New faculty appointments
Congratulations to Elle Pérez, Alexandria Smith, and Lisa Kereszi!
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Elle Pérez's 2019 Whitney Biennial Installation, image courtesy of the artist.
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On June 8, the Yale School of Art was pleased to share three new faculty appointments:
Elle Pérez appointed Assistant Professor in Photography
Elle Pérez is an artist who works in photography and moving image, depicting intimate moments, emotional exchanges, and visceral details within their portraits, landscapes, and videos. In Pérez’s work, people are not simply subjected to the process of making a photograph; they are essential to both the creation of the image and its life and distribution thereafter. Through collaborative efforts with their subjects, Pérez creates photographs that encapsulate the dynamic nature of identity, reflecting its perpetual evolution.
Joining the School of Art from Harvard University’s Art, Film, and Visual Studies department, Pérez has also previously held appointments at Williams College, Cooper Union, and taught photography at the Educational Alliance Art School in New York City. Pérez received a BFA in Photography from the Maryland Institute College of Art and an MFA from Yale School of Art.
Find full information in the news item here >
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Alexandria Smith appointed Assistant Professor in Painting/Printmaking and Director of Undergraduate Studies
Alexandria Smith is an artist and educator whose artistic practice is characterized by a mixed-media approach encompassing drawing, painting, and installation.
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Image courtesy of the artist.
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Her current body of work delves into a profound exploration of selfhood, focusing on the complexities and nuances of the Black femme body, inviting viewers to engage with the confidences, contradictions, and uncertainties of personal identity.
With a commitment to both her studio practice and teaching, Alexandria approaches her work in both areas as a unified whole. Her classes embrace inclusivity and inquisitiveness, encouraging dialogue about marginalized perspectives and personal identities informed by art history, materials, and processes.
Smith joins the Yale School of Art from the Royal College of Art in London, where she served as Head of Painting. Smith has previously taught at Wellesley College and the University of Iowa. She has also served as a visiting critic at Helsinki's University of the Arts, Boston University, and the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, among others. She earned her BFA in illustration from Syracuse University, New York, an MA in art education from New York University, and an MFA from Parsons School of Design, New School, New York. From 2017 through 2018 she served as co-organizer of the collective Black Women Artists for Black Lives.
Find full information in the news item here >
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Lisa Kereszi at the 2023 undergraduate exhibition opening. Image courtesy of the artist.
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Lisa Kereszi appointed Assistant Director of Graduate Studies in Photography
Lisa Kereszi joined the Yale School of Art faculty in 2004 and was appointed Director of Undergraduate Studies in Art in 2013. Following a decade of dedicated work as DUS shaping the undergraduate art program, Kereszi will serve in a new role as the Assistant DGS in Photography beginning in the 2023-24 academic year.
Kereszi is a photographer whose body of work delves into the realms of escapism, fantasy, and the profound impact of family history. Through her images, she explores the complexities of daily life, shedding light on the allure of seeking refuge from reality and the lasting effects of personal and generational narratives. Kereszi received her BA from Bard College and her MFA from the Yale School of Art.
Find full information in the news item here >
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Four new scholarships established for 2023-2024 academic year and beyond
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Photo by Lisa Kereszi, Senior Critic in Photography. 36 Edgewood Ave. (2018).
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The Yale School of Art is pleased to announce the establishment of four new scholarships from alumni and friends. Thanks to the generosity of these donors, an MFA from the Yale School of Art will be more accessible to four students in the coming year and future students will be supported in perpetuity. We aim for Yale School of Art to meet all demonstrated needs and become debt free. It will take $35 million in endowed scholarships and this is our top priority as part of Yale's For Humanity Campaign.
In the words of Dr. Kymberly Pinder, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Dean of the School of Art and Professor of Art, "When I was asked to return to Yale as a dean, making the School of Art more accessible to talented young people and enabling them to enter the art world debt free was a goal I embraced. I believe educators have an ethical obligation to consider all aspects of graduates' futures."
As you can read in the testimonials below, alumni and supporters are inspired by Dean Pinder’s words, and the School of Art's commitment to reaching this goal.
Faculty emeriti Sam Messer, MFA '82 led a fundraising effort to create a scholarship in honor of faculty emeriti Rochelle Feinstein MAH '98. “In all my decades with the School I never met anyone so fierce of mind and generous of heart as Rochelle,” Messer shared, “She was an inspiration to work alongside of.” Thanks to the generosity of several donors, we are pleased to announce this scholarship in honor of Professor Feinstein's incredible commitment to educating artists. Feinstein shared, "The establishment of this fund is both a great honor and, truly, an affirmation of the vital exchange between students and colleagues I participated in over the course of 24 years at the School. The recipient of this scholarship will be entering a unique conversation in which teaching and learning are a braided, daily occurrence. I'm grateful that, in spirit, I will be part of this process."
Bernard Lumpkin '91 and Carmine D. Boccuzzi '90, LAW '94 established a scholarship in honor of artist Mickalene Thomas MFA '02. In addition to Lumpkin and Boccuzzi’s generosity in providing a student with financial aid assistance, Thomas will mentor each student receiving her scholarship during their time at Yale and beyond. This incredible commitment from Lumpkin, Boccuzzi, and Thomas will help fulfill our goal of making the School of Art debt-free and support our other goal of ensuring professional development skills are offered to prepare our students to enter their careers. You can read more about the scholarship here.
Ahmed M. Alsoudani MFA '08 and his wife, Ujin Lee, created a scholarship to recognize the support Ahmed received during his time at Yale. "The Yale School of Art offered much financial help during my two years of the graduate program,” Ahmed shared, “It made it possible for me to fully focus on my work and studies. I've always appreciated the support and wished to give back to the School to support current students who are in the same situation as I was back then. My wife, Ujin, and I are honored to establish this scholarship."
The fourth scholarship was established anonymously by Yale parents who want to support the School of Art and its mission. We are grateful for the commitment of these donors and many more for their support in helping the School of Art offer equitable education for the students of today and tomorrow.
There are many ways to support our students through scholarship funding and other priorities, whether that is through a gift to one of our annual funds, providing immediate funding, or establishing an endowment. We welcome you to contact Nicole Freeman, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, at nicole.freeman@yale.edu, if you would like to explore how you can make an impact on the education, lives, and wellness of School of Art students.
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Dannika Kemp Avent joins the School as the first Director of Sustainable Equity and Inclusion
Join us in welcoming Dannika to the School of Art community!
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We are pleased to share that, as of June 1, 2023, Dannika Kemp Avent has begun her work as the inaugural Director of Sustainable Equity and Inclusion at the School of Art. In this role, Dannika will serve as the Deputy Title IX Coordinator and Discrimination Harassment Resources Coordinator for the School at the University level.
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Dannika brings many years of experience both in the DEI field as well as at Yale, having worked across other units and Schools for the past 12 years. She holds a Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of New Haven, a Master of Science in Instructional Design from Quinnipiac University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Eastern Connecticut State University.
Dannika's many years of equity and inclusion experience, inside and outside of Yale, include the roles of Education Chair for the NAACP and NACUFS, Travel Scholarship Co-Chair for the National Postdoctoral Association, Executive Board Member for the Southern Connecticut State University Center for Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorder, Parent Mentor/ Speaker for the Yale Child Study Center, Diversity Council Member for the City of Norwich, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation leadership representative for Foxwoods Resort Casino, Diversity Admission Recruiter for the Yale Physician Associate Program, Associate Director and Director of DEI & Belonging at Yale, Member of the Indigenous Leaders at Yale Affinity Group, Community Career Instructor for the youth of the New Haven LEAP Program, and Mentor for the FLY Affinity Group to name a few. Dannika has supported staff, leaders, faculty, students, and postdocs across campus in various roles and is well versed in Learning and Development, Organizational Strategy, Executive Coaching, Curriculum/Instructional Design, Facilitation of Dialogue, Research, Allyship, Diversity and Inclusion, Equitable Practices, Anti-Oppression Programming and more.
Dannika is a proud Afro-Indigenous, cisgender woman who is highly committed to servant leadership, to equity and advocacy, and most importantly, to caring for her family.
Please join us in welcoming Dannika as the first Director of Sustainable Equity and Inclusion at the School of Art!
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Upcoming YUAG exhibition surveys Sheila de Bretteville’s pioneering, community-based, & politically responsive career
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Sheila Levrant de Bretteville, Women in Design: The Next Decade, 1975. Poster, diazo print.
Courtesy: Sheila Levrant de Bretteville.
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In collaboration with the School of Art, the Yale University Art Gallery will present an exhibition dedicated to the work of Sheila Levrant de Bretteville in Spring 2024:
February 16–June 23, 2024
Yale University Art Gallery
1111 Chapel Street, New Haven
Sheila Levrant de Bretteville: Community, Activism, and Design is the first monographic exhibition on this renowned graphic designer, public artist, and educator, whose community-based and politically responsive work champions principles of advocacy and inclusion. De Bretteville (b. 1940, B.F.A. 1963, M.F.A. 1964) is well known for her important and early contributions to the field of feminist design and education; in 1973, with the artist Judy Chicago and the art historian and critic Arlene Raven, de Bretteville established the Woman’s Building and the Feminist Studio Workshop—the first independent art school for women and women’s culture—in downtown Los Angeles. This exhibition presents a rich array of materials drawn from the artist’s extensive archive to highlight pivotal moments in her multifaceted and trailblazing career. On view are dynamic and rarely seen promotional materials that de Bretteville made for Yale University Press and the Italian manufacturer Olivetti shortly after she graduated from the Yale School of Art; posters and broadsheets produced while she was living in Los Angeles that blend word and image to advance woman-focused initiatives, many of which have become icons of feminist design; and photographs and models of her public art installations, which reflect her ongoing commitment to the feminist movement and issues such as immigration and racial equity. Representing a shift in scale and focus from the printed page to the urban environment, these public projects, which have not been closely examined as a group until now, include Biddy Mason: Time and Place (Los Angeles, 1989–90), an expansive sculptural mural honoring a formerly enslaved midwife made in collaboration with the artist Betye Saar, and Hillhouse (New Haven, Connecticut, 2003), the revitalization of the entrance to a local high school. De Bretteville’s accomplishments continue to have lasting effects: In 1990 she was named director of graduate studies in graphic design at Yale and became the first woman at the Yale School of Art to be awarded tenure. Her vision has shaped a new generation of graphic design. Learn more about the exhibition here >
Exhibition made possible by the John F. Wieland, Jr., B.A. 1988, Fund for Student Exhibitions and the Yale School of Art. Organized by Brooke Hodge, independent curator, and John Stuart Gordon, the Benjamin Attmore Hewitt Curator of American Decorative Arts, Yale University Art Gallery, with the assistance of Pamela Hovland, Senior Critic, Graphic Design, Yale School of Art.
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Closing Spring 2023 events & exhibitions
Thanks to all who came to our exhibition openings and events this semester!
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Documentation photography by Andina Marie Osorio, Photography MFA ‘24.
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On Wednesday, May 3, New York City-based costume designer and activist Qween Jean spoke with photographer Ryan McGinley in a conversation on collaboration, sharing how their work together intersects with their independent practices.
During the summer of 2020, Qween Jean worked with other artists in organizing the Stonewall Protests in Brooklyn, and Ryan McGinley was one of a group of photographers documenting the protests. Since 2020, McGinley continues to document protests, community gatherings, retreats, and the mutual aids of Qween Jean’s organization Black Trans Liberation. Ryan McGinley and Qween Jean also collaborated on the recent Aperture publication Revolution is Love.
This event was the last public talk the School of Art hosted during the Spring 2023 semester as part of Interdepartmental Wednesdays. It was co-sponsored by the Poynter Fellowship in Journalism, the Trowbridge Art Lecture Foundation Fund, and Undergraduate Studies at the School of Art.
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Documentation photography by Filip Wolak.
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Archives for the Spring 2023 thesis exhibitions are now online, and we're excited to share documentation of the 2023 MFA exhibitions in Sculpture, Photography, and Graphic Design. The concluding exhibitions for the semester—staged in both Green Hall Gallery and 32 Edgewood Gallery—presented undergraduate work by graduating seniors in Yale College.
Liquidator: Sculpture Group 1
The first of the 2023 MFA exhibitions in Sculpture, entitled Liquidator, was open to the Yale community March 4–11, 2023 and featured work by Justin Allen, David Bordett, Madison Donnelly, Dominique Duroseau, Omar Fidel Garcia, and Paloma Izquierdo.
The exhibition identity was created by Sarah Elawad and Kyle Richardson, Graphic Design MFAs ‘23. A 3-D walkthrough was created for the show, and full information about the Group 1 Sculpture exhibition can be found in the archives here >
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Click to access the 3-D walkthrough of Group 1 of the 2023 Sculpture MFA thesis exhibitions, Liquidator.
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YR ABCSs: Sculpture Group 2
The second 2023 MFA exhibition in Sculpture, YR ABCSs, was open to the Yale community from March 27 through April 2, 2023.
YR ABCSs featured work by Camilla Carper, Bailey Connolly, Anat Keinan, Younes Kouider, SR Lejeune, and Stephen Lordan.
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Documentation photography by Daniel Terna and CéCé Monteagudo.
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The exhibition identity was created by Andrew Connors, Graphic Design MFA '23 and Julio Correa Estrada, Graphic Design MFA ‘24.
A 3-D walkthrough is now available, and full information about YR ABCSs, the second group of presenting MFA students (now graduates!) in Sculpture, is available in the archives here >
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Click to access the 3-D walkthrough of Group 2 of the 2023 Sculpture MFA thesis exhibitions, YR ABCSs.
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Fair Game: Photography
The 2023 MFA exhibition in Photography, Fair Game, was open to the Yale community April 7–10, 2023 and featured work by Davion Alston, Hobbes Ginsberg, Arielle Gray, Natalie Ivis, Sydney Mieko King, Xi Li, Adrian Martinez Chavez, Miraj Patel, Shaun Pierson, and Sophie Schwartz.
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Documentation photography by Jackie Furtado, Photography MFA ‘21.
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The exhibition identity for Fair Game was created by Filip Birkner, Jisung Park, and Lester Rosso, Graphic Design MFAs ‘23, and a 3-D walkthrough is newly accessible here.
Full information about the 2023 MFA thesis exhibition in Photography is available in the archives here >
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Click to access the 3-D walkthrough of the 2023 Photography MFA thesis exhibition, Fair Game.
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As they made their way out,: Graphic Design
The 2023 MFA exhibition in Graphic Design, As they made their way out, was open to the Yale community from April 25 through May 2, 2023.
As they made their way out, featured work by Avery Youngblood, Cat Wentworth, Yifan Wang, David Jon Walker, Junyi Shi, Lester Rosso, Ainsley Romero, Kyle Richardson, Yuseon Park, Jisung Park, M.C. Madrigal, Osvald Landmark, Sarah Elawad, Andrew Connors, Samantha Callahan, Filip Birkner, and Paul Bille.
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Documentation photography by Jackie Furtado, Photography MFA ‘21.
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This exhibition was created by Filip Birkner, Sarah Elawad, Jisung Park, Ainsley Romero, Junyi Shi, and David Jon Walker, Graphic Design MFAs ’23. Presenting artists also built a student-created website for the exhibition, accessible here.
Full information about As they made their way out, the 2023 MFA thesis exhibition in Graphic Design, is available in the archives here >
We're also excited to invite members of the public to visit the Yale School of Art's thesis website—new in 2023!—with information about the exhibitions and presenting artists, at art.yale.edu/MFAThesis >
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Documentation photography of Is there any way to not lose access at all, by Adrian Martinez Chavez, Photography MFA ‘23.
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Is there any way to not lose access at all and Annexed: Undergraduate
The undergraduate thesis exhibitions closed out the Spring 2023 gallery calendar with a presentation of work by graduating seniors in Yale College.
Staged across both of the Yale School of Art’s exhibition spaces—Green Hall Gallery, exhibiting Is there any way to not lose access at all, and 32 Edgewood Gallery, exhibiting Annexed—the exhibitions featured work by Alex Taranto, Anasthasia Shilov, Anna Zhang, Avery Mitchell, Catherine Webb, Charlie Gleberman, Diego Miró-Rivera, Dora Pang, Doruk Eliacik, Ellika Edelman, Emme Zhou, Flores Espinosa Fraga, Hannah Neves Chaves, Jack Li, Jacob Feit Mann, John Sedrak, Josephine Shin, Kelly Zhou, Linna Yao, Marshall Barg, Megan Graham, Michelle Li, Rosa Chang, Rudd Fawcett, Samantha Trimboli, Serena Cheng, Seyma Kaya, Thais Shephard, Yuri Bong, and Michael Wang.
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Documentation photography of Annexed by Adrian Martinez Chavez, Photography MFA ‘23.
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Full information about both Spring 2023 Undergraduate Thesis Exhibitions, including additional photo documentation, can be found in the archives here >
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Celebrating the MFA Class of 2023 🎓
Congrats to the new graduates across all four areas of graduate study!
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Documentation photography by Pat Garcia, Photography MFA ‘24.
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On Monday, May 22, the Yale School of Art celebrated its 2023 MFA degree recipients with speeches, ceremonies, and a reception. In the morning, the graduates met for the traditional group photo on the steps of Green Hall at 1156 Chapel Street before processing to Old Campus to participate in Yale University's 322nd commencement exercises.
In the afternoon, the School of Art hosted a Diploma Ceremony for the MFA Class of 2023, in recognition of the 61 graduating artists across the School's four areas of graduate study. Held in the Sculpture Garden at Yale University Art Gallery, the School of Art Diploma Ceremony was presided over by Stavros Niarchos Foundation Dean, Dr. Kymberly Pinder.
Renowned conceptual artist, Hank Willis Thomas, delivered a powerful address as the 2023 commencement speaker. A special reception for graduates and their guests was held in Green Hall once the commencement exercises concluded.
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Faculty news & awards
Congratulations to Aki Sasamoto, Lisa Kereszi, & Maria De Los Angeles!
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Grid from Lisa Kereszi’s newest publication, Mourning, a photobook using a collaborative co-publishing model in which collectors purchasing before August 1 can take part in its publication.
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Congratulations to faculty on recent awards, residencies, and publications! In May, the Calder Foundation announced that the 2023 Calder Prize has been awarded to Aki Sasamoto, Assistant Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Sculpture. Given every two years to “a contemporary artist whose innovative work reflects the continued legacy of Calder’s genius,” the award is accompanied by the placement of an artwork in a major public collection.
Also in May, Lisa Kereszi, Senior Critic and newly appointed Assistant Director of Graduate Studies in Photography, launched her fifth photobook, Mourning with Minor Matters Books, using a collaborative co-publishing model that utilizes pre-sales to achieve production. The book centers around managing grief from two significant personal losses, that were made more difficult amid family strife. Though she was hundreds of miles away, she “visited” her father’s grave daily using an off-the-shelf trail camera and its auto-generated photographs. Kereszi amassed thousands of images over a seven-month period, and began organizing grids of these virtual visits. Mourning is the resulting oversized album documenting this emotional cycle chronologically. The publication is presented at equal scale to the hand-created book she lovingly compiled as a record of her grief.
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Maria De Los Angeles, Critic and Assistant Director in Painting/Printmaking, has been selected as a 2023 Latinx Visiting Artist and Educator as part of the Latinx Visiting Artists Program at Anderson Ranch Arts Center. In October, De Los Angeles will work in Anderson Ranch studios and engage with their community by giving a public lecture, leading an educator workshop, conducting lessons in local schools, and developing Latinx art curriculum featuring lesson plans and units developed around her life, work, and artistic journey.
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Maria De Los Angeles at Anderson Ranch Arts Center. Photo by Ryan Bonilla.
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New Spring 2023 lectures online
Morehshin Allahyari in Graphic Design & Gordon Hall in Sculpture
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Two new lectures from the Spring 2023 semester are available to watch in full online:
On February 23, New York-based Iranian-Kurdish artist Morehshin Allahyari (Persian: موره شین اللهیاری), gave a talk in Graphic Design entitled "On Myth-Making and Becoming with Each Other." Through archival practices and storytelling, Allahyari's work weaves together complex counternarratives in opposition to the lasting influence of Western technological colonialism in the context of MENA (Middle East and North Africa).
Allahyari's talk was hosted as part of the Paul Rand Lecture Series in Graphic Design, made possible through the generosity of the Paul Rand (’85 M.A.H.) Annual Lectureship in Design Fund. Watch Allahyari's lecture here >
On March 3, the Sculpture department welcomed Gordon Hall, who spoke about their practice as a sculptor, performance-maker, and writer—and the relationships between, and motivations driving, these forms of making.
"My work is based in the belief that objects can teach us how to see other objects and also our own and one another's bodies," Hall shared. "I think that art-making at its core is a rigorous and committed practice of learning to know the world differently." Watch the talk in full here >
We're excited to continue making lectures available online in collaboration with each guest as the Yale School of Art's archival efforts expand. Subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow @yaleschoolofart on Instagram to stay updated on new videos as they become available.
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School of Art alums are invited to submit events and exhibitions to be added to the new School of Art in the World calendar, as well as publications and initiatives to be archived on the wiki.
Members of the public are invited to subscribe to the School of Art in the World calendar, and visit the full wiki archive.
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Thank you for dedication to and interest in the Yale School of Art.
We welcome your support of the school and students, and we are grateful to the many alum and friends who generously donate. Give here >
We appreciate your support!
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