OUR SCHOOL
The School of Art is founded on the belief that art is a fundamental force in national and international culture, and that one of the primary standards by which societies are judged is the quality, creative freedom, critical insight, and formal and technical innovation of the visual art they produce.
Our Mission
The mission of the Yale School of Art is to provide students with intellectually informed, hands-on instruction in the practice of an array of visual arts media within the context of a liberal arts university. As a part of the first institution of higher learning to successfully integrate a studio-based education into such a broad pedagogical framework, the Yale School of Art has a long and distinguished history of training artists of the highest caliber.
History
The study of the visual arts at Yale had its beginning with the opening, in 1832, of the Trumbull Gallery, one of the first (and long the only one) connected with a college in this country. It was founded by patriot-artist Colonel John Trumbull, one-time aide-de-camp to General Washington, with the help of Professor Benjamin Silliman, the celebrated scientist.
Architectural instruction was begun in 1908 and was established as a department in 1916 with Everett Victor Meeks at its head.
Programs of Study
Earn your Bachelor's or Master's Degree (MFA) in Painting, Graphic Design, Photography, and Sculpture
Painting
Instruction in the program is rooted in the investigation of painting as a unique genre with its own complex syntax and history. The program encourages diversity of practice and interpretation, innovation, and experimentation.
Photography
The program is committed to a broad definition of photography as a lens-based medium open to a variety of expressive means.
Sculpture
The field of sculpture includes a varied collection of working methods and outcomes—one set of tools is not privileged over another—creating a healthy and experimental program that mirrors the issues facing artists outside of the institution.
Graphic Design
The graphic design program focuses on the development of a cohesive, investigative body of work, also known as the student’s thesis.