Andrea Packard explores the dynamic relationships between nature and culture.
Born in Connecticut in 1963 and raised as a Quaker, she earned a B.A. in English and Art History from Swarthmore College in 1985, a Certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1989, and an M.F.A. from American University in 1994.
She has exhibited mixed media paintings, prints, and sculptures in more than sixty exhibitions nationally, including solo exhibitions at Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas; The Painting Center in New York City; the Center for Emerging Visual Artists in Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia International Airport.
Her awards include a Ballinglen Arts Foundation fellowship and residency (2025), a printmaking residency at Brandywine Workshop and Archives, Philadelphia (2020-2021); a fellowship from the Center for Emerging Visual Artists; and residencies at the Joseph and Anni Albers Foundation, the Vermont Studio Center, and St. Mary’s College. In 2017, she was resident teaching artist at the Hudson River Museum, NY.
For more than 30 years, Packard’s art was catalyzed by her engagement with diverse artists and audiences while serving as director of the List Gallery, Swarthmore College. From 2023 through spring 2026, she also served as the inaugural director of the College Art Collection at Swarthmore. She has written more than 50 essays about artists such as Mary Lee Bendolph, Alison Saar, Sedrick Huckaby, Rackstraw Downes, Emmet Gowin, Orit Hofshi, and Lois Dodd. She has also worked as a consultant, guest curator, visiting lecturer, and instructor at varied institutions, such as Walton Arts Center; the National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, NY; Haverford College; and Dartmouth College.
Currently, she is focusing on her own creative practice and exploring new collaborations.
