Gerry Snyder Named Executive Director of the U of A’s School of Art

Gerry Snyder

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Gerry Snyder, dean of the School of Art at the Pratt Institute, has been named executive director of the University of Arkansas’ School of Art, beginning July 1.

Snyder will also hold the position of Distinguished Professor of art and serve as special advisor to the chancellor for arts integration.

“We are excited to have Gerry join our team to lead the School of Art,” said Todd Shields, dean of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. “He is exceptionally qualified for this position, as an internationally recognized artist with experience building facilities and programs from the ground up at top art institutes. He has the vision to build our school and infuse art into multiple disciplines and curricula across campus and into the community.”

Snyder is an accomplished and internationally recognized artist who has more than 30 years of experience in higher education. In addition to his role as dean of the School of Art at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, Snyder has also served as chief academic officer, vice president of academic affairs and professor of art at Santa Fe University of Art and Design and taught at the College of Santa Fe, the Pacific Northwest College of Art, and New York University.

Additionally, his artwork is part of the public collections at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the de Young Museum of San Francisco, New Mexico Museum of Art, Pancevo Center of Contemporary Art in Serbia and at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

“I look forward to joining the University of Arkansas this summer and working with the talented team of faculty and Chancellor Steinmetz to build this new School of Art and infuse art into curricula that touches all areas of campus,” Snyder said. “This is truly a unique opportunity and I’m honored to be a part of it as we continue to weave the arts into the fabric of the Northwest Arkansas region, beginning with the growth of the school and the new Windgate Arts and Design District.”

Snyder will be the first executive director of the U of A’s School of Art, which is the first and only accredited collegiate school of art in the state of Arkansas. The school was established in fall 2017 with a $120 million gift from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation. The school also received $40 million from the Windgate Charitable Foundation that fall to create the Windgate Art and Design District to house new art and graphic design classrooms, labs, studios and a public gallery space in the heart of south Fayetteville.

Snyder will work with faculty to create a strategic plan for the continued growth and development of the School of Art with the goal of growing art education, art history, graphic design and studio art opportunities in the state while also providing unparalleled access and opportunity to students through multidisciplinary programs and art integration initiatives.

“By having a leading artist-educator like Gerry Snyder join the university, we will be able to infuse the arts across campus and focus on the integration of the arts and humanities with science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine,” said Joe Steinmetz, chancellor of the U of A. “His role will serve not only the School of Art, but the entire campus and beyond.”

Steinmetz said arts integration has numerous positive outcomes for students, such as increased critical thinking abilities, higher-order thinking and deeper learning, content mastery, problem solving, teamwork and communication skill development, improved visuospa­tial reasoning, and general engagement and enjoyment of learning.

“Infusing art in multiple disciplines across campus will help develop the kinds of essential skills and critical thinking employers value most,” Steinmetz said.

GERRY SNYDER

Snyder is an accomplished artist and has served as an arts administrator and professor of art in higher education for more than 30 years. He was appointed as the inaugural dean of the Pratt Institute’s new School of Art in 2014, overseeing eight departments, 36 programs, 1,400 students, and more than 350 faculty and staff. Under Snyder’s leadership, the school is in the design phase for a new 88,000-square-foot building that includes large gallery spaces that would be the public face of Pratt to the community.

As dean, Snyder spearheaded numerous faculty development initiatives such as an annual visiting artist residency at the American Academy in Rome, providing grants to support research and studio practice, funding travel requests for conferences, exhibitions and research, and facilitating residencies. He also oversaw the redesign of all of the school’s B.F.A. programs, guided the school through a successful National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) reaccreditation, and led a schoolwide assessment to ensure compliance with regional and national accreditation agencies. He was also the curator of Pratt’s Sculpture Park, which has more than 70 pieces and recently added large works by Mark di Suvero and Santiago Calatrava.

As an artist, Snyder’s career has garnered respect and acclaim by curators, critics and experts within his field. His interest in a wide range of trends and contemporary methods of production is seen through his paintings, drawings, photographs and videos. In 2002, Snyder was selected to participate in the Whitney Biennial at Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, where his work is now part of their public collections. His work has been featured in exhibitions and publications in the United States and around the world.

About the School of Art: The School of Art offers five degree options, Bachelor of Fine Arts in art education or studio art, Bachelor of Arts in studio art or art history and Masters of Fine Arts in studio art. Studio areas include ceramics, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and visual design. The department includes 34 faculty and staff members and more than 400 students.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 2.7 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.

A version of this story also appeared in the U of A’s Newswire publication.