The Yale Norfolk School of Art, established in 1948, is an intensive six week undergraduate summer residency program for 26 rising seniors.
Each summer, Yale Norfolk brings together a diverse group of students who have demonstrated passion in artmaking and are exemplary community members. Located on the picturesque Ellen Battell Stoeckel Estate in Norfolk, Connecticut, the program is supported by the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Trust, which generously subsidizes much of the cost of attendance.
Each spring, deans and program chairs at colleges, universities, and professional art schools across the country and abroad nominate up to three juniors from their programs to apply for admission.
Yale Norfolk has a celebrated legacy of alumni who have made significant contributions to the field of art, including Eva Hesse, Sheila Hicks, Robert Mangold, Brice Marden, Vija Celmins, Sarah Oppenheimer, Sarah Sze, and Mickalene Thomas, among many others. The synergy between Yale Norfolk as an extension of the Yale School of Art in New Haven and the Norfolk community contributes to the region as a cultural destination.
Yale School of Art is renowned for its MFA programs in Graphic Design, Painting/Printmaking, Photography, and Sculpture. Although technical facilities are limited, Yale Norfolk accepts students working in all visual media. Participants come from across the country and, increasingly, from international backgrounds. All students live on the estate in communal dormitories alongside faculty and staff.
The program structure includes classes, responsive workshops, and one-on-one critiques with faculty, complemented by a lecture series throughout the summer. Five visiting scholars and artists enrich the discourse with short campus visits and workshops. These lectures attract welcome participation from the local public community.
Yale Norfolk draws its vitality from the talent and energy of its students and distinguished resident faculty and visiting artists, who create an atmosphere encouraging students to deepen their creative discipline and develop an artmaking process to launch into their senior years. Open Studios are scheduled at the end of June for the public to witness the program’s vitality.
Artists who have attended Yale Norfolk cherish the experience as a turning point—a realization of individual creativity and a time for building a network of mutual support for the future.