Yale School of Art Dean Robert Storr

There’s a story behind the recent dramatic changes at the Yale School of Art. Unfortunately, few are talking.

The setting: Unlike many of today’s art schools, Yale maintains three distinct faculties for Painting, Sculpture, and Photography. Each had a powerful, long serving department head:
Photography: Tod Papageorge (1979-2011)
Sculpture: Jessica Stockholder (1999-2011)
Painting: Peter Halley (2002-2011)

The catalyst: School of Art Dean Robert Storr, who took over in 2007 and was recently reappointed to a new term.

The big change: All three (very tenured) department heads have left or are leaving, amid rumors that they were unwillingly pushed out.

Peter Halley

Well respected in the art world and New Haven, Halley, Papageorge, and Stockholder strongly influenced the shape of their programs through hiring and their outspoken personal philosophies. Regarding hiring, there appeared to be a revolving door for successful alums to return as associate professors. While this brought in talent, much of that talent was locally grown. As a result of this self-selection, some have complained that the faculties are largely white and east-coast American.  We don’t know whether the recent changes are in response to the diversity issue, or are necessary for larger changes Storr has planned for the school.

Tod Papageorge

The Yale School of Art has a reputation for being simultaneously insular and dynamic.  It prepares students for the unstable & alchemical processes of the commercial art world, while maintaining the air of the Ivy League refuge. Columbia, Hunter and SVA were accused in the ‘00s of inviting commercial galleries into MFA studios, but Yale appeared more removed.

Like any art school, the Yale faculty explicitly and implicitly promote their students in New York. However, the main power of a Yale MFA diploma comes from the school’s reputation, and the faculty that define it. Thus, this recent changes are particularly shocking- a revolutionary as opposed to an evolutionary turnover you’d expect to find in such a strong program.

Storr was certain to be a change from previous Dean Richard “Chip” Benson. Benson, a respected printer, photographer, and self-described “maker of things”, kept a low profile and largely ignored the commercial art world.  Storr came in as a superstar diva by comparison- a world-renowned figure, who curated the 2007 Venice Biennale right before beginning at Yale.

Jessica Stockholder

Storr never hid the fact that he found Yale ready for change, particularly by recruiting some non-native blood. Talking to the Brooklyn Rail in 2007 he said,

“I want to make Yale a much more international program in terms of the faculty and students. It is fairly international now, but altogether I think the American art world needs to take advantage of its ties to other art worlds. So if I can bring foreign artists in to lecture or teach or to make exhibitions that also engage the students and faculty, it will give Yale’s long run as a premiere art school a second, third or fourth wind.”

Until recently, Storr’s term was outwardly uneventful. Given the expected inertia in an institution such as Yale, few were expecting radical changes. Suddenly, there has been a complete decapitation of three major departments, with noises of alarm traveling around the MFA alums social networks.

Update:

Richard Benson, who stayed on at Yale as head of the Digital Media Center For The Arts following his term as Dean, is also “voluntarily” leaving the school.  In individual emails sent out to alumni, Stockholder, Benson, and Papageorge expressed their gratitude for their time at Yale.  Of their exit, one mentioned accepting “Yale’s new phased retirement plan”.  Whether that’s a euphemism for “forced exit” is anyone’s guess.