School Notes: School of Art
March/April 2019

School of Art opens students studios to the public

The Yale School of Art will host its annual graduate open studios on April 6 and 7. Featuring work from the Departments of Graphic Design, Painting/Printmaking, Photography, and Sculpture, open studios offers the public the opportunity to witness first-hand the working processes of the students at the School of Art. Studios are open to the public and located across four buildings on Yale’s campus in downtown New Haven, including 1156 Chapel Street, 353 Crown Street, and 32–36 Edgewood Avenue. Members of the public are also invited to attend the opening of Group Two of the Sculpture MFA Thesis Show, which will be held on Saturday, April 6 from 6–8 p.m. in the Green Hall Gallery at 1156 Chapel Street, New Haven.

Alumni win Art Matters grants

Three School of Art alums were among the winners of the 2018 Art Matters grant, an invitation-only fellowship that recognizes artists who take on social issues or experiment with form through their work. Twenty-four fellowships of $7,500 each were awarded to artists whose work “breaks ground aesthetically and socially.” Natalie Ball ’18MFA (painting/printmaking) won for her sculptural works, which question the misrepresentation of indigenous cultures through an exploration of how gesture and materiality relate to power, narrative, and identity. Lauren Halsey ’14MFA (sculpture) was awarded the grant for her sculptures and installations, through which she constructs fantastical spaces that reimagine the possible futures for marginalized communities. Finally, Titus Kaphar’06MFA (painting/printmaking) won in conjunction with poet and attorney Reginald Dwayne Betts. Together the pair creates mixed media works that challenge assumptions about people with criminal records and confront the abuses of the criminal justice system.