Campus Stories - Art & Art History
Welcome back!
The big news this year is the opening of the McMurtry Building for the Department of Art & Art History! This incredible new home for all the department’s programs marks the third new facility in our arts district following Bing Concert Hall (2013) and the Anderson Collection at Stanford University (2014). The first exhibition in…
Dry-5: Stories from the California Drought
Two Stanford alums and an undergraduate walk into a bar… Actually, they aren’t in a bar; they are on stage putting on a show about the California drought. So no drinks, but there is plenty of talk of being parched. The alumnae are MARI AMEND and DORIA CHARLSON, both of the Class of ’13, who…
Obituary: John Henry Merryman
It’s often said that the faculty makes a school. In the case of John Henry Merryman, one individual’s influence on Stanford went well beyond the classroom and the launch of a new field of law to the very art on the walls and sculptures on the grounds. An internationally renowned expert on art and cultural…
Stanford conservators work to preserve Rodin Sculpture Garden
With dust, UV light radiation and acid rain to contend with, it’s difficult to keep outdoor works of art in their original, intended condition. To help fend off corrosion, the Rodin Sculpture Garden, next to the Cantor Arts Center, is in the middle of its annual conservation work. Conservators first wash the sculptures, then apply…
Imagining the Universe – Photo Gallery
In 2014-2015 we let our imaginations soar to the cosmos.  An interdisciplinary consortium drawing on departments and programs from across the university presented a program that sought to deepen our understanding of the universe, and to appreciate what we can learn about ourselves from the way we depict our cosmos. Through exhibitions, performances, public conversations, and courses,…
The art of music: String quartet captivates visitors to the Anderson Collection
As part of an effort to engage visitors in fresh and unique gallery experiences, the Anderson Collection at Stanford University treated museum visitors to a special performance by the St. Lawrence String Quartet. Music lofted through the gallery as the quartet performed a mix of classic and contemporary arrangements to a packed crowd of onlookers….
Stanford Board of Trustees elects Sakurako D. Fisher to a five-year term
Sakurako D. Fisher, president of the San Francisco Symphony and a longtime supporter of Stanford University, has been elected to the university’s Board of Trustees. She will begin a five-year term Oct. 1. Fisher, who is known to friends as “Sako,” has had a longstanding commitment to arts and cultural institutions. In addition to serving…
Visitor Center debuts campus tour showcasing Stanford’s excellence in the humanities and arts
The Stanford campus is widely recognizable for its palm-lined avenues and the warm California tones of its iconic sandstone architecture. If you visit the campus, however, chances are good that you will come across another common Stanford sight: small crowds of people led by students skillfully walking backward and talking. The students are giving campus…
Our Favorite Mobile Device
Long before the interstate highway system, before station wagons dotted the miles between Howard Johnson motor lodges, a Stanford alum put Americans on the road to almost anywhere they wanted to go. But as visionary as Wally Byam was, he never could have anticipated what his invention of the Airstream trailer would mean to U.S….
Stanford University Board of Trustees elects four new members
The Stanford University Board of Trustees recently elected four new members: Mary Barra, chief executive officer of General Motors Co.; Dipanjan “DJ” Deb, chief executive officer of Francisco Partners FP; Bradley A. Geier, co-managing partner of Merlone Geier Partners; and Christy MacLear, executive director of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. The new trustees – whose five-year…
Spark! Grants: A Year in Photos 2014-15
From a rock band record release to Steve Reich, from Much Ado About Nothing to original, student-written musical theater, this year’s Spark! grant supported creative diversity across Stanford campus. These student groups, individuals, undergraduates, and graduates enliven the campus with their artistic endeavors. 2014-2015 Projects: SImps Workshops The Long Way Around The Benevolent Institution Proof…
Stanford art and art history faculty, staff making plans for the McMurtry Building
Stanford’s art and art history faculty and staff are spending the summer moving to the arts district. The McMurtry Building, the new home for the Department of Art & Art History, will welcome students the first day of the fall term and be formally dedicated Oct. 6. The Art & Architecture Library opens in early…
Congratulations 2014-15 graduates!
Go forward and remember the words of your Baccalaureate speaker and civil rights leader Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. who said that the world was calling out for you to realize your talents – not just for your own gain – but also to lift up those in whose shoes, but for the grace of God,…
Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center acquires an early Edward Hopper painting
The Cantor Arts Center has announced the major new acquisition of a painting by Edward Hopper, New York Corner (Corner Saloon), 1913. One of Hopper’s early paintings, the oil on canvas was created when Hopper was just 31 and still struggling to establish himself, but it heralds the artist’s influential career and prominence as one…
Burghers can’t get cell coverage in Memorial Court
Now we know why Rodin’s Burghers of Calais are really upset. They apparently can’t get a cell signal. That became clear Friday morning to passersby in Memorial Court, where Rodin’s impressive bronze work is on display. But something new had been added: The sculptures were holding white iPhones in their oversized hands. The work honors…
Stanford students celebrate release of graphic novel American Heathen
At a recent book launch on campus, six young Stanford artists sat at a long table in the Terrace Room of Margaret Jacks Hall with copies of American Heathen, the graphic novel they had written and illustrated, propped up in front of them. The event marked the highly anticipated culmination of a two-quarter English course…
