July 15, 2021

Visual Artist Stan Douglas Named Chair of Graduate Art

Visual artist Stan Douglas has been named Chair of the Graduate Art program at ArtCenter College of Design, it was announced today by provost Karen Hofmann. His position as Chair officially begins July 15, 2021.

Stan Douglas is a visual artist who lives and works in Vancouver and Los Angeles. Represented by contemporary art gallery David Zwirner, Douglas’ films, videos and photographs have been seen in exhibitions nationally and internationally, including documenta IX, X and XI (1992, 1997, 2002), four Venice Biennales (1990, 2001, 2005, 2019) and from 2014 until 2017, his theatre-cinema hybrid, Helen Lawrence, was performed in Vancouver, Toronto, Munich, Antwerp, Edinburgh, Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Last year he was named a Chevalier in France’s Order of Arts and Letters and next year will represent Canada at the 59th Venice Biennale. Between 2004 and 2006 Douglas was a professor at Universität der Künste, Berlin and he’s been a member of the core faculty in the Graduate Art program at ArtCenter since 2009.

“I’m thrilled Stan will be stepping into a leadership position at the College to help shape the future of our Grad Art program,” said Hofmann. “He’s an incredibly talented and thoughtful artist with an amazing body of work—no surprise for a member of our core faculty. In our early conversations, I know Stan is primed to create a welcoming, thought-provoking and creative space for the next generation of artists.”

“I look forward to my tenure as chair of Grad Art,” said Douglas. “I’ve taken advantage of one of the few benefits of the moment to organize an extraordinary international roster of speakers for the fall who will lecture remotely; and we have recently devised a scheme to grow our scholarship fund that will make our program more accessible to more diverse candidates, which should come to fruition this fall. We also have an opportunity to add a new full-time core faculty member and I’m excited to begin that process around the same time.”

Douglas assumes the role of Chair from Bruce Hainley, a writer and contributing editor of Artforum, who joined ArtCenter in 1997. During his time at ArtCenter, Hainley served as the associate director of the College’s former graduate program in Criticism and Theory and, more recently as a professor in the Graduate Art program. As Hainley steps down from his position, he leaves ArtCenter to chair the Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts as David and Caroline Minter Professor of Humanities Arts at Rice University.

“I want to express my gratitude to Bruce for his contributions to ArtCenter as both a longtime faculty member and, most recently, as the Chair of Graduate Art. He helped steward the department through the pandemic, ensuring students could continue their studies remotely and then providing controlled access to their individual studios and makerspaces when it was safe to do so,” Hofmann said. “I wish him the best of luck at Rice University.”

Douglas is the most recent core faculty member to step into the role of Chair. A rotating, two-year position, the Chair works with core faculty to develop and direct curricula, represents the interests of Graduate Art on collegewide committees and the Chairs Council (an administrative and shared governance group of educational leadership), and oversees the managerial needs of the department. In addition to Hainley, recent Chairs have included notable artists and writers such as Diana Thater and Jason Smith.

About Graduate Art

ArtCenter's Graduate Art program is based on intensive studio practice and rigorous academic coursework. The MFA program is distinguished by its low faculty-to-student ratio that provides students with the attention and feedback they need to refine and achieve their artistic goals. Faculty and students are artists working in all genres—film, video, photography, painting, sculpture, performance and installation. A significant number of alumni have achieved national and international acclaim and often return to share their insights and expertise as visiting faculty and guest lecturers.

About ArtCenter College of Design

Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, ArtCenter College of Design is a global leader in art and design education. ArtCenter offers 11 undergraduate and seven graduate degrees in a wide variety of industrial design disciplines as well as visual and applied arts. In addition to its top-ranked academic programs, the College also serves members of the Greater Los Angeles region through a highly regarded series of year-round educational programs for all ages and levels of experience. Renowned for both its ties to industry and its social impact initiatives, ArtCenter is the first design school to receive the United Nations’ Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status. Throughout the College’s long and storied history, ArtCenter alumni have had a profound impact on popular culture, the way we live and important issues in our society.

# # #

Contact:
Teri Bond
Media Relations Director
ArtCenter College of Design
teri.bond@artcenter.edu
626 396-2385