Yale School of Art

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The Yale School of Art is one of twelve constituent schools of Yale University. It is a professional school, granting Masters of Fine Arts degrees to those with an interest in graphic design, painting/printmaking, photography, and sculpture.

The school had over 1,200 applicants in 2007 for a class of about 40, making it one of the most selective academic programs in the country.

[edit] History

The study of the visual arts at Yale began with the opening of the Trumbull Gallery in 1832, one of the earliest art museums in the world and the first (and long the only one) connected with a college in the United States. It was founded by patriot-artist Colonel John Trumbull, one-time aide-de-camp to General Washington, with the help of Professor Benjamin Silliman, the celebrated scientist.[1]

Augustus Russell Street donated funds for the establishment of an art school in 1864. The program was placed under an art council, one of whose members was the painter-inventor Samuel F. B. Morse, a graduate of Yale College. When the School opened in 1869, it was the first of its kind affiliated with a tertiary institution in America. Classes in drawing, painting, sculpture, and art history were inaugurated.

Architectural instruction was begun in 1908 and was established as a department in 1916 with Everett Victor Meeks at its head. Drama, under the direction of George Pierce Baker and with its own separate building, was added in 1925 and continued to function as a department of the School until it became an independent school in 1955.

In 1959 the School of Art and Architecture was made a fully graduate professional school. Four years later the Art and Architecture Building was opened to much controversy. Designed by Paul Rudolph, it falls under the category of brutalism in modernist architecture.

In 1972 two separate schools, the School of Art and the School of Architecture, were established. They continued to share the Art and Architecture building until 2000. In 2000 a new building opened up for the art school at 1156 Chapel Street near the Rudolph building. It is called Green Hall and houses BFA students and MFA students in photo and graphic design. The painting MFAs have their own building behind Green Hall, and the sculpture MFAs remain in Hammond Hall across campus. However, a giant new sculpture building is currently being built on Howe Street.

[edit] Study

The degree of Master of Fine Arts is the only degree offered by the School of Art. It is conferred upon recommendation of the faculty after successful completion of all course work in residence and after a faculty-approved thesis presentation. The minimum residence requirement is two years. All candidates’ work is reviewed by faculty at the end of each term.

The School of Art offers professional instruction in four interrelated areas of study: graphic design, painting/printmaking, photography, and sculpture.

The graduate student’s primary educational experience is centered on studio activity. Supporting this are structured courses such as drawing, filmmaking, and the relativity of color.