event, say Profs. Natasha Warshawsky (Chair, Animation & Game Art) and Ellie Cochran (Adjunct, […]

CCE Instructor Profile: Exploring photography’s creative process with Adam Leitzel ’20

Do you love photography and want to learn more about its various forms? This fall, PCA&D is offering a variety of classes taught by our very own Adam Leitzel. Art Support: Product Photography Workshop will be held on Saturdays starting October 15 and Intergenerational Studio: Ages 14-Adult – Analogue Photography runs on Saturdays starting October […]

Breaking into the male-dominated world of music videos with Maggie Rudisill ’15

Maggie Rudisill may have graduated from Pennsylvania College of Art & Design in 2015 with her Photography BFA, but her history with the College goes back long before that. The groundbreaking videographer — she’s successfully broken into the male-dominated music video industry — started taking all-ages classes at PCA&D as a child and then, in […]

PCA&D readies for a full Career Day on September 30

More than a dozen internship sites and employers will be on hand for Pennsylvania College of Art & Design’s Internship Career Day, scheduled this fall for Friday, September 30. Open to all PCA&D students and alumni, the event will be a hybrid of both in-person and remote sessions and will give participants lots of timely […]

Matty Guiliano ’14 takes up residency at PCA&D-York

Over a body of orange-red and moss green, spikes of seafoam green and purple give Matty Guiliano’s fantastical cacti a prickly flair. Stripes of blue wrap around petals of pink, white, and yellow, and tiny turquoise, yellow, orange, and white balls soften the overall impact. In fact, the whole sculpture is soft, a deceptive juxtaposition […]

Alex Spangler ’22 combining photography and autos in entrepreneurial venture

Alex Spangler earned his BFA in Graphic Design from Pennsylvania College of Art & Design in 2022 – but he and his company, Spec Creative, had already been in business for nearly a year. It’s the story of a hobby and a passion that combined perfectly into a business that now photographs and films automobiles […]

Recent achievements in the PCA&D community

Rebecca Adey, Assistant Director of Admissions, has four companion-piece works on exhibit at The Millworks, Harrisburg, through Sept. 11. The sets, Amanita Aries (Amanita meaning fungi, and Aries, for the Ram, and Art Nouveau Billy, include both 2D and 3D pieces. The mixed-media 2D work is made from cut paper and felt, sewn to create an applique of sorts, and then […]

A message to our BFA alumni: National Arts Alumni Project survey

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design is partnering with the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) to learn about how studying art and design has influenced the lives and careers of our alumni. The information we gather will be used to strengthen the College’s academic programs and student experiences, and it will also be used by […]

Aubrey Maurer ’22 sculpts a future in an Emerging Artist Residency

For Aubrey Maurer, 3D design and sculpture with ceramics have been a natural fit with her artistic leanings. “The handmade element, the 3D element of sculpture expands that flat 2D feel, and it just comes to me.” The 2022 Fine Art BFA graduate has been selected for Millersville University’s Emerging Artist Residency and will bring […]

Admissions Counselor Osmyn Oree ’11 selected as artist-in-residence at Franklin & Marshall College

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design Admissions Counselor Osmyn Oree isn’t a flashy, theatrical photographer when it comes to the portraits he creates. Instead, the fine art photographer says, “I like to keep things relatively simple. That’s me, as a photographer, being real with people.” Since the start of 2022, Oree — a 2011 BFA […]

Logo by Alicia Groff ’22 debuts at Threshing Wheat Ale release party

A new beer collaboration between Winding Path Brewing Co. in York County and Lancaster’s Tellus360 Irish pub and community space is a nod to the traditional methods of Amish and Irish farmers, to wheat ales, and to community partnerships. But how to represent all of that in a logo? Add PCA&D art and design students […]

‘Self Conscious’: Artist in Residence Karin Wengenroth ’17, Fine Art, pushes her boundaries in new exhibition

At the beginning of her tenure as the 2021-22 Fine Art Alumni Artist in Residence, Karin Wengenroth said she planned to use her yearlong position to “explore what feels like a new medium.” Now, nearly a year later and with the opening of her exhibition, Self Conscious, a dozen works in the College’s gallery bear […]

Catching up: Recent accomplishments in our PCA&D community

A mural by Salina Almazar-Oree, Program Coordinator at the Center for Creative Exploration, recently was unveiled at the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley in Bethlehem. De Boriken, al Mundo is a tribute to baseball star Roberto Clemente in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of his death while on a humanitarian mission. “I admire (Clemente) for his dedication to his […]

Rain Supple ’20 building whole new worlds with Obsidian

Pulling inspiration from real life and from nature, Rain Supple has stepped into the chance to design immersive environments we’ve never seen before. Earlier this year, the 2020 Animation & Game Art BFA graduate joined Irvine, Calif.-based Obsidian Entertainment as an Assistant World Builder — a position that has stretched her skills and made use […]

Recent accomplishments in our PCA&D community

Salina Almanzar-Oree, Center for Creative Exploration Program Coordinator, was awarded an Equity Partner Grant by Lancaster County Community Foundation’s Equity Council. The grant will support Taller Pa’lante: Art in Parks, return pop-up engagements in neighborhood parks that will encompass mini murals, make-and-take projects, and investing in a youth mentee who will learn how to conduct […]

Super Nikki: How a mural project united and healed a community

Can art heal? Can a mural painted by artists, friends, and community continue, even after nearly two decades, to unify people in tribute and remembrance? In Berks County’s Wilson School District, the answer is a resounding yes. Art can have a profound and lasting impact on those who view it — and on the artists […]

Applications now open for 2022-2023 Fine Art Alumni Artist in Residence

Applications are now open for 2022-2023 Fine Art Alumni Artist in Residence position at PCA&D. Those who apply must be graduates of the BFA Fine Art program at PCA&D, and artists who work in any medium are invited to apply. Some basic details The residency runs the academic year, from the start of classes in […]

Commencement 2022: The Class of 2022 joins the ranks of PCA&D alumni

The Class of 2022 became Pennsylvania College of Art & Design’s 46 newest alumni on May 6, receiving their BFA degrees in front of a standing-room-only audience of family and friends at the Barshinger Center for Musical Arts. A recording of Commencement can be found below. PCA&D was honored this year to welcome […]

Class of 2022 Commencement scheduled for May 6

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design is proud to celebrate our 40th Commencement with the Class of 2022 Friday, May 6, at 10 am at Barshinger Center for Musical Arts, 620 College Ave., Lancaster. Ceremonies also will be live-streamed, at pcad.edu/stream. Noted future-of-work strategist and author Heather McGowan will receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Fine […]

Recent accomplishments in the PCA&D community

Seniors in the Fine Art and Photography & Video departments in April presented Artist Lectures outlining their senior thesis work. The April 4 event is connected to the Professional Practices 2 class taught by Prof. Matt Chapman. Presenting students include Cassandra Aaron, Isiah Bates, Adelaide Biehn, Woodrow Clapper, Kylie Hileman, Ryn Martino, Aubrey Maurer, Na’Chelle Morris, Callie Morton, Emily Reifsnyder, Cheyenne Snow, Nicole Stoltzfus, Kennedy Toomey, and Jaymi Vilardo. Otherworldly, […]

Zach Heffelfinger ’14 brings ‘Sensical Nonsense” to a solo exhibition at PCA&D

When Zach Heffelfinger left PCA&D in 2014 with his BFA in Illustration, he says, he wasn’t quite sure what the next steps would be. A couple of months of R&R were followed by landscaping and home renovation jobs, then with a substitute teaching position. Then a trip to Florida “put my life on a new […]

Cheers! Two PCA&D artists tapped for Spring House Brewing collaboration

The work of Sami Halfpenny ’23, Illustration and Brigitte Errickson ’19, Fine Art, will be featured on Spring House Brewing products this year. Their art joins that of Center for Creative Exploration instructor Zack Wilkinson, whose Thirst For Adventure piece was tapped for July’s Artist Collaboration beer. The PCA&D artists were among the dozen chosen […]

Joanna Becker ’21 exploring the wide-ranging world of book illustration

Lancaster-based artist Joanna Becker only graduated from Pennsylvania College of Art & Design in 2021, and she already has wrapped up illustrating her third book, with more projects and art passions in the wings. How is that even possible? Well, for starters, her string of projects began even before she received her diploma, working on […]

Sculptor and theater group with PCA&D ties selected for Lancaster’s PACE Neighbors project

An almnus and a theater group with collaborative ties to the College and our Center for Creative Exploration program are two of the five local artists chosen to participate in the City of Lancaster’s PACE (Public Art Community Engagement) Neighbors project. Congratulations to Matty Geez ’14, Illustration, as well as Lancaster’s Teatro Paloma for their […]

December accomplishments in the PCA&D community

Rebecca Adey, Assistant Director of Admissions, is exhibiting four works at Millworks, Harrisburg, through Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. The four pieces focus on two birds, the phoenix and peacock, featuring a mount of each along with a matching papercut portrait. “With the closing of 2021 and emergency of a new year, both birds are perfect representations of […]

Chris Morris ’19 dives into virtual reality as a 3D artist with MajorMega

The kickoff to Chris Morris’ career was thanks to attending a guest speaker program on campus. The longevity of his career has been thanks to his embrace of all aspects of 3D design and willingness to jump wholeheartedly into a learning curve. And now, one of the most recent results of that work is taking […]

For Rachel McInerney ’18, Illustration, ‘creativity’ means ‘Kaos’ and life as a DJ in Shanghai

Sometimes, the creative path forward looks like befriending and learning from older, more experienced artists. Sometimes, it looks like challenging your introverted nature by venturing alone into new settings. Other times, it may feel like the world opening up when you find a creative niche — say, music — that really moves you. If you’re […]

November accomplishments in the PCA&D community

Work by nearly a dozen artists with PCA&D ties was part of a Nov. 19 community art show and silent auction to benefit the work of CWS Lancaster, a nonprofit organization that works to resettle refugees. CWS Lancaster recently partnered with NPR’s StoryCorps American Pathways program to record podcasts with local refugee storytellers. Those recordings […]

Recent alum Benjamin Farley ’21 joins PCA&D as Esports Team coach

Benjamin Farley was 10 when he was introduced to the classic Xbox game Halo 2. He started with the game’s single-player campaign. Then he quickly switched to multiplayer. Once he went into battle head-to-head against other players, he says he was “stunned by how much fun it was.” There was a strong player community, he […]

Atten-TION! PCA&D students, alumni invited to sign up for Nov. 20 Business Bootcamp

Plenty of art students dream of turning their passion into a business. The knowledge of how to accomplish that, though, isn’t always easy to attain. Instead of “flying blind” toward that goal, it helps to have a strategy, feedback, and guidance that will help boost chances of success. That’s the premise behind PCA&D’s upcoming Business […]

Alumna Amy Boone McCreesh ’07 brings her creative life insight to Artist Talk Thursday

For PCA&D alumna Amy Boone-McCreesh, her time in art school was a great opportunity to learn how others — her peers and already-established artists — were managing to navigate the art world. Returning to her alma mater gives her a chance to do the same for current students. The interdisciplinary artist and 2007 graduate of […]

October Commencement honors the Classes of 2020, 2021

It felt more like May than October, as a sunny warm day greeted members of the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 for their long-awaited Commencement ceremonies. With family and friends in the stands at Clipper Magazine Stadium, the event paid tribute to these two groups of new alumni who graduated in the […]

Meet your Alumni Council: PCA&D establishes its first alumni advisory body

After nearly 40 years, Pennsylvania College of Art & Design and its predecessors have long had an unofficial network of graduates. But there’s been no official way for alumni to benefit from College initiatives — or for current students to learn from the ever-growing network of PCA&D alumni. As of this year, that’s all changed. […]

11 honored for their student work in computer graphics competition

Nearly a dozen recent graduates of Pennsylvania College of Art & Design have been honored in the SIGGRAPH2021 Faculty Submitted Student Work competition. SIGGRAPH is the world’s largest conference on computer graphics. The work of these Animation & Game Art and Illustration students is now shared here worldwide for educators to use in their classrooms (drag […]

September achievements in the PCA&D community

Ellie Cochran ’19, Graphic Design, has been awarded the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania Impact Award, which recognizes a woman in technology whose contributions have had a positive impact in the Entrepreneurial/Small Business sector. Cochran is Creative Director at the Lancaster LGBTQ + Coalition. Dyneisha Gross ’20, Graphic Design, has been named a Woman Designer to Watch […]

Meet Karin Wengenroth, the 2021-22 Fine Art Alumni Artist in Residence

When Karin Wengenroth was a Fine Art student at PCA&D, her senior thesis centered on abstracted and contorted figure painting, she says, “oil for the most part, but also silkscreening and soft sculpture.” Now the 2017 graduate is back on campus as the 2021-22 Fine Art Alumni Artist in Residence. She’s working out of the […]

Phillip Kieffer ’19 brings his talents back to PCA&D in a pair of Center for Creative Exploration classes

PCA&D is thrilled to welcome Phil Kieffer back to campus this fall to teach a pair of classes in the College’s Center for Creative Exploration. An award-winning animator and artist, Kieffer is a 2019 graduate of PCA&D’s Digital Media department, now Animation & Game Art. In the CCE program, Kieffer will be mentoring two classes: […]

Public Artist Talks are a highlight of Alumni Exhibition programming

In conjunction with the 2021 Alumni Exhibition on display in the Gallery at PCA&D through Oct. 31, a full schedule of programming has been planned by Exhibitions Director Alex Schaufele. The slate of events includes public Artist Talks (both in-person and virtual via Zoom), a public Artist Panel, and student studio visits. Be sure to […]

August accomplishments of note

PCA&D has awarded Research and Practice Grants to five members of the faculty for ongoing projects: Shwarga Bhattacharjee (2D Design Adjunct) participation in the Chautauqua Visual Arts Residency Program in Chautauqua, N.Y.; Adam Del Marcelle (Graphic Design Adjunct), project and documentary presentation to the Attend (to) Futures Conference this fall in Cologne, Germany; Troy Hollman […]

‘Show and Tell’ kicks off 2021-2022 in CORE Gallery

CORE Gallery at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design has kicked off its 2021-2022 season of shows with Show and Tell, a curated exhibition featuring the work from PCA&D’s class of 2022. Show and Tell introduces new students at PCA&D to the work of their fellow classmates, and gives the Class of 2022 the opportunity […]

Mentoring program helps bring PCA&D’s new Data Visualization Certificate to life

This is the story of mentorship, PCA&D community, and expanding the ways artists and designers can impact the world around them. The culmination of all of those elements: a new certificate program, Data Visualization, that teaches students to use effective design principles and analytics for information design. Seth Crider, a PCA&D alumnus and instructor for […]

Congratulations to our Spring 2021 Dean’s List students

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design has announced names of students achieving Dean’s List status during the Spring 2021 semester. Congratulations to these 126 students: Abigail Altman ’24, Illustration, Rockville, Md. Jennifer Aman ’22, Illustration, New Providence, N.J. Lauren Antanavage ’23, Animation & Game Art, Frackville, Pa. Isaac Baker ’21, Graphic Design, Frackville, Pa. Charles […]

PCA&D grants BFA diplomas to the Class of 2021

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design was pleased to confer BFA diplomas on 59 members of the Class of 2021 during Senior Sendoff ceremonies on May 7, 2021. Full Commencement ceremonies, for both the Class of 2021 and the Class of 2020, are scheduled to be held Friday, Oct. 15, 2021, at Clipper Stadium in […]

Recent achievements of note in the PCA&D community

The work of Artzbeat ’21, Fine Art, was featured in the May 28 edition of The Burg, a community magazine and daily online news site that covers the Harrisburg, Pa., region. She was recognized as the Artist in Focus for her work at PCA&D as well as her work on the Harrisburg mural covering Midtown Cinema. The […]

Catch up on Career Day 2021: Watch these sessions with employers and guest speakers

PCA&D’s Career Day in late April was a chance for students to learn more about careers that are their end goal after art school, to explore other options they may not have considered, and to make connections with potential employers. And, in at least one case, to immediately snag a great summer work experience. Rising […]

Behind the scenes with the co-curators: “Sincerely Yours,” the Class of 2021 exhibition

Five members of the Class of 2021 were selected for a special opportunity to co-curate the senior exhibition. Nicole Denzler, Photography & Video; Mandi Hall, Fine Art; Alexis Lebesco, Illustration; Regina Marie Mehaffey, Graphic Design; and Rachel Stork, Fine Art. These students were selected out of a pool of applicants for a competitive position within […]

Behind the scenes with the student curators of the Class of 2021 exhibition, “Sincerely Yours,”

As part of an exhibition and curating internship, five members of PCA&D’s Class of 2021 collectively produced this year’s senior exhibition, featuring one work from each member of their graduating class. We asked the co-curators — Nicole Denzler, Photography & Video; Mandi Hall, Fine Art; Alexis Lebesco, Illustration; Regina Marie Mehaffey, Graphic Design; and Rachel […]

Introducing the Class of 2021: PCA&D hosts Senior Send-Off ceremonies in the Art Garden

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design welcomed its new cohort of alumni Friday during in-person morning celebrations in the Art Garden and an afternoon online conferring of degrees. Under a large white tent filling much of the Art Garden space, students and faculty gathered by major to mark an exceptional achievement: completing their final year […]

Recent PCA&D community achievements

Recognizing recent accomplishments by students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Pennsylvania College of Art & Design: Four Graphic Design seniors have been named winners in the 2021 Graphic Design USA Student Package Design competition. Bringing home national-level honors are: Isaac Baker, Jia Bernstein, Zorina Eckman, and John Hollas. All four are members of Prof. Tom […]

Fine Art Alumni Artist in Residence applications are now open

The College’s Fine Art Alumni Artist in Residence Program is now accepting applications for the 2021-2022 academic year. The deadline for applications is Friday, May 28. APPLY HERE This on-campus residency is open to any Fine Art graduate of PCA&D or its predecessor, the Pennsylvania School of Art & Design. Artists who work in any medium […]

2021-2022 Fine Art Alumni Residency now accepting applications

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design’s Fine Art Department is again sponsoring an alumni residency, for the 2021-2022 academic year. Application details can be found here. Deadline for applications is Friday, May 28. The residency, open to one graduate of PCA&D or its precursor, the Pennsylvania School of Art & Design, is an opportunity to […]

College announces Commencement plans for Class of 2021 and Class of 2020

A message from Michael Molla, President, Pennsylvania College of Art Design: March is a month of change and transition — we can feel the arrival of spring in the air as we shift into a new season and consider the approaching end of this academic year. This time prompts us also to think about the […]

Recent notes of accomplishment in our PCA&D community

Two members of the College faculty, Becky Blosser (Assistant Professor, Fine Art) and Eric Weeks (Assistant Professor and Chair, Photography & Video), as well as alumnus Marlin Bert have work in the current Demuth Invitational: Illustrations from the Stories that Inspire. The exhibition is open for timed in-person visitation at The Demuth Museum in downtown Lancaster here, and online here, through Saturday, […]

In the news: Recent accomplishments in the PCA&D community

Tyler Barton, Program Coordinator for PCA&D’s Center for Creative Exploration, spent a week in December at Modern Art in Lancaster working on his next novel, as part of the gallery’s “Don’t Forget How to Write” project. Passersby could provide prompts and ideas for Barton’s novel as he worked in the gallery’s display window. His first book, […]

Alumnus Justin Carney ’20 featured in Portrait Magazine monograph

When Justin Carney was younger, a camera was always present when his family got together. “It was sort of a family member in our household,” he says, there to record what was going on … and before too long it was Carney himself doing the documentation, with a little disposable camera in his hands. That […]

Congratulations to the Fall 2020 Dean’s List students

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design has named 114 students to the Dean’s List for the Fall 2020 semester. Congratulations to: Abigail Altman ’24, Illustration, Rockville, Md. Jennifer Aman ’22, Illustration New Providence. N.J. Lauren Antanavage ’23, Animation & Game Art, Frackville, Pa. Isaac Baker ’21, Graphic Design, Frackville, Pa. Frank Barbera ’21, Illustration, […]

In the news: A month of accomplishments in the PCA&D community

Congratulations to these students, faculty, staff, and alumni on their recent accomplishments: Rebecca Adey (Assistant Director of Admission) was part of a group show featuring six in-house artists at Millworks, in Harrisburg. Adey’s ModSew Designs occupies one of the studio spaces at Millworks. Six of her works were featured in the exhibition: three 2D paper-cut […]

Kaitlyn McCulley ’21, Illustration, wins competition to brand the 2021 Senior Show & Celebration

A team of design professionals has chosen the work of Illustration senior Kaitlyn McCulley to brand the 2021 Senior Show & Celebration. Each year, senior Graphic Design and Illustration students compete for the honor – and the top design will be used on everything from tickets and advertising to social media and the website archive […]

Catching up: A month of accomplishments in the PCA&D community

Congratulations to these members of the PCA&D community of faculty, staff, and alumni! Dyneisha Gross ’20, Graphic Design, and Osmyn Oree ’11, Photography, joined two other artists with PCA&D ties whose art was commissioned to promote the nonpartisan Lancaster Votes efforts to encourage voter participation. The work of Gross and Oree (who also is […]

PCA&D Presents: Online auction Oct. 23 features the work of the Class of 2020

PCA&D’s Class of 2020 has been groundbreaking in many ways, with members testing their resilience to finish their college degrees mid-pandemic. Add another first — PCA&D’s first online art auction — to their list. PCA&D Presents, an auction featuring the work of Class of 2020 members, will be held Friday, Oct. 23, beginning at 7:30 […]

Four artists with PCA&D ties tapped to create Lancaster Votes campaign

A get-out-the-vote effort that’s soon blanketing our region turns out to have some pretty close ties to PCA&D. All four artists commissioned to create unique works for Lancaster Votes are either alumni, instructors, or tied in some other way to the College: Salina Almanzar, an instructor with PCA&D’s Center for Creative Exploration, also is a […]

Recent accomplishments in our PCA&D community

Congratulations to these students, faculty, staff, and alumni of our College! The work of Joanna Becker ’21, Illustration, is featured along with that of other Lancaster City artists, such as PCA&D instructor/alumnus Matt Chapman ’08 and alumnus Marlin Bert ’86, in the Fall 2020 issue of Fig magazine, a publication that highlights local business, culture, art, and […]

Catching up: A month of accomplishments in the PCA&D community

Congratulations to these members of the PCA&D community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni! Jen Arnold, a graduate of Pennsylvania School of Art and Design, PCA&D’s predecessor, has joined Alpha Dog Advertising, Lancaster, as a brand manager. A specialist in project management and marketing research, Arnold also is a board member of the Philadelphia Chapter of […]

Announcing 20/20 Vision: The Senior Exhibition of the Class of 2020

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design is pleased to present 20/20 Vision, an exhibition highlighting the Class of 2020. The exhibition features one piece from each of the 63 members of the class, and is now on display through Nov. 20, 2020, for the College community to enjoy. 20/20 Vision, which had been postponed from the […]

Hirshhorn Museum in D.C. acquires sculpture by Sterling Ruby, ’96

Since graduating from PCA&D precursor Pennsylvania School of Art & Design in 1996, artist Sterling Ruby’s multimedia and large-scale works have established him as an international powerhouse in the contemporary art field. His work already is part of the permanent collections at museums such as the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney, Guggenheim, Tate, […]

Fine Art Prof. Henry Gepfer curates collaborative art book to benefit artists & foundation supporting Black women and girls

The idea behind collaborative art book “Past Lives” was simple: Help artists weather the economic crush of a pandemic through publication of their work. Now, that goal has been combined with financial support for social justice initiatives, and the potential impact of “Past Lives,” a collaborative art book curated by Fine Art Adjunct Professor Henry […]

Melanie Vera ’19, preparing to enter the world of museums

Fulfilling an internship wasn’t just a checkoff on the graduation list for Melanie Vera. In her case, working at Franklin & Marshall College’s Phillips Museum in Lancaster during her junior year launched Vera into the pursuit of her own career in museums. Now Vera ’19, Fine Art, is a student at Johns Hopkins University’s Museum […]

Quinn Waltman ’20, explores the field of art therapy

When Quinn Waltman arrived at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design four years ago from her Lewisburg hometown, she already had an inkling that art therapy was a career path that interested her … but, she says, her PCA&D experience “solidified that art therapy is what I want to pursue.” In a few months, she heads […]

First Friday collaboration demonstrates how to build an ‘exquisite corpse’

Instagram Live: Making an Exquisite Corpse with The Center for Creative Exploration Friday, June 5, 6 pm at @pcad_ce The inspiration for the Center for Creative Exploration’s First Friday collaboration this month came from a trio of unlikely and typically unrelated factors: A pandemic-required order to stay home. Shiny grocery store delivery bags. And a social […]

PCA&D announces Spring 2020 Dean’s List

Congratulations to the following 104 students, who have been named to the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design Dean’s List for the Spring 2020 semester: Jennifer Aman ’22, Illustration, Rockville, Md. Lauren Antanavage ’23, Animation & Game Art, Frackville, Pa. Maria Barba ’20, Animation & Game Art, Lancaster, Pa. Frank Barbera ’21, Illustration, Germantown, […]

For Seth Crider ’18, art is a way of making ‘invisible’ information, visible

At some point during his freshman year, studying political science at a college in Western Pennsylvania, Seth Crider decided he’d made a wrong turn. Yes, he was interested in the subject — but he had lots of interests, and felt a pull toward pursuing something a more creative. “I wanted to do a little changeup,” […]

College’s first Career Day goes virtual, with creatives from every PCA&D BFA major

Industries representing careers that lead from every PCA&D major will be present April 14 when the College hosts its first Career Day. In addition, artists and creatives from a wide variety of fields — from VFX artists and game developers to comic book writers, illustrators, graphic designers, curators, gallery directors, filmmakers, public programming, graduate studies, […]

Animation & Game Art reimagined to target the most in-demand jobs in its field

With some recent changes, one of PCA&D’s departments has aligned itself more closely with skills in great demand in its creative field. And the changes go much deeper than just the name, shifting from Digital Media to Animation & Game Art. Asked to name three aspects of the department that have changed this academic year, […]

PCA&D grad Sara Kay moves her fine art to the human form

Fine art on a canvas is one skill. Illustration on skin? They’re more closely related than you might think, says tattoo artist Sara Kay, who notes that her transition from one to the other “was kismet.” More than a decade after Sara Karpinski graduated with her BFA from PCA&D, she is known as Sara Kay […]

Meet Jason Herr: PCA&D’s first Fine Art Alumni Resident

Five of artist Jason Herr‘s works still haven’t returned from the gallery where they hung during Art Basel events in Miami, but it’s hard to see where they’d fit in his studio on PCA&D’s fourth floor. Lit by late-afternoon winter sun slanting through a wall of windows, the corner studio already is full of paintings, […]

Meet Maritsa Cortes ’10 | Worldwide design experience

Maritsa Cortes is a Lancaster native and graphic designer. She was part of PCA&D’s class of 2010. Since leaving PCA&D, Maritsa has aided businesses with their marketing and branding, worked producing high-quality print ads. She even freelanced abroad for 3 years in Asia. Maritsa has since moved back to Lancaster and currently serves as Social […]

PCA&D grad Matty Geez’s spiky/soft cactus sculptures on display at Philly Airport

Artist Matty Geez is surrounded by cacti. He has a few in the apartment he shares in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood with husband Erwin and cats Panda and Uma; about 14 more cacti live in his North Philly art studio. And then there are the flamboyantly colored, towering cacti he creates in that studio, more than […]

Building an online community of creatives, with Larissa Ramey ’19

For Larissa Ramey, making her art and building a creative life is just part of the goal: Finding ways to make that art available to communities that aren’t always included in “the art world,” or who don’t often have access to art, is just as crucial. And it’s what makes the Leesburg, Va.-based Ramey so […]

Meet Ellie Cochran | Pre-College Intro to Virtual Reality instructor

Do you love virtual reality and want to learn more about how to design your own VR experiences? This winter, PCA&D is offering a pre-college Introduction to Virtual Reality on Saturdays starting February 1. This course will introduce high school students to the basics of building interactive virtual reality worlds which can be shared on […]

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design announces Fall 2019 Dean’s List

Congratulations to these 91 students, who have been named to the College’s Dean’s List for the Fall 2019 semester: Jennifer Aman ’22, Illustration, Rockville, Md. Lauren Antanavage ’23, Animation & Game Art, Frackville, Pa. Isaac Baker ’21, Graphic Design, Frackville, Pa. Maria Barba ’20, Animation & Game Art, Lancaster, Pa. Joanna Becker ’21, Illustration, Fort […]

Alumna Lexi Bonner ’16 captures the playful spark of childhood in her first book, ‘Ember’

When Alexandria “Lexi” Bonner wrapped up her final project for a PCA&D class on making a children’s book, she didn’t just shove the pages into a drawer and forget all about them. No, those characters lingered in her mind: A mischievous firefly named Ember. A curly-haired, button-nosed child whose daytime curiosity spills over into a […]

The story of superheroes: Pre-College Continuing Ed features a history of comics with alumnus Jeff Tischer

When Jeff Tischer was about 3, his father handed him a simple 60-cent comic book. On the cover, superheroes (of course). Inside, a double-page pinup penciled and inked by the great comic book artist George Perez. “DC Comics Presents #38,” Tischer recites off the top of his head. “A Superman-Flash team-up.” It was fascination at […]

Two new staff have joined PCA&D in leadership roles

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design welcomes two new senior-level staff to the College: Carissa A. Massey, Ph.D., is the College’s new Provost. Dr. Massey is highly regarded for innovative program development and creation of interdisciplinary opportunities, and will support the College’s efforts to expand academic offerings, enrich co-curricular planning, and create robust partnerships with […]

7 PCA&D students show in China with Weeks-curated Pingyao exhibit

It can be tough, as an art student, to get your work seen beyond class critiques, professor evaluations, and your social media followers. The work of more than half a dozen PCA&D students, though, recently was on display as part of an exhibit curated by Photography Department Chair Eric Weeks at the 2019 Pingyao International […]

Art Support: Continuing Ed launches series that includes critiques, practical new skills

“Where are all my people?” — Every creative person, at some point The creative life often starts as a constant inflow of ideas and feedback and collaboration, that jumble of inspiration and energy. But so much of a creative life in practice is solo — working on the next piece, or struggling over the […]

Alumna Kay Baier leads workshop that gets into the how-tos of portfolio prep

When Kay Baier was applying to art school, she says, “I kind of knew what I was doing” when it came to preparing a portfolio — “but not a whole lot.” And that’s pretty typical. Knowing you have to create a portfolio of your work is one thing, but knowing what to include, how to […]