Along with “Tracy Emin: I Loved You Until the Morning,” the two exhibits coincide with the reopening of the Yale Center for British Art after its two-year closure for renovations. Encompassing the building’s third-floor galleries, the works allow viewers to circulate throughout the chronological trajectory of Turner’s artistic focus. 

“What I sought to bring out in this show, hence the title as well, ‘Romance and Reality,’ the conflation of all these different ideas about the world coming together,” said Lucinda Lax, the curator of paintings and sculpture at the YCBA. “On the one hand, you’ve got the classic sublime, the monumental … then you’ve also got this kind of engagement with the everyday, the quotidian.” 

The exhibit demonstrates Turner’s close study of architectural and topographical details beginning early in his career. His work explores landscapes in the same European pictorial tradition that he was raised in and exposed to during his travels around the continent. 

Many of the paintings on display are emblematic of Turner’s exploration of various European landscapes, ranging from sleepy British ports to fiery Vesuvian explosions. 

“Turner being Turner, his ambition is to surpass those traditions and move beyond,” said Lax. “You see this profound shift taking place … which is something that he learns so early on in his career. But you know it’s the melding of past and present, it’s all these contrasts.” 

The exhibit brings together multiple different mediums through which Turner explored his visions of the European landscape of industrialization. Beyond his paintings, imbued with his signature tension and emotion, the exhibit features many of his watercolors and his etchings, of which the collection has “over 3,000 prints by or after Turner,” according to Lax. 

“The exhibition offers a remarkable opportunity to experience one of the finest collections of Turner’s works outside the U.K. Showcasing a diverse range of media—including drawings, sketches, paintings, watercolors and prints—it provides a comprehensive perspective on Turner’s career-long engagement with modernity and its contradictions,” wrote Caterina Franciosi GRD ’26 in an email to the News. 

Throughout the exhibit, one can notice Turner’s drift towards abstraction. He explores atmospheric romanticism, coinciding with the rapidly changing landscape and economy of England and Europe during the early 19th century. 

Take, for example, “Staffa: Fingal’s Cave (c. 1832),” which portrays a ship pulling a black cloud of coal and an amber sun on the horizon through almost supernatural, atmospheric effects. 

“The painting exemplifies Turner’s ability to transform personal observation into a profound meditation on humanity’s place within the forces of nature, the cosmos, and the environmental residues of fossil-fueled progress,” wrote Franciosi. 

Beyond exploring Turner’s vivid landscape compositions, his miniature watercolors of various European and English locales also depict actual places and events as well as classical scenes. 

The exhibit’s chronology takes the viewer to the end of Turner’s career, with dreamy, bright paintings that affirm the trends of abstraction, emotion and raw beauty he tended towards throughout his prolific career. 

Beyond these breathtaking paintings, the YCBA has also put Turner’s last sketchbook on display. It contains scenes straight from Turner’s hand before his death. 

The YCBA offers a replica of the book in the store and a collection of postcards replicated from the sketchbook. 

“I really like the exhibit so far because I’m a huge fan of paintings in nature and of scenery. I think that being able to see more nature depicted in art makes me feel closer to the world, to the earth,” said Madison Butchko ’26.

The Yale Center for British Art is located at 1080 Chapel St.

Correction, April 2: A previous version of the article misspelled Caterina Franciosi’s last name.

The post The most extensive North American collection of J.M.W. Turner’s works now at the YCBA appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Visitors can also expect two new exhibitions — “J. M. W. Turner: Romance and Reality” and “Tracey Emin: I Loved You Until The Morning” — which together span centuries of British visual culture.

“I’m hoping this is a new beginning,” said Martina Droth, who was appointed director of the YCBA in January. “I feel the time has come for us to reintroduce audiences to our amazing holdings.”

In its entirety, the renovations cost $16.5 million.

The YCBA replaced 6,500 feet of lighting tracks as part of its renovations, the first update to the lighting system since the 1970s. Switching from halogen lights to LEDs makes the museum’s lighting system 60 percent more energy-efficient.

The News walked through the renovated galleries early Thursday alongside George Knight, the architect responsible for the changes to the YCBA. 

According to Knight, one of the priorities throughout the renovation was to improve the building while maintaining the vision put forth by Louis Kahn, the original architect of the building.

“We’re seeing brand-new track lighting, brand-new fixtures, and then the rooftop itself has a whole new membrane system,” said Knight.

Inside the building, many infrastructural elements were updated and improved, many of which had not been replaced since their original installation.

The unique windows, specifically designed to diffuse light throughout the galleries while not damaging the works, were replaced to better align with current art conservation standards.

“This is really still a handmade building,” said Knight, regarding the goals to preserve the original techniques and styles laid out for the gallery. 

Beyond the gallery space, the improvements to the building extend into the Center’s pedagogical areas, including the large atriums, which Kahn designed with Roman construction in mind, the reading room and the lecture hall.

Despite the building’s modern alterations, the original layout and designs of the building, as brainstormed by Kahn and Yale faculty, are preserved and visible all throughout the space.

The display of the YCBA’s permanent art collection has also undergone a significant transformation. 

The new fourth-floor exhibition extends from the 16th century to the present. Displayed in chronological order for the first time, it invites viewers to trace the evolution of British art.

“That’s the story of art,” Droth said. “It doesn’t end.”

Lucinda Lax, curator of paintings and sculpture, said that the fourth floor traditionally showed only the historical collection. Now, it unites the historic with the contemporary.

The new chronological display has a “global flavor” that exemplifies the shared histories and legacies of British art, said Lax. She added that visitors can choose where in the exhibit to begin; they’re free to start in the past or present.

“It’s visually exciting to see the change in styles and take that journey through time,” said Lax. “We are not prescribing a route. It’s there to be flexible and there to be enjoyed.”

Another priority of the renovations was to emphasize enjoyment — for all visitors. 

When asked about her vision for the YCBA, Droth said that she wants to create an inviting and accessible space for visitors regardless of their background or familiarity with British art, adding that the gallery’s “actions will speak louder than words.”

Droth said that the YCBA must work to “overcome barriers,” especially because its name does not make it obvious that the space is a museum.

For Droth, this includes adding Spanish language guides and the continuation of programs like “The View From Here,” which gives students from New Haven’s public high schools a chance to learn the foundations of photography.

She said that she hopes to foster communication between the YCBA and schools, other local institutions and leaders who can better integrate the center into the city.

“I’m hoping that all the different actions will cumulatively add up to a message that says everyone is welcome,” Droth said.

For Yale President Maurie McInnis, the YCBA has long been an inviting space. McInnis, who received her masters’ and doctoral degrees from Yale’s History of Art department, said that entering the YCBA feels like “visiting with old friends.” 

She added that she spent “countless hours with the museum’s extraordinary collection” during her time as a graduate student, when she curated her first exhibition ever — at the YCBA.

Upon its reopening, McInnis said that she was excited to see how Droth — an “integral part of the museum for nearly two decades” — would lead the center. 

“When we conducted a global search for the best leader to take the helm of the YCBA, we quickly realized that the ideal candidate was already right here on campus,” McInnis wrote in an email.

Now, she is looking forward to walking through the newly-renovated center and discovering what Droth and the rest of the team has accomplished, McInnis said. 

Dozens of students have already received a brief glimpse of the renovated space by attending its “Night at the Museum” event on Thursday night. The official opening will include activities throughout Saturday and Sunday. 

The YCBA has been closed since February 2023.

Correction, April 1: A previous version of the article misstated the renovation cost as $33 million. In fact, it was $16.5 million. The LED upgrade makes the lighting system, not the entire building, nearly 60 percent more energy efficient. The gallery windows were not replaced with LEDs, but with updated panels to meet current conservation standards.

The post After two years, the YCBA to open its doors this Saturday appeared first on Yale Daily News.

This is the first public exhibition of Yale’s collections of Islamic manuscripts, one of the biggest in the nation. From early copies of the Quran to more modern documents, it features a myriad of objects — ranging in geography, period and style — to illustrate the manifold and long-standing literary tradition in the Islamic world. 

“Through examples drawn from Yale’s world-class collections, we wanted to highlight the interconnected traditions of the Islamicate world and demonstrate how ideas and inspiration travel across cultures,” said Dr. Ozgen Felek, one of the exhibit’s curators and a lecturer of Ottoman Turkish at Yale. 

Yale owns more than 4,000 Islamic manuscripts, making it the third largest collection and one of the oldest in the nation, and the exhibit showcases just a fraction of the documents.

This semester, Felek teaches a course titled “Islamic Manuscript Illumination: History, Theory, and Practice,” where students learn about items like those featured in the exhibit and even attempt to recreate similar objects by painting and drawing in class.

Dr. Agnieszka Rec ’08 GRD ’12 ’16, a curator at the Beinecke and Roberta L. Dougherty, librarian for Middle East Studies, curated the exhibit along with Felek. 

“Unlike other exhibitions that may cover only a limited number of languages or genres, our exhibit features a wide range of materials from different periods, geographies and languages,” Rec said.

Further, the pieces from the collection originate from vastly different locations, from North Carolina to Damascus.

Though some have been included on display previously, according to Dougherty, many items are on display and cataloged for the first time in the exhibit.

“We wanted to bring out items made or used by ordinary people, items that you might use every day and even carry in your pocket, and not just artworks behind glass suited only for collectors,” said Dougherty.

Among the curators’ favorite pieces is an almost encyclopedic cosmographic text from the 13th century and a complete collection of the renowned poet Rumi’s works. 

The works cover a variety of topics, from mathematics to architecture to science and medicine. The exhibit aims to unite various schools of thought across different cultures and periods into a cohesive narrative that presents a taste of the storied culture behind Yale’s manuscripts.

Dr. Rachel Herschman, exhibitions and publications program director for the Beinecke, expressed hope that the wide range of subjects would offer something of interest to all visitors.

The selected works are accompanied by text that contextualizes the piece with vital context for visitors. In addition to nearby placards, individuals can also find more information in the visitors guide at the front desk. Visitors can also participate in a small scavenger hunt for manuscripts.

“While print was adopted at scale in the Islamic world later than in the West, the Islamic world switched writing surfaces from parchment to paper centuries earlier,” Rec said. “We have only one parchment manuscript in the exhibition—a fragment of the Quran dating from the 10th century.”

“Taught by the Pen,” which draws its name from a passage in the Quran, is on display seven days a week until Aug. 10, 2025.

The post Beinecke Library’s Islamic Manuscripts on full display for the first time ever appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The event, moderated by Andres Rincon ’25, consisted of both a moderated discussion and Q&A session. Throughout the hour-long panel, Goss, Cappellazzo and Rincon explored subjects ranging from the future of the contemporary art world to the day-to-day schedules of art sellers and consultants. 

“These are people who are interested in creating a story for themselves through art,” Rincon told the News. “It’s a thing of passion and that’s what drives a lot of these people and drives a lot of those big collections.”

The Gordon Grand Fellowship, which was responsible for the event, was created in honor of Gordon Grand Jr. ’38, and supports a member of the current graduating class to travel, research and work — either domestically or abroad — for up to a year after graduation. 

The conversation was divided into three distinct categories: Cappellazzo and Goss’s respective beginnings in the art world, the relationship between the art and business sectors and the future of the industry and in contemporary art. 

According to Rincon, Cappellazzo and Goss are “extremely well-versed” in their field. 

“What, at the end of the day, matters in this part of the humanities or the commercials, is that there’s a curiosity to learn more, a curiosity to understand why kind of art is so important,” said Rincon. 

Cappellazzo and Goss, who are partners at Art Intelligence Global, founded by Cappellazo and Hong Kong-based art consultant Yuki Terase, have their own unique journeys to becoming deeply engaged in the art world. 

Before founding AIG, Cappellazzo had spent decades in the art world as a part of Art Agency Partners, which was acquired by Sotheby’s. Goss transitioned to the art world “fairly late in life,” after working in finance as the chief operating officer and managing director at Bain Capital and chief financial officer at Sotheby’s.

Cappellazzo referred to the work of examining art and advising potential buyers and sellers as “deal hygiene.” 

“It’s a work of art they’re going to live with and hang on their wall and enjoy, but the sum of money that’s being paid for it means we better behave as if we have a greater fiduciary duty to do the absolute I-dotting, T-crossing aspect of what needs to be done,” said Cappellazzo. “I think we are extraordinary in our deal hygiene.”

Both speakers elaborated on various aspects of the art world that would not be otherwise obvious to those outside of the field. They described, through the use of infographics, the art world as an almost “self-contained organism.” 

They also discussed the elements of good advising within the art world, explaining the balance between finding something a client may want to purchase and working to save them from a bad deal. 

They also enumerated their different roles in assisting various agents within the art trade. Cappellazzo works with a buyer and seller until they agree on a price; then, Goss steps in to iron out the rest of the details regarding the actual purchasing and legalese of the transaction. 

Cappellazzo said that working in the art world shifted her “aesthetic horizon,” as well as her perceptions of certain artists. Both speakers also spoke on the evolution of the art world over time and the difference between merely buying art and growing to love it. 

“After being at Sotheby’s, I really got the bug for art,” said Goss. “I can tell you, even though finance people have the benefit of being able to go to a lot of industries, some are more fun than others … It’s intellectually stimulating, and you’re learning, and you’re around a bunch of bright people.” 

After the moderated discussion, the event shifted into a Q&A session, during which audience members could voice their own curiosities about life in the art world. 

Responding to questions, Cappellazzo elaborated on the dynamic landscape of the art world and how the major “art capitals” continue to change and differ. New York and Hong Kong have emerged as new preeminent spaces for collecting and distributing art, she said. 

Nearing the end of the hourlong event, Cappellazzo and Goss were asked what advice they had for those seeking careers in the art business world. 

Cappellazzo highlighted the benefits of “trying new things” and being “bold in experimenting” before becoming dead-set on a specific career path. Goss emphasized the importance of communication skills and the utility of “persuasive communication.” 

Art Intelligence Global was founded in 2021. 

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After sharing my plans, I’m often told: “What are you going to do with that?”

It seems like a harmless question, but to an annually decreasing population of students, it remains a very grave offense — not actually, but still. 

Many humanities students at Yale may very well know what they plan to do after their New Haven reverie expires at the end of four years. Congrats! I will tell you now, unabashedly and with a sense of likely misguided confidence, I have no idea what I will do with that — my humanities degree. 

Assuming I graduate, I anticipate earning a bachelor’s degree in one or more subjects — though that may be the famous last words of a not-yet disillusioned first-year — such as history, history of art, archaeological studies or classical civilization. I’m not sure yet, but that isn’t my point. 

I swear to you that an interest in antiquity is not a backdoor into McKinsey or a slingshot into Wall Street. It can help, maybe, but if you ask a humanities major, I would wager they are not in it for the prestige or the thought of a career. Therein lies the essential issue: the humanities die when we regard Yale as solely an intermediary before corporate purgatory. 

We are not here for a long time. Can it feel like we are? Sure. But no, it’s not a long time at all. It’s natural to be cognizant of what lies at the end of the eight-semester road. However, at what point do we risk losing sight of our personal interests to hedge our bets against a competitive job market? 

In a recent argument on our favorite endemic app, Fizz, another nuanced argument ensued between the coalition of STEM and humanities students. While it is unusual for the app to contribute to meaningful dialogue, one user highlighted the lack of lucrative job prospects for humanities majors after graduation through the caption “POV: humanities majors after they graduate” above an image of a fast-food chain. To this, another user recalled Yale’s reputation as a primarily humanities-focused university; Yale’s first science class, chemistry, was not introduced into the curriculum until a hundred years after its founding. 

In more recent years, the share of humanities students has declined precipitously. In a recent survey of the last few decades of graduating classes, it was discovered that the percentage of seniors with humanities degrees fell by about 50 percent in the last 20 years. The decline and fall of the humanities empire may well be studied in recent decades by a minimized department, but for some, we plan on living through its abandonment to the fullest.

I have personally witnessed the destruction. Upon entering the academic fair, I was surprised to learn that only two other students were majoring in archaeological studies — shoutout to you two. Perhaps the Indiana Jones reboot lacked its proper potency. Either way, the department continues to offer engaging courses every semester while remaining open to students pursuing opportunities for fieldwork experience.

If the prospect of an essay or required reading has never appealed to you like the luster of a problem set, I get it — people are wired in different ways. I salute you on your pre-med journey or whatever you do on Science Hill. For many, though, I suspect, perhaps as a result of external or internal pressures, they abandon the humanities for a more “pragmatic” degree. I urge you to reconsider. 

The recent academic paradigm exalts a student of STEM. I understand it. Where would we be without science? However, the argument of overall utility to society is old and overtired — STEM and humanities are both needed. It’s been well established that one cannot live without the other, and vice versa. 

The complementary utility of both disciplines, however, is beginning to be misunderstood. Take Yale’s recent announcement of investment into STEM and engineering facilities. Are we self-conscious of our reputation for the humanities? No wonder we are witnessing an academic STEM invasion and the ultimate sack of the humanities. 

In the unlikely event you are consulting my article for career and academic advice, take another second before abandoning your personal interest in English, art or whatever it might be. With the proverbial scientific barbarians — sorry — at the gates, do not lose faith in what would otherwise be your perfunctory humanities or writing credit. Like most people, we will work for most of our adult lives; I am in no hurry to begin a career when there is so much else to do here in only four years. 

The post The Decline and Fall of Humanities appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Kim left Skowhegan in tears for graduate school in St. Louis; after a semester, he moved to New York to be with Sigal. Today, the two work together as Yale School of Art instructors, as well as co-directors of the Yale Norfolk Summer School of Art — an intensive six-week undergraduate visual art program for rising seniors.

“We’re always in each other’s studio and asking each other what we think about each other’s work,” said Sigal. “On a conceptual level, on a content level, I feel like Kim and I are always talking, whether it’s in the studio or just over dinner.”

Both impressive artists in their own right, Kim is known for his abstract, almost sublime works, while Sigal engages with architecture and space in her multimedia works. Both artists have exhibited at the Whitney Biennial and museums and galleries around the world.

While different, their methods allow them to bring their unique perspectives to mentorship at both Norfolk and Skowhegan, where they continued to return in various capacities.

While their artwork remains relatively separate, the couple collaborates mostly through teaching.

Their history of studying together nearly forty years ago informs how they make decisions and operate at the Norfolk School, now on the other side of the student-teacher dynamic.

Both Sigal and Kim emphasized their differing teaching styles. Sigal opts for a more direct, “tough-love” approach, similar to her mentors’ approach when she studied at Yale. Kim, however, chooses a more vulnerable approach — sharing personal experiences with students.

The two often work separately on their creative projects. Despite being married, they said, their distinct styles and preferences are not necessarily conducive to collaborative endeavors. They tried creating together early on in the relationship; what ensued were separate careers.

“It’s a pretty private process of making art for both of us. I think we’re happy to share each other’s process pretty often as we are making work in our studio,” Kim said. “I think we rely on each other a lot to validate what’s good enough for other people to see and experience.” 

The two have led Norfolk for six consecutive summers, directing and mentoring both teaching fellows and students who attend the summer program. The two spoke about the familial dynamic and conviviality that surrounds the experience, which blooms from the entire cohort sharing a home for the entire duration.

During their summers, in addition to teaching and attending the classes of their teaching fellows, Sigal and Kim enjoy swimming in the lake at Norfolk and playing Go with each other daily.

“I feel like my sense of color and observation and refraction of light and the kind of gravityless feeling and the anxiety of being in water and experiencing sky and the kind of the bottomlessness of the ocean and marine mammals,” Sigal said. “I feel like both of us share that experience in our work as references.” 

The Norfolk School recently announced the students nominated to attend their summer program; out of these nominations, one finalist from Yale College will be announced in March.

This year, the selection process for nominees has changed. Before, students were nominated by their professors; now, they are encouraged to submit a portfolio anonymously that professors vote on.

“It felt a lot more equitable,” said Kai Chen ’26, one of the nominated students. “I think sometimes sophomores and first-years take intro classes taught by lecturers that might only have a one or two-year contract with the school of art. You don’t tend to meet the tenured professors until junior year.”

Kim and Sigal plan to return to the Norfolk School of Art for another summer of teaching, 

learning and meeting the new cohort of students and teaching fellows.

The Yale Norfolk Summer School of Art is located on the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Estate in Norfolk. 

The post Can you imagine working with your spouse? These two Yale School of Art instructors do appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The works on view explored animals in East Asian art, with a focus on the 12 zodiac signs. In another section of the gallery, visitors could see objects — including paintings, metalwork, ceramics and a tapestry — that illustrate literary themes of West and South Asian culture.

“It’s laid out in a way that allows you to immerse yourself in the time and place of the art being shown,” said Eston Kallins ’28. “I think the layout of the space applies a peaceful sentiment that complements the art.”

Curators intentionally limited the display to a select number of works and, arranging them in a sparse layout that draws attention to each piece’s distinctive character. 

The announcement of the exhibit coincided with the 2025 Lunar New Year, which accounts for the emphasis of the new exhibit on zodiac signs and their symbolic presence within art spanning across Asia. 

The YUAG’s permanent collection of Asian art contains around 8,000 works, but only a few select objects are on display at any given time. Because of conservation requirements, all ancient paintings and textiles in this collection are rotated every six months. 

Each installation rotation falls under a certain theme, so as to put works in dialogue with one another.

The pigments and the paper are light-sensitive and may fade, which prevents objects from being on view for too long. Curatorial decisions factor in how long an object has been out of view and what storylines can be developed from the object. 

This installation was framed around two distinct themes: first, the 12 Eastern zodiac animals and second, East and West Asian literature. 

The gallery recently acquired Ganjavi Nizami’s “Bahram Gur Visits the Sandalwood Pavilion from the Seven Portraits (Haft Peykar),” which was displayed in the exhibit. This object — composed of opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper — hails from Iran during the Safavid Period.

Leidy said that because “there’s such a strong literary basis to both West Asian and Indian painting,” the installation also involved visual depictions of literary themes. 

The exhibit also featured pieces from Xu Beihong and Konoshima Ōkoku that highlight the symbolic presence of zodiac signs in Asian art. 

“I’ve known about zodiac signs but have never really understood much about the background or how it’s explored through into art so this exhibition is super interesting,” said Maria Goncalves ’28. “I especially love how, when you look closely at the dragon with a crystal ball, you can almost see a panoramic view of the installation through the crystal ball. ”  

The pieces often differ in period and subject, allowing museum visitors to consider the exhibit’s uniting themes and their evolution over time.

The exhibit deliberately interacts with the space, separating the literary excerpts from the rest of the gallery. The positioning of the works invites attendants to circle through the multimedia collections before exploring the rest of the Asian Art wing of the museum. 

Along with pieces from seminal works of West and South Asian literary culture, the exhibit also showcases various ceramic pieces ranging from small, previous netsuke to various pieces of household glassware. 

The exhibit is on view until May 2025.

The post YUAG showcases ancient texts and Eastern Zodiacs installation appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The exhibit commemorates the YCBA’s upcoming March reopening after it closed in 2023 for maintenance and renovation. Before walking through the exhibition, viewers heard from the architect supervising the reconstruction. 

“One of the things that I’ve always admired about this building is it has an extraordinary restraint and self-possession. And I think, really, that’s true of most of Kahn’s work,” said George Knight, supervising architect and a senior critic at the Yale School of Architecture. 

Dozens of people, from New Haven residents to School of Architecture students, joined Knight in anticipation for the re-opening of the YCBA. During his welcome speech, he spoke on three components of the YCBA building: the relationship between the city and the University, the connection between the “two Pennsylvanians” — Paul Mellon, the benefactor of the center, and Louis Kahn — and finally, the partnership between Yale and Kahn. 

Knight, using original materials from the exhibit, described his appreciation for Kahn’s work, before discussing the various innovative facets of its design. 

“So much of this was new and revelatory,” said Knight. “The relationships to the Yale leadership at the time, Kingman Brewster being president, Paul Mellon as patron, Jules Prowne as founding director … I think it sets up a much richer background for us all to appreciate the center when it opens,” said Knight. 

The curators responsible for the exhibition are Jessica Quagliaroli, former chief archivist for the YCBA, and Kathy Bohlman, architecture records archivist for Haas Family Arts Library Special Collections.

This exhibition served to garner attention to the space of the YCBA — even when its doors remain closed. 

“We were asked to think of open-while-closed ideas — how to make the museum’s collections and services available to the public while its physical spaces were closed,” Quagliaroli told the News.

Quagliaroli and Bohlman began putting together the exhibition in October 2023, shortly after the YCBA closed its doors. Less than a year later, “People Look Up at Good Architecture” opened in September 2023. 

According to Bohlman, usually a minimum-time of a year is allocated to curate an exhibition. However, since they wanted to have the exhibition on display before the YCBA’s reopening, they were on a tight schedule. 

Bohlman said that the entire process consists of multiple stages of research, writing, selection, layout and final design. 

“It really takes much longer than you might think it would,” said Bohlman.

This process was made even more challenging because materials related to Louis Kahn and the construction of the YCBA remain scattered across the University’s many collections.

Nevertheless, Quagliaroli and Bohlman were able to bring together pieces from the University archives, the Yale School of Architecture collections and YCBA institutional records, among others. According to Quagliaroli, the exhibition includes materials from ten different collections across four repositories. 

“ I think one of our goals was wanting to join together these materials that live in siloed collections, bring them together, and recontextualize them in a new way altogether,” said Quagliaroli.

Haas Arts Library is located at 180 York St. 

The post “People Look Up at Good Architecture” exhibit unveils the history of the YCBA building appeared first on Yale Daily News.

His book, “Question Authority: A Polemic About Trust in Five Meditations,” examines how a growing distrust towards institutions such as politics, academia, science and more. Drawing on his personal life and his background as an academic, Kingwell approaches the status quo of societal authority. Taking a new look at the ’60s slogan “Question Authority,” the book is an investigation on how American trust has been eroded in recent decades. 

“People are losing any sense that there are presumptive validities in institutions that they, in an earlier moment, were inclined to trust. So everything’s up in the air,” Kingwell said in an interview with the News. 

“Question Authority,” slated to release on Feb. 11, is the latest of Kingwell’s books. His previous books apply philosophical perspectives to topics ranging from baseball to boredom. 

Kingwell aims to identify how individuals can practice dogmatic faith in certain institutions, while blatantly rejecting other societal tenets. After the pandemic, he explains, the world entered a “COVID hangover,” leaving many to question their prior notions of trustworthiness.  

“It’s why we let other people fly the plane or run the institution. There has to be a balance between that desire for autonomy and a kind of epistemic humility. Liberal institutions gave us the best version of that balance between autonomy and humility,” said Kingwell. 

Approaching the tricky question of when to trust and when to remain skeptical, Kingwell draws on his philosophical background to reflect on five meditations, drawing on metalogical arguments and his own experiences. 

To readers who remain doubtful of societal institutions, Kingwell suggests an approach titled “compassionate skepticism,” which highlights the importance of rational thinking, as opposed to entirely disregarding a certain institution. 

“Sometimes you don’t know, and you think you know, and believing that you do when you don’t can lead to disaster,” said Kingwell. 

Kingwell described his time at Yale as one of “intellectual excitement.” Studying in the 1980s and 90s, he said that he engaged with new philosophical thought under the instruction of Bruce Ackerman LAW ’67 and Steven B. Smith. 

As Kingwell explained, these crises of faith are by no means new to human society. He outlined the precedent for a complete debasement of faith in fundamental tenets of society, going as far back as Socrates. 

According to Smith, who studied with Kingwell, institutions, such as the government, must show that they are “worthy” of trust. 

“This probably means promising less but performing better,” said Smith. “People’s confidence needs to be restored in the efficiency of their government to achieve basic tasks.”  

Both Kingwell and Smith attested to the potential for new technology and developments to shake up our confidence in the world, including the rise of artificial intelligence. 

But, Kingwell expressed optimism for a revival of public trust. As he explains in his books, there are certain steps for a reader to take, ranging from the small and pragmatic to larger societal messages. 

“I would encourage people to become all the more informed and curious about how we got to the situation in which we find ourselves, and then determine with others by thinking out loud together what we might do next,” said professor Randy Boyagoda, a professor of English at the University of Toronto and colleague of Kingwell. 

“Question Authority” will be available on Feb. 11. 

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Droth, who is a familiar figure in the Yale community, was previously the deputy director and chief curator of the YCBA. Taking the place of Richard Brodhead ’68 GRD ’72, former dean of Yale College, Droth will assume her role as the art gallery prepares to open in March, following an extended closure for renovations. 

“[Droth] has deep understanding and rich experience of the YCBA’s many roles: as a cutting-edge research center defining the field; as a teaching center inspiring students; and as a cultural center enriching our community,” said Benjamin Polak, a member of the search and professor of economics. 

Since February 2023, the YCBA has closed its doors to undergo renovations for maintenance and to improve energy conservation. The gallery will reopen under Droth’s supervision with two exhibitions that Droth herself curated. 

The exhibitions, titled “Tracey Emin: I Loved You Until the Morning” and “Hew Locke: Passages,” will allow Yale and New Haven community members to engage with contemporary British art. 

Droth is a prolific figure in the study of British art, working not only at Yale but with institutions abroad. Her initiatives have included collaboration with the Tate Britain, Fitzwilliam Museum and Getty Museum. 

She has been affiliated with the Yale artistic community beyond the YCBA, including her time as part of Yale’s Committee for Art in Public Spaces. 

“This is great news for the arts community at Yale and in New Haven,” wrote Alan Plattus, chair of Yale’s Committee for Art in Public Spaces. “Martina is a consummate scholar and curator, a superb colleague, and a perceptive and creative advocate for the arts and arts institutions in both a historical and contemporary context.” 

She has also lectured as a member of Yale’s Art History Department and fostered the first exhibit with the Yale School of Architecture. Droth’s work with Yale’s artistic spaces spans over 16 years. 

Droth will permanently fill the position left empty when former director Courtney Martin went to work for the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. 

David Sadighian, a member of the director search advisory committee and assistant professor at the Yale School of Architecture, expressed his excitement over Droth’s “scholarly rigor and creative vision.”

“Martina’s knowledge of the YCBA collection is unrivaled,” wrote Sadighian in an email to the News. 

Another member of the search advisory committee, Tim Barringer, Paul Mellon Professor of the History of Art, praised Droth’s curatorial work at the YCBA. He said that “Bill Brandt | Henry Moore” was a “masterly juxtaposition of photographs, drawings and sculpture.” 

This exhibition was the YCBA’s last exhibition before its closure and featured a combination of photographs and sculptures. It was accompanied by an illustrated book that was co-edited by Droth.

The Yale Center for British Art is located at 1080 Chapel St. 

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