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Yale pivots away from a Euro-centric art history curriculum

2020-01-24T13:23:00-05:00

Decades old and once taught by famous Yale professors like Vincent Scully, “Introduction to Art History: Renaissance to the Present” was once touted to be one of Yale College’s quintessential classes. But [its cancellation] is the latest response to student uneasiness over an idealized Western “canon” — a product of an overwhelmingly white, straight, European and male cadre of artists.

Margaret Hedeman and Matt Kristoffersen, writing in The Yale Daily News, shed light on a recent decision by the Yale University Art History Department to retool and refocus its foundational survey course with the aim of lessening the class's "singular focus in Western art."

The move comes as many disciplines, including writing, history, and art, move to "decolonize" and broaden the scope of their respective "canons" in the educational setting amid a renewed awareness of under-privileged histories, perspectives, and authors.

Kahn brought back to new life: gorgeously renovated Yale Center for British Art due to reopen

2016-05-10T18:09:00-04:00

The greatest work of art at New Haven’s Yale Center for British Art is arguably the landmark building itself—and Louis Kahn’s last structure is due to reopen this month after a 16-month renovation of its public galleries and lecture hall, and an upgrade of its accessibility, security, mechanical and electrical systems. This is the third phase of a $33m conservation project that began in 2008.

"George Knight of Knight Architecture, who led the conservation work, says: “The thing that kept me up at night was [thinking] how can we preserve the building, which is so architecturally rich, and do all this surgery so as not to disfigure the patient in any way?""

All images courtesy of the Yale Center for British Art.

Yale Gallery’s $135 Million Expansion Reveals Riches

2013-01-08T14:07:00-05:00

After nine years and $135 million, the Yale Art Galleries on the university’s campus in New Haven, Connecticut, have reopened to display the treasures you more typically find in a big-city museum. The project is the culmination of a campus-wide arts master plan that has taken 17 years and $500 million.