Exterieur van de kunstacademie van Yale University te New Haven before 1895

This photograph captures the exterior of the Yale University Art School in New Haven, though we don't know when it was taken or who the photographer was. The image offers a glimpse into the architecture that housed artistic education and formation. Covered in ivy, the building evokes a sense of history, tradition, and perhaps even exclusion. Educational institutions like Yale have historically been spaces of privilege, often reinforcing social hierarchies related to class and race. The lack of a known artist behind this image makes you consider whose perspectives and stories are valued and remembered, and whose are erased. The photograph serves as a reminder that the visual arts, and the institutions that support them, play a crucial role in shaping cultural narratives and power structures, inviting us to reflect on how these dynamics continue to influence artistic creation and consumption today.