Students and faculty began gathering in late May for the Yale Norfolk School of Art, which will feature programming around the theme “Making Light” through June 29. Public events include a lecture series in the Art Barn, community drawing sessions and an open studio day on June 23 that will showcase faculty and student work, as well as the community art projects. 

Co-director Lisa Sigal explained that the speakers are intended to be part of a structured conversation about light from multiple perspectives: light as the genesis of color, an element in art making, a form of openness, optimism or levity in a world that can feel very heavy. 

Resident faculty are co-director Byron Kim, Sigal and Molly Zuckerman-Hartung and four Teaching Fellows, selected from graduates of Yale’s MFA program. Twenty six students will be in residence and, while following a Yale College curriculum, work independently in studios and have access to a variety of facilities to support their artistic practices. 

Community Drawing is a live model drawing session open to the public and will happen Tuesday evenings at 7 to 9 p.m. and Saturday mornings at 10 am to noon through June 29. It will take place in the Art Barn on the grounds of the Battell Stoeckel Estate.

The lectures will be held on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. in the Art Barn with a reception to follow. The only exception will be the talk given by Norfolk’s Stephen Melville, which will take place on Saturday, June 8, at 4 p.m. Speakers for the public lectures are: 

• Kameelah Janan Rasheed on June 6.  A 2021 Guggenheim Fellow in Fine Arts, her installation art grows out of her political, personal story and background in teaching. She explores conflicting cultural histories, perception and memory.
• Stephen Melville on June 8. Melville, an emeritus professor at The Ohio State University, is a scholar of contemporary art and will present a lecture on Making Light (light and lucidity). 
• Ayham Ghraowi on June 13.  A filmmaker, designer and sometimes writer. Ghraowi’s films grapple with the insoluble in the politics of war. His latest film, Abjectly Yours, is about the espionage of Harpo Marx. 
• Mika Rottenberg on June 20. A video artist, her work often investigates the link between the female body and production mechanisms. Remote, a feature film she directed with Mahyad Tousi debuted at the Tate Modern in 2022.