“You could call it a forgery, but it’s actually an amalgamation of different ancient glass pieces,” Brody said. “The final product is not authentic, but the pieces are.”

That gray area — between authenticity and artifice — reflects the broader ambiguity surrounding how objects are acquired, displayed and maintained across several University-operated museums. From questionable acquisitions to repatriated artifacts, the University has increasingly had to contend with the histories behind the objects it houses. 

Authentication challenges at the YUAG

Brody, who works with the YUAG’s collection of ancient Mediterranean art, said that authentication is particularly difficult for ancient objects. Even with recent scientific developments, it can be challenging to claim with certainty whether an object is real or not. Moreover, the materials from which many ancient objects are made each present their own challenges when it comes to dating.

With marble, an isotope analysis could tell you what quarry it came from, but not its age. With bronze, you can run tests to determine its composition, but not its date of origin. The accuracy of thermoluminescent dating for pottery might be hindered by subsequent kiln-firings. Some residual organic materials — such as charcoal residue left in an ancient pot — can be carbon-dated, but are uncommon.

As evidenced by the “Funnel-Mouthed Vessel with Elephant Heads,” the line between authentic and inauthentic is itself challenging to identify.

Some inauthentic pieces, such as plaster casts of real artifacts, are used for educational purposes, Brody said.

Pointing to other examples of ambiguity in the YUAG’s collection, Brody highlighted a likely portrait of the disgraced Emperor Nero, which was recarved after his death but still within the Roman period. She also noted that some ancient portraits were recarved or restored during the Renaissance. Situations like these, she said, present a difficult question.

“If it’s ancient but has had work done to it, is it no longer ancient anymore?” Brody asked.

Another reason objects might be difficult to authenticate is that forgers can be extremely skilled, often matching the tools and techniques of ancient artisans.

She said that sometimes there is “no test” to definitively determine whether a piece of art was made in 200 B.C. or in 1923. Instead, this assessment is often enacted by experienced curators, who have the ability to “look at a sculpture and think something is off about it.”

Denise Leidy, curator of Asian art, echoed Brody’s assertion.

“I’m absolutely convinced that everything that’s on view upstairs is real,” Leidy said, referring to the Asian art exhibit at the YUAG. “There’s this sort of drive in my brain filled with images … so if an object doesn’t look right, then I do research.”

For Leidy, scientific testing is often a valuable tool for refining dating accuracy for pieces in the YUAG’s Asian art collection. She said that such assessments are a “constant process” that involves collaborating with international scholars to make adjustments based on new information and scientific data. Most of the time, errors relate to alterations to an object affecting its true origin date, rather than learning that a piece is truly a fake.

Leidy cited a series of Jain paintings in the YUAG’s collection, which she originally believed were from the 16th century. However, after a faculty member raised questions about the accuracy of the language used in the works, she conducted XRF testing — a noninvasive technique that can help estimate the date of origin by identifying modern materials unavailable in earlier periods. The results revealed that some of the paintings were actually from the 20th century. The object records on the YUAG’s website were subsequently updated to reflect this development.

Provenance: Where do objects in Yale’s collection come from?

Provenance, which refers to the ownership history of a piece of art or artifact, has become an increasingly relevant field in the museum world.

Brody said that, in recent years, the gallery has made strides to be “as diligent as possible” when it comes to researching the provenance of its collections. That includes adding provenance information to the online database and reevaluating objects acquired or donated, especially those acquired before the rise of modern collecting standards.

Brody often works with Mediterranean and Near Eastern antiquities, a collection which contains many artifacts and artworks that have been excavated by Yale-affiliated archeologists. The Yale-France excavations, which took place in the 1920s and 1930s, account for over 12,000 artifacts now housed in the YUAG’s collection. And because those digs were officially sanctioned and jointly organized, the objects they yielded are accompanied by complete provenance records.

But not every object in the YUAG’s collection comes with such clarity.

For Leidy, provenance is not a significant part of day-to-day work. As the head of the Asian Art department, she said her involvement with provenance comes primarily when acquiring new pieces.

“Most American museums are built on gifts,” said Leidy. “So when I want to accept a gift, I do some provenance research.”

When offered a donation, Leidy said she first evaluates whether it adds value to the collection. If she decides it does, she works with the donor to establish a documented ownership history. But often, that is not entirely possible. Many pieces move through multiple owners, and ownership changes were not always accurately tracked across time. She said a “Eurocentric” focus in the art world often complicates tracing objects of non-European origin.

“If you take your average Chinese 14th-century green glaze ceramic, those were made at kilns in China, put on ships and sent around the world,” Leidy continued. “Are you gonna be able to trace every step on the journey of that? Absolutely not.”

Koby Chen ’26, a history of art major who interned at an art auction house last summer, echoed Leidy’s concerns about the attainability of developing complete provenance records.

For Chen, the ethics of cultural stewardship extend beyond provenance efforts.

“Provenance research is important, but we should be doing more,” Chen said. “A lot of provenance research is a means for institutions to try to grapple with their own guilt and the fact that they’ve exploited all these people and places. And it’s an easy way to do that because they don’t have to give money directly to communities or support anyone materially.”

Antonia Bartoli, the curator of provenance research at the YUAG, emphasized the value of this research while acknowledging its uneven nature across collections. 

She said that art from the Western canon, including American and European pieces, tends to be documented more extensively.

Bartoli said that information used to generate provenance records for individual art pieces might include a dealer’s fact sheet, an auction catalogue or a scholarly publication. Sometimes, one might look at the object itself for clues. For example, Bartoli said that objects made in multiples — like prints, furniture or photography — can be hard to track through traditional ownership records. Instead, their markings and labels offer the most conclusive evidence of their provenance.

Past repatriation efforts at Yale

In 1970, UNESCO held a convention to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property, establishing a framework that has led to more rigorous standards for newly acquired pieces. Still, many older acquisitions at the YUAG include incomplete provenance records that require ongoing research.

In these cases, provenance research often becomes more than a matter of record-keeping. It can be a valuable tool for repatriating objects back to the countries they came from. 

Bartoli said that relevant information about provenance concerns is sometimes brought to the YUAG by external parties like nations, individuals, researchers or institutions. She added that the YUAG is five years into a provenance research project that takes a “systematic look” at its collection areas. According to Bartoli, that includes investigating an object’s ownership history to identify names of known looters and traffickers, which would indicate the illegal sale of cultural property.

“We do try to do this work proactively, transparently and collaboratively,” said Bartoli. 

But the YUAG is not always able to identify these issues before law enforcement.

In April 2022, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office sent the YUAG a warrant for 13 objects looted from India and Myanmar. Nine of the artifacts were directly tied to now-infamous art dealer Subhash Kapoor, who for years displayed and sold looted items with forged provenance records.

Just a month after that seizure, the YUAG announced the repatriation of another object — this time to Nepal.

Research in 2021 had revealed that the Buddhist goddess Tara had been reported missing from a temple in Nepal. After being contacted by the Consul General of Nepal in New York, gallery staff met with him and confirmed through research from archaeologists in Kathmandu that the sculpture had been worshipped as the Hindu goddess Parvati until 1976.

The University’s history of contested ownership and delayed repatriation extends well into the past and beyond the YUAG, reaching into another Yale gallery.

Until 2010, the Peabody Museum held thousands of artifacts — including human bones — from Machu Picchu that had been loaned to prominent explorer and Yale lecturer Hiram Bingham by the Peruvian government in the early 1900s. The Peruvian government granted Bingham the loan specifically for scientific research, with the explicit condition that the objects would be returned upon Peru’s request.

When Peru eventually requested their return, the University refused. Instead, it argued that the artifacts had been given permanently, despite written correspondence from Bingham recognizing the terms of his agreement and promising to return the objects to their country of origin.

In 2008, Peru sued Yale in U.S. federal court, and Yale eventually moved to dismiss the case on the grounds that the nation had waited too long to request their return. 

Later that year, then-Peruvian president Alan Garcia led a protest through Lima demanding the return of the objects. Thousands of protestors attended. Garcia even asked President Obama for help, and then-Yale president Richard Levin sent a delegation to Lima to resolve the dispute. 

The resulting agreement was negotiated between three parties: Yale, the government of Peru and Peru’s National University of San Antonio Abad del Cusco, or UNSAAC. Today, all of the disputed artifacts from Bingham’s Machu Picchu visits have been returned to Cusco, Peru.

The delegation included Richard Burger ’72, who joined the University’s faculty in 1981 and still teaches in the Archaeological Studies department. Burger emphasized the positive impacts of sending the artifacts back to Peru.

“I was struck by how much it meant to the people of Cusco to have them back,” he said.

Still, Burger called attention to the nuances of the situation, asserting that initial demands on the part of President Alejandro Toledo’s administration were politically motivated and included “historically inaccurate” claims about how the University had obtained the collections. He referred to the process as a “return” rather than a “repatriation,” noting the unique historical circumstances surrounding the artifacts.

The dispute, he suggested, gained traction as a political issue rather than a scholarly one — an approach that created tension with Yale’s position at the time. Burger credited Victor Raul Aguilar, the former rector — a role akin to president — of UNSAAC, with facilitating direct talks and helping shift the conversation out of the political sphere and into one of academic collaboration.

“Machu Picchu has a unique place in Peruvian identity and history,” said Burger. “So it was important for this collection to go back.”

He also acknowledged a different side to the broader debate around whether Western institutions should return objects to their countries of origin. 

“When objects are displayed here, it’s a way of exposing our populations to these cultures, which they might not otherwise see,” he said. 

For Burger, that includes cross-cultural understanding and points of connection for diasporic communities who may find pieces of their heritage represented in these institutions.

At UNSAAC, said Burger, the objects are well-appreciated and remain accessible to scholars and the public alike. In many cases, Yale researchers are still making use of the collection from afar, because the final agreement between the three parties included provisions for continued collaboration between Yale and UNSAAC.

Yale has made meaningful progress, Burger suggested, by engaging with the institution and its scholars as partners on equal footing, reflecting a broader move toward more reciprocal and respectful forms of academic exchange.

“There’s no sense that Yale is still pulling the strings,” said Burger of the relationship the university has with UNSAAC. “We’re just colleagues who are collaborating, and we bring certain skills just as they have certain skills and resources.”

Students, faculty lead recent calls for repatriation

While that model of mutual respect has shaped Yale’s connection with UNSAAC, the University is still reckoning with other parts of its collecting history.

Just a few years ago, Joshua Ching ’26 helped prepare ancestral remains called iwi kūpuna to be repatriated to Hawaii. In 2022, during his first year at Yale, Ching, a Hawaii native, collaborated with professor Hi’ilei Hobart and two other students to carry out the repatriation.

“It was the second month that I had been at Yale,” recalled Ching. “I was already feeling incredibly homesick … and then my first real, tangible encounter with something from home was the bones of my ancestors. It just reoriented the way that I saw and understood Yale.”

Ching emphasized the importance of institutional action, mentioning how Hobart herself had only learned about the ancestral remains on a tour of the Peabody. After that, she began searching for other native Hawaiians at Yale who might be interested in helping her with the repatriation process, which includes specific ceremonial rites.

He said he hopes Yale invests in more funding and staff to repatriate objects and reckon with the institution’s “complicated and extractive histories.”

Ching added that he felt “immense guilt” about being at Yale after the repatriation process, disheartened by his involvement with an institution whose research had, for years, been rooted in unethical practices. Benefiting from Yale’s resources instead of being home in Hawaii, he said he even considered leaving.

Ultimately, Ching decided to stay and push for change from within.

“It’s a responsibility that Native folks have when they come into these spaces,” he said. “But it’s also an incredibly traumatic experience for a Native student to have to inherit the responsibility of repatriating their ancestors back to their homeland. I feel like there never should have been a circumstance where it’s students and faculty who are leading a repatriation.”

A 1990 federal law requires museums and other institutions to repatriate Native American human remains and sacred objects, but many institutions have been slow to comply. Moreover, the law does not apply to Indigenous artifacts from communities outside the United States, leaving significant gaps in global repatriation efforts.

Ching said he hopes for more transparency from Yale about its collections and that it works to repatriate objects to indigenous communities across the globe.

Ching and Chen share one common perspective: a call for institutions to take greater accountability in how they acquire, research, and display cultural objects.

“As an academic leader, Yale ought to fulfill the principles it purports,” said Chen.

There are over 30 million objects in Yale University’s collections.

Correction, Apr. 16: A previous version of this article misattributed the sale of misdated Jain paintings to known art trafficker Subhash Kapoor. In fact, they were sold by Sanjay Kapoor, who has not been implicated in criminal investigations. The article has been updated to reflect this.

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For the past two years, the YCBA has been under renovation, which has cost $16.5 million in total. The center reopened with more sustainable lighting and infrastructure and a reimagined presentation of its permanent collection. 

Saturday’s ceremony featured remarks from Mayor Justin Elicker, University President Maurie McInnis and the YCBA’s recently appointed director, Martina Droth. 

“The YCBA is not just a repository of art, but it’s a gateway to learning, to imagination, to opportunity — opening windows to new perspectives and possibilities for every child and every family,” McInnis said during her speech. “So today, more than just renew a building, let’s renew a cause: that Yale’s resources are here to serve our entire community, spark curiosity, to nurture creativity and to build bridges of understanding.”

The opening weekend’s festivities included drop-in activities, curator and student guide talks, a cappella performances and a preview of “The View From Here” exhibition, which features photographs taken by public high school students from the greater New Haven area from the program of the same name.

Bria Biney, a high school senior included in “The View From Here,” described the exhibition as an “incredible opportunity” and told the News that she plans to remain involved with the YCBA in the future.

She added that the program gave her a technical understanding of photography and taught her how to express “meaningful stories” through images.

“More than anything,” said Biney, “what made this program so special was the chance to share my work with the community, to see people connect with the stories behind my photos and interpret them in their own way.”

According to Biney, this sense of connection made reopening weekend all the more memorable. 

Biney said that watching her friends, family and even total strangers come together to appreciate her and her peers’ photographs felt like a reflection of the YCBA’s broader values.

For Hannah Kinney, the head of education at the YCBA, this emphasis on community is exactly what she hopes to achieve through the center’s initiatives.

Kinney said she wants to bring the feelings of “comfort and belonging” that one might experience in a local library or community center to the YCBA, making it into a “third-space” of sorts.

Kinney’s department runs the “Yale in London” Spring and Summer programs, an adult art-making series and mentorship initiatives for postdocs, postgrads and graduate students.

Overseeing the curricular programs from kindergarten to undergraduate levels, Kinney said that the museum should be a “meeting point for diverse points of views.” 

According to her, the YCBA has had “longstanding” programs for neurodiverse audiences. She is also currently working to develop programs for blind and low-vision individuals to enjoy the space.

Kinney also said she is working to expand how the collection can be used — not just to teach history and art history, but to pose larger questions to students.

Christina Ferando ’97, the YCBA’s head of academic affairs, is involved in that process.

“You don’t have to be only an art historian to find meaning in objects … and inquiry in objects,” Ferando said.

She recently held a panel called “Multiple Meanings,” which featured faculty and staff from the Office of Gender and Campus Culture; Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; and the Sexual Misconduct Committee who presented their interpretations and opinions on the works of art in the YCBA.

Additionally, she mentioned upcoming symposia open to the public and private meetings with faculty across disciplines to learn how they might engage with the collections. Ferando imagines the museum as both a contemplative and casual space that everyone in the community can benefit from during both longer visits and spontaneous trips to unwind.

“There is a certain joy in being able to pop into a free museum that’s open to all,” said Ferando. 

During his speech, Mayor Justin Elicker also praised the museum for its free access, calling it a “gift” to New Haven. Praising the YCBA’s welcoming staff, he mentioned a recent visit to the space with his family.

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Featuring groups Unity, Red Lantern, Kasama, the Indigenous Peoples of Oceania at Yale, or IPO, and other individual acts, the event was a vibrant celebration of identity, artistry and cross-cultural community. The event took place from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in SSS 114.

“I really enjoyed the sheer diversity of Asian culture that was presented on stage,” said Annabelle Huang ’26, who founded the Chinese dance group Red Lantern. “And I just loved the energy that was present in the audience and performers, everyone was cheering for each other and making sure those on stage felt our appreciation and support.”

Red Lantern performed various dances during Saturday’s showcase, including their debut of a Chinese folk dance called “June Jasmine. ”

For Huang, performance is fundamentally narrative-driven. Imagining herself communicating a story through movement, Huang aims to communicate each piece’s deeper meaning to viewers. 

“When I dance on stage, I envision myself as the story’s character,” Huang said. “I try to portray my emotions intensely and clearly and hope it impacts my audience as well.”

Huang taught herself the choreography and arranged formations for each member of the team before teaching the group over the span of two weeks. After just eight practices, the group had memorized and refined their choreography.

Praising her dancers’ dedication, Huang said the entire team was committed to carefully reviewing and adjusting each movement to best illustrate the story behind the choreography. The dances reflected popular Chinese folk stories about welcoming the arrival of Spring, the romance between the mythological characters Niulang and Zhinu and the struggle between angel and devil.

One of those dancers, Gabby Oulette ’27, said that the event was her first time attending a pan-Asian showcase during her time at Yale. Oulette, who joined Red Lotus last semester, said she loved the experience of performing for others while also having the opportunity to see so many other cultural expressions represented on stage.

She praised IPO’s hula-dancing performance. Many in the group were dancing for the first time ever. Recalling her own first performance not long ago, Oulette lauded their courage in sharing something meaningful on stage.

“I remember gripping my seat before my first performance, so it must have been nerve-wracking to have a first performance with such a large audience,” said Oulette. “But they did amazing and it was such a beautiful display of their culture.”

Oulette also highlighted the performance by the Filipinx club Kasama, expressing her enjoyment of their “twirling” dance moves and positive energy.

Members of Kasama took the stage for a lively performance of the traditional dance, Tinikling, which featured pairs of dancers step over and in between sliding bamboo poles. The performance included Marissa Halagao ’27, Elisa Cruz ’26, Ava Estacio-Touhey ’25 and Mark Chung ’25.

Tinikling, the national dance of the Philippines, originated on the island of Leyte during Spanish colonial rule. It soon spread across the islands of the country and has become highly regionalized. 

Chung said that performing Tinikling is a very “communal” experience that requires being highly attuned to one’s dance partner.

“There’s a lot of trust involved and you and your partner have to be very coordinated,” said Chung. “Building relationships and friendships through that trust is the most fun part.”

Like Red Lantern, Kasama began practicing a few weeks before the performance. This was paired with rehearsals for their Kasama Cultural Show, which will take place in two weeks.

This weekend’s dance included the group’s standard routine and new, faster choreography performed by Halagao and Cruz. 

For Chung, a highlight of the showcase was seeing performances from groups and individuals he wasn’t familiar with. Describing watching Red Lantern’s performance, Chung said that it was a memorable experience for the first-time viewer.

Huang shared those sentiments, saying the performances inspired her to learn more about the diversity of Asia. She said that UNITY’s Korean-drum performance, Kasama’s Tinikling, and IPO’s dance were some of her favorite parts of the showcase.

“They were all such awe-inspiring performances that made me want to get to know all Asian cultures even more,” said Huang.

Chung added that the performing arts are particularly meaningful to many in the Asian and Pacific Islander communities, offering a way to honor and reconnect with cultural roots.

“It’s always nice to end Pan-Asian Heritage Month with this performance because dance and music have such a strong connection with a lot of us culturally,” said Chung. “To be able to share that is really meaningful.”

In addition to the cultural show, on Tuesday, April 1, the AACC will hold a keynote address on imagining just futures within Asian and Pacific Islander communities. 

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“This World Where We Live: A Celebration of the Land at Yale Divinity School” had its opening reception on Monday afternoon. Installed on March 21, it will remain on display through the end of the academic year. Curated by Chris Freimuth DIV ’25, the exhibit offers viewers a multisensory experience of trees and perennials, branches, rocks and soil from the Divinity School property.

“The idea was to collect primarily materials from the property of the Divinity School,” Freimuth told the News, explaining that the purpose of the exhibit was to envelop people through all of the senses and encourage them to go outside. “It was to sort of say ‘Guess what? Everything that you’re looking at? It’s outside.’”

The exhibit features an audio component of bird song, spring peepers and crickets. On the tables, there are bowls made by a local potter filled with acorns and seeds from hemlocks and sweet gum trees. Attendees are encouraged to put their hands in the bowls and feel the natural materials. The exhibit also includes fragrant twigs from some plants on the YDS property. 

Freimuth’s intentions behind these sensory elements are not only to showcase the beauty of the local environment, but also to invite a deeper spiritual connection with nature. 

“One of the most enjoyable and effective ways to do that is to is to fall in love with the world, become very enchanted with it, and remember how lovely it is and how connected to it we actually are, so that we’re motivated in our activism by love and connection rather than by obligation,” said Freimuth.

That attentiveness — to both people and place — has made itself into the very fabric of the exhibition. 

Donghyung Lee DIV ’27, said that the artwork exemplified Freimuth’s warmth and attentiveness, as the way Freimuth interacts with people “reflects the way he values nature.”

Lee said one of his favorite pieces was the arrangement of live flowers on the table, adding that the exhibition as a whole allowed him to appreciate the nature he inhabits. He also highlighted the exhibition’s location, Croll Hall, saying that its centrality makes the art accessible to a wide range of students at YDS.

For Lee, the exhibition also embodied the mission of YDS and the potential of religious reflection for creating change in the world.

“I see environmental issues as a theological task and responsibility that we can no longer ignore,” he said. “Theological reflection may not provide scientific data or technical solutions, but it provides an ethical framework that makes such efforts possible.”

Arturo Perez Balderrama DIV ’27 said he thought the exhibition was a fitting way to welcome the Spring season. He said the themes of nature that Freimuth explored in his artwork encouraged viewers to consider and contemplate the divinity all around us.

“I think there’s a divine presence in every living being,” said Balderrama. “With the new exhibition, Croll Entrance Hall feels more alive.”

Balderrama also noted that the exhibition aligns with YDS’ broader commitment to sustainability, pointing to the Living Village Project, which will create affordable net-positive-energy housing for students.

Balderramaa said the exhibition complements these institutional efforts: by encouraging personal encounters with the natural world, viewers are reminded of what is at stake and why the environment is worth protecting.

“This World Where We Live: A Celebration of the Land at Yale Divinity School” will be open through commencement from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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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.

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Dhamaal is South Asian Society’s largest event of the year and invites students from different campuses in the Northeast. This year, the showcase included student groups Kalaa, Dhvani, MonstRAASity, Avaaz, Jashan Bhangra, Navarasa and Rangeela, along with non-Yale groups from Cornell, Duke, Harvard, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania.

“There’s such a wide range of talent and styles on display, and it’s always inspiring to see how people bring their own cultural influences into their performances,” said Gareema Dhiman GRD ’29, co-captain of Yale MonstRAASity.

Dhiman called the experience of performing after months of preparation “surreal and rewarding.” 

In particular, she loved watching how all the teams adapted style, music and formation in unique ways in their performances. MonstRAASity, for its part, synthesized Raas, a traditional folk dance style originating in Gujarat, India, with modern elements. 

Dhiman worked with team co-captain Ritvik Senjalia ’27 to rebuild the group after many core members graduated from Yale last year. Together, they recruited new dedicated members. The process of learning choreography together and practicing late into the night has brought the team closer, Dhiman said.

“We’ve been incredibly grateful to find students who are passionate about keeping this dance form alive,” she said. “We spend so much time rehearsing that we’ve built friendships beyond just dance, and MonstRAASity has truly started to feel like a family.”

Krishna Tewatia ’26, a team member, said the group’s high energy always makes for an engaging performance, and the group’s inclusive and lighthearted nature always creates space for fun.

Kavya Gupta ’27, who is part of Yale’s traditional Punjabi folk dance team Jashan Bhangra, said that the team begins preparing its set in September — seven months before the performance in March. Throughout the academic year, they phase out older pieces from the past and slowly incorporate new ones. 

“We finally unveil our completely new set every year at Dhamaal,” said Gupta, adding that the unique preparation schedule makes the process leading up to the showcase less stressful. 

For Gupta, what makes Dhamaal special is connecting with dancers on campus and meeting students from other schools. She said that she was excited to watch her peers perform and catch up with a friend from MIT’s Bhangra team.

Dhiman echoed Gupta’s sentiments about meeting students from different universities. 

“Coming from a state with a very small Indian population, it has been really exciting to see and be part of such a big South Asian performing arts community at Dhamaal,” said Dhiman.

Growing up performing ballet and Indian dance, Dhiman started a Bollywood dance group in her undergraduate years at the University of Utah. 

She emphasized her gratitude for MonstRAASity’s acceptance of graduate students and said that the team has been an outlet for her to stay connected to her cultural roots. 

“Raas is more than just a performance,” said Dhiman. “It’s a celebration of community, energy, and connection.” 

With its vibrant performances drawing participants and eager attendees from across the northeast, Dhamaal seems to embody that ethos. 

The Schwarzman Center is located at 168 Grove St.

The post Dhamaal unites students across the Northeast to celebrate South Asian dance, music appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The National Endowment for the Arts has scrapped its upcoming $2.8 million “Challenge America” small grants round. Instead, the endowment is directing applicants to its general grant program, which will favor projects that celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence in July 2026. 

Within Connecticut, the governor’s new budget plan includes a 17.5 percent cut in funding grants in the Tourism Fund, which encompasses various arts organizations, among other entities.

“It is highly unusual that those project-specific grants would have a prioritization around which type of content will actually receive funding,” said Hope Chavez, executive director of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven. “It’s decentering the community’s needs and it’s something that feels like censorship.”

Chavez stressed that while museums and humanities programs get funding from the Office of Communities, many independent artists rely on grants from the Office of the Arts. According to Chavez, among these important initiatives are career development programs and the Percent for Art in Public Spaces Program.

The Percent for Art in Public Spaces Program mandates that one percent of the construction costs for new or renovated municipal buildings in the city be designated for the acquisition of commissioned artwork. 

Under the proposed governor’s budget, organizations such as the Amistad Center for Arts and Culture, the Connecticut Science Center and the New Haven Festival of Arts and Ideas will lose over $185,000 in total.

The NEA’s initial funding freeze from January has been lifted; since then, some larger organizations in Connecticut have received the funds they expected but are cautiously planning their next steps. 

Eric Gershman SOM ’15 DRA ’15, the interim managing director of Long Wharf Theater, said the theater has now received their $110,000 in grant money, which is not part of the Challenge America Program. Still, he emphasized that the program is essential for smaller arts organizations in the state.

“Public funding for the arts is crucial and the last few weeks have shown us how volatile the situation is,” he said. “Organizations who used to rely on these grants clearly no longer can.” 

Some organizations at Yale University also receive funding from NEA grants. Notably, the Yale Repertory Theatre received $30,000 dollar grants in 2020 and 2023, both for productions of shows focusing on marginalized experiences in the United States. 

When the News asked about how these developments may affect The Rep, the theater declined to comment. 

Keqing Tan ’27, a New Haven native and undergraduate who leads the arts group Indigo @ Yale, said she never realized how involved the NEA is in funding local organizations. Tan said it was “jarring” to discover that the Long Wharf Theater and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, where she attended many performances growing up, are impacted by the cuts. 

“I participated in a playwriting camp at Long Wharf in 2015,” said Tan. “It’s really disheartening to imagine that this opportunity might be taken away for younger people who could’ve really benefited from it like I did.”

Kim Weston, a photographer and arts educator from Connecticut, echoed calls for more state funding in response to the elimination of the Challenge America Program. She said that President Trump’s cuts to programs must be met with efforts from states, cities and towns to increase their investment in the arts. 

Describing the arts as a “vulnerable” sector, she urged Americans to use these cuts as a “wake-up call” and take action.

“A new system for visual arts funding has to be developed,” said Weston.

Through the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, Chavez is working to create that system. The organization recently sent out an “Advocacy Alert” email about the state budget cuts, encouraging individuals to offer verbal or written testimony to the Appropriations Committee of the CT State Legislature. 

Complete with a “toolkit,” including a template and comprehensive instructions, the email outlines ways in which community members can get involved. It came in advance of a hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 26 about housing and arts funding held by the Appropriations Committee of the CT State Legislature. 

Chavez said that state funding would mitigate the damage caused by the potential loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the federal government. She emphasized the significance of one of the two proposed Connecticut bills that would help fund the arts through an income stream from the state. 

These bills suggest allocating a portion of the increased meals and beverage tax to fund statewide arts, culture and tourism programs.

According to Chavez, all programs in the state department are valuable and said it was  “unethical” to behave “as if arts and culture funding is more important than the many other emergencies our legislators are fighting for right now.” 

She said she often considers how arts advocacy might also place support behind issues like immigration and LGBTQ protections. Arts and culture, Chavez said, are integrated with everything.

“If we’re not being good citizens and good neighbors, then it won’t matter when we’re asking for funding,” said Chavez. 

Long Wharf Theater is located at 70 Audubon St.

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Inspired by the crocheted birds at Brown University, the Whales of Yale project posted their first creation, a blue and white whale named Ruby, in September for students to find. Since then, Whales of Yale has amassed over 1,000 followers on Instagram.

Whales of Yale is run by a small team that designs, crochets and distributes the whales. Like Birbs at Brown, the initiative remains anonymous. Whales of Yale has hidden 89 whales for students to find thus far. 

Nick Ribeiro ’26, an avid whale finder, recalled the excitement of his first hunt. As of now, Ribeiro has found five whales.

After finding out about @whalesofyale from a friend, he turned on notifications from the account. A week later, his phone pinged while he was working on a problem set in Willoughby’s.

Immediately, he recognized the whale’s location and was on the move.

“I sprinted out of the coffee shop and made it to the Yale Bookstore in less than three minutes,” said Ribeiro. There, he found Tina — the 23rd whale the organization had created. “A half dozen people ran in right after me,” Ribeiro said of his opportune timing.

For Ribeiro, the search for these whales has become a game of strategy. Since his first year, he often wandered around campus, he explained, exploring new buildings and unfamiliar areas. This habit helped him develop a strong “geospatial” knowledge of Yale, which has made him skilled at tracking down the whales.

To deduce the location, he carefully examines the clues in each photo posted by the account — analyzing lighting, street markings and architectural details. Once an idea pops up, he always runs over.

Ribeiro recounted a failed attempt to chase down a whale that was riding on the Yale Shuttle, only for a student waiting at a bus stop to find it seconds before he did.

“I’m sure I looked silly zooming by in my jeans and Air Forces,” said Ribeiro. “But that didn’t matter. I was on a mission.”

Ribeiro said that Whales of Yale provides “a whimsical break” to students’ busy lives. He said that the crocheted whales are a “great reminder” of the significance of noticing small details of our everyday.

Beyond the thrill of the chase, Whales of Yale has created a unique sense of connection on campus.

“Running into some of the same people in these random locations around campus has allowed us to share in the joy and frustration of the pursuit of these whales,” said Ribeiro.

Joshua Gabrielson ’28 was one of the first students to find a whale on campus.

Gabrielson, who also has notifications turned on for the Whales of Yale Instagram account, saw Timmy, the fifth whale, photographed in a familiar-looking reading room in Sterling Memorial Library.

“I was really excited,” Gabrielson said. “The whole point of finding these whales is to take a good break from the monotony of studying. There’s certain adrenaline when you find tangible awards like these.”

Gabrielson said that he also appreciated the time and dedication the Whales of Yale team puts into hand-crocheting every whale.

This project offers a similar appeal to that of previous campus ‘hide and seek’ games, such as the Veritas Search, said Gabrielson.

“I think a lot of people at Yale enjoy a little expedition and adventure,” Gabrielson said. “It’s fun that this anonymous source is injecting that into the community.”

For William Ning ’26, finding Peri, the 85th whale, was the best moment of his life. Ning had been eating lunch with his friends when one of his friends saw a new post on the @whalesofyale Instagram. Determined, they set off looking for the whale, which seemed to lay between the philosophy books either in Bass or Sterling Library, Ning said.

“I realized [the whale] might be in the DS Philosophy lounge of HQ,” said Ning. “When I found it, it was the most incredible accomplishment I felt while being on campus.”

Similarly to others, Ning said that he has Instagram notifications turned on for @whalesofyale. He had first been introduced to this account when his friend found a whale in front of HQ by chance.

Finding too many whales may not be a good thing, according to Ning, who said that there were numerous posts on Fizz, a students-exclusive anonymous social media app, criticizing a student who had found too many whales. Nevertheless, Ning praised this project for bringing joy, especially at a time when the nation is going through a lot of transformation, he said.

“I think it’s a really nice project,” Ning said. “I don’t know who runs it but it is so selfless to spend your time doing these things for other people to take home and you get no credit for it.”

On Feb. 12, just in time for Valentine’s Day, Whales of Yale will host a raffle for whale candygrams.

The post Whales everywhere: “Whales of Yale” organizes a campus-wide scavenger hunt appeared first on Yale Daily News.

These two installations prompt viewers to consider how identity, power and remembrance are shaped in visual culture and what gaps exist in Yale’s institutional memory. 

The Divinity School held the exhibition’s opening reception in Croll Entrance Hall on Friday night. The school collaborated with the Beachum family to choose twenty-one pieces that explore identity, power and Black identity. All the artists in the exhibition are Yale-affiliated, with most having completed their Master of Fine Arts at the university.

“It’s just beautiful to see exhibitions like this that speak to and highlight the wide array of arts that are available at the [Divinity] School,” said Clifford Chambliss DIV ’25, president of the Visual Arts Circle student group. 

Calling the school a “premier art hub at Yale,” Chambliss emphasized its role in fostering conversations across artistic disciplines — from performing and visual arts to homiletics. He said the exhibition was a display of great skill that captures the Black experience. 

According to Tom Krattenmaker, the Divinity School’s director of communications, the exhibition is part of a new art space. The works are on display at the Croll Family Entrance Hall, which was recently remodeled as part of the Living Village residential project.

“Exhibitions like this one invite viewers to reflect on religious, social and cultural issues, prompting conversations about identity, race and spirituality,” said Sophia Spralja DIV ’26, a Divinity School student concentrating on visual art and material culture. “These works drew my attention to distinct historical events in the Black experience that might otherwise have been overlooked.”

Spralja said that viewing the exhibition inspired questions about who is mourned, who is commemorated and who remains on the margins of visibility. 

She added that the exhibition’s location in the main entryway of the Divinity School provides an important and visible opportunity to foster dialogue among peers.

As an avid soccer player herself, Spralja said she appreciated the intersection of sport and art that the Beachums are interested in.

In fact, Kelvin Beachum said that Collywobbles — a colorful mixed media piece named after the British slang term for nervousness — reminded him of his feelings each time he takes the field.  

According to Chambliss, what truly makes the exhibition special is the Beachum family’s commitment to the artists whose works they collect.

“They’re not collecting just to amass artwork, but to actually build a relationship with each artist and contribute to an ongoing dialogue,” Chambliss said.

For featured artist Torkwase Dyson ART ’03, it is time “for a new relationship with abstraction.” 

Her work draws inspiration from the architecture used by enslaved people who hid or stowed away to attain their freedom. Creating a shape system that represents various modes of movement and concealment, Dyson articulates how constraining infrastructure facilitated liberation.

Dyson described her approach as an “illegal abstraction developed out of the condition of new world-building toward liberation and revolution.” 

In “The Night is Our Friend,” Dominic Chambers ART ’19 depicts two subjects resting on the other side of a wall, inviting viewers to follow their lead in a moment of shared respite. Through his use of color and contrasts, Chambers creates a dreamlike atmosphere. 

Behind the wall his subjects are leaning against, nebulous spirits materialize — infusing the piece with elements of magical realism.

“My job is to offer my perspective as not all perspectives are told,” said Chambers of his artistic process. 

As part of the school’s broader commitment to showcasing such untold perspectives, Krattenmaker revealed a new portrait of Alexander Crummell, a prominent 19th-century Black theologian who attended Yale. 

Created by Jas Knight, a New York City-based artist native to Connecticut, the piece was unveiled on Monday, Feb. 3, at the onset of Black History Month. It will be showcased in the Divinity School’s common room, which features various portraits.

“Jas does not cut corners,” said Krattenmaker, describing the artist’s preference for using human models rather than photographs. 

For the portrait of Crummel, Knight dressed his model in authentic 1850s vestments and garments provided by the wardrobe department at the School of Drama. The portrait is housed in a hand-carved frame created by Manuel Augusto Da Costa.

In the past, the Divinity School commissioned Knight to paint James Pennington, the first African American student to attend classes at Yale. Neither Crummell nor Pennington were recognized as official Yale students during their time at the University due to racial exclusion policies that barred Black students from formal enrollment. In 2023, the University awarded them posthumous honorary master’s degrees. 

The portrait of Crummell will be a permanent fixture at the Divinity School. The Beachum family’s collection will remain on display through late March. 

The Divinity School is open to all from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The post Two new art installations at the Yale Divinity School honor the Black experience and neglected histories appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Yale’s Spring Fling Committee started “Tiny Dorms” in 2022, hoping to give student musicians the chance to showcase their talents in an intimate environment. Filmed in a custom-decorated “dorm” room in Jonathan Edwards College, the Spring Fling Committee “Yale”-ified NPR’s beloved concept. 

“There is unique added value in being able to see the emotions on their face, up close and personal,” said Reese Weiden ’27. “I think that comes out in a video in a way that it can’t quite arise in a live performance.”

The project was started by Renée Theodore ’24 during her time on the Spring Fling committee, where she served as creative director and co-chair for one year. Since her graduation, the Tiny Dorms project has been passed down to Weiden, who has been a member of the Spring Fling Committee since 2024. 

Weiden’s approach to the Tiny Dorms videos involves imbuing the content with as much intimacy and personality as possible. She achieves this by speaking to artists about their  aesthetic inspirations and their musical journey to create a “cohesive visual direction,” said Weiden.

However, the love and passion for Tiny Dorms largely comes from the artists themselves. Weiden’s passion for the project is inspired both by a desire to democratize access to musical resources for Yale students and showcase the diversity of student talent. 

When selecting artists to showcase, the committee focuses on the music itself, rather than the technical aspects involved in their music-making. The Tiny Dorms selection committee recognizes that musical acts can vary in access to equipment: some musical groups might have recording equipment and backing bands; others might only have themselves and a guitar. 

Because of the varying experience and technical resources of the artists, the team focuses on  “raw talent,” said Weiden. The result is an array of talented artists excited to showcase their music.

Marin Korenaga ’27, who performs as Marin Clarisse, said that she decided to apply to be a part of Tiny Dorms after seeing the committee’s open call to songwriters. Korenaga was particularly excited about the project because she had never done a live recorded session before. Along with a cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please,” she chose “Baby Like Me” and “Desert Blue” — two songs set to feature on her upcoming EP. 

After selecting the songs, she assembled a band composed of drummer Mandy Buster ’25, pianist Gaeun Lee ’26, bassist Gina Jung ’27 and guitarist Grace Halak ’26.

Korenaga added that walking into the decorated dorm on recording day was “truly a surprise.” The room was filled with album covers, stickers, vinyls and trinkets.

“Having everything come together at the end was really inspiring,” said Korenaga, expressing her gratitude for her band’s supportiveness. Describing the applause that came after her set ended, she said that she “felt like we were really celebrating what everybody on the team had accomplished.”

For another performer, Lula Talenfeld ’25 — who performs as Lula Pilar — the Tiny Dorms experience provided her the opportunity to go solo. Talenfeld chose three of her own songs that she felt were thematically connected but diverse in genre. 

Talenfeld has often performed with campus band ‘ABC’— comprising five members, in total — but she wanted to prove to herself that she could also perform alone.

“It was entirely nerve-racking to walk into the ‘dorm room’ and have nothing to rely on but myself,” she said, “but hitting the last chord on the last song and hearing the cheers of the SF committee was a huge sigh of relief.”

Truth Templeton ’26 echoed Talenfeld’s feelings about sharing personal creations with an audience. He said that music-making and performing were open and vulnerable processes for him, so he was nervous to share his work despite the supportive environment.

He said a call with his bandmate Thara Joseph ’26, who reminded him to “have a little faith,” eased his apprehension. Templeton added that participating in Tiny Dorms has inspired him to start writing, producing and committing more time to music.

Talenfeld said that the committee’s version of Tiny Desks had “the same sort of intimacy that makes NPR’s concert series so magical.” She noted that its stripped-down format allowed for the artists’ lyricism and storytelling to shine.

Tiny Dorms is a separate entity from Spring Fling’s “Battle of the Bands” and other subsequent Spring Fling activities.

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