Forty-Four Years at The Art Institute of Boston
A Personal History
By Professor Angelo Fertitta
In September 1969, shortly after completing my
MFA and moving to Boston from Boulder, Colorado with my first wife and son, I
opened the yellow pages looking for art schools in the hoping to get a part
time teaching position. The first art school listed was The Art Institute of
Boston. Paul Celli, the chairman of the Foundation Program offered me my
initial teaching position and that began my forty-four tenure at AIB.
AIB was a three-year diploma school with art
history being the primary academic course. All other courses were studio
oriented. This was true of most of the art schools in the region. Degree
granting at art colleges generally occurred somewhat later prompted by competition
from university and liberal arts college art programs offering both art studies
and a bachelors degree. Many art
schools like AIB focused on preparing students for the professional art trades,
e.g., illustration, fashion, and graphic and advertising design, fields in
which a degree wasn’t necessary. I didn’t realize that the fine arts and
photography programs at AIB and that our status as a non-profit entity were
relatively new.
Based on slides of my work, Mr. Celli gave me a
class called Non-Representational Drawing. Although I had no specific educational experience for this
course, other faculty also teaching this course generously mentored me. With
their support, I had made sufficient progress in my teaching to be hired fulltime
for the following year. At this time this meant five days a week and five hours
each day. We were paid at a daily rate of $31.50 per day.
When I returned to AIB the following September I
learned that Mr. Celli, who left for a position at Massachusetts College of
Art, was being replaced by an artist/illustrator named J. T. Coolidge. Coolidge
was a relative of Cassius Coolidge, the famous illustrator, and a successful
New England artist in his own right. As interim chair, Mr. Coolidge, who I
respected very much, was open to experimentation in teaching and exploring art
and allowed us to take many risks. There was frequently team teaching, which
brought several similar classes together for extensive projects and allowed
course content to be quite flexible.
Early in the fall semester, with staff, faculty,
and students all participating, AIB moved from 718 Beacon Street (now part of
the BU Science Center) to 700 Beacon. In this new space, many of the studio
classrooms were simply divided by lockers. Hearing on-going discussions and
lectures in the adjacent spaces encouraged frequent interaction and collaboration
with other faculty and students. Duff Schweninger, an installation artist who
taught the same course as I did, combined classes with me on a regular basis.
In September of 1971, Nathan Goldstein, a painter
and MFA graduate from the Art Institute of Chicago, was hired as the new chair
of the Foundation Program. After his initial year, Nate began instituting
changes that reflected both his personal philosophy, and a more traditional
approach to the first year of art school. Courses where renamed to more
familiar titles such as Basic Drawing, Figure Drawing, and 2-D Design. Nate
refined the program over the next couple of years and the Foundation year continued
essentially unchanged for the next thirty years. Minor changes did occur, however,
the premise of observational drawing as the fundamental building block in
studio art education remained constant. Nate stepped down from the Foundation
chairmanship in 2000 after authoring a number of books on drawing and
composition reflecting the viewpoint of studio art education he had established
at AIB.
In the mid-seventies, Robert Simon was hired to teach English Composition and begin the
process of developing a Liberal Arts Department. During this time we received
accreditation from the National Association of Trade Schools, NATS. It is worth noting that the strength of
AIB’s educational program continued the focus on the commercial art areas, illustration,
graphic and advertising design, and commercial/documentary photography. Also
within this time frame, many of our students were on the G.I. Bill, having
returned from active duty in Viet Nam. Their presence added a seriousness that
can only come from more mature students, especially those who have had such an
intense experience.
AIB was a thriving, happening place during the
seventies. Enrollments were healthy; and the Fine Arts Department was
developing into a successful program under the leadership of faculty/chairs
like Geoff Keotsch and Domenic Cretara. Photography, though relatively new, had
asserted itself as a serious program under the leadership first of Bob Baker
and then Rick Sullo. There was vitality throughout the school that energized
students and faculty. Until 1977, William (Bill) Willis, Sr. was the president
whose tenure began in 1962. He had a somewhat laissez-faire demeanor and seemed
to let AIB run itself. He made very few appearances at community meetings (I
actually don’t remember any) and he was present mainly to greet us in the
morning and to officiate at graduation each May. In 1977 his son, William
Willis, Jr. (Tuck), who was trained as an architect, took over the reins after previously
having served as Director of Admissions.
This change in leadership marked a significant
alteration in the administration of the school. Tuck, during these early years,
was much more hands-on then his father. He began to professionalize the
administration with directors for each area such as publicity, development,
financial aid, registrar, etc. He also initiated the process of acquiring
accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design
(NASAD). Tuck assigned this task to Robert Simon who led the process--including
the authoring of our self-study through to our being accredited in 1982 by
NASAD.
In the seventies the AIB gallery was
administered by anyone who had the desire and energy to put together an
exhibition. Tuck Willis often would oversee both the McIvor Reddie Gallery and
the student gallery. In 1979, I assisted in the installation of several shows
and proposed to President Willis that I become the permanent director of the
gallery, which he gladly accepted. I served as a full time faculty member and
the first official Exhibitions Director from 1979 through 1984. As part of this
latter assignment, I coordinated several outside exhibitions, which included two
large shows of faculty, student, and alumni work at the Boston City Hall, and a
more juried exhibition at the Boston Symphony Hall.
Although the Institute was getting more exposure
and had become accredited by NASAD our enrollment went into a steady decline.
While a number of other art colleges were beginning to offer the Bachelor of
Fine Arts degree (BFA) we hadn’t yet made that change. Additionally, at the
height of our enrollment in 1979, we leased space next door to 700 Beacon at
708 Beacon (an old and unused coat factory known as the Great Dane Building and
owned by Boston University). This added space allowed for the Illustration and
Design Departments to acquire facilities that served their particular needs.
700 then served as the primary space for administration, fine arts,
photography, and foundation. However,
in 1983, BU informed AIB that they were terminating our lease so they could
begin renovations on the entire block of buildings that later became the BU
Science Center.
AIB was forced to scramble to secure a
replacement space and have it renovated for use by the fall of 1984. We
ultimately leased space in a building about a block away at 21-27 Burlington
Avenue on the 5th floor. A rocky renovation riddled with mishaps
depleted our reserves and the space ended up with significant problems, especially
with light and ventilation. Both the faculty and students were dissatisfied
with the facility contributing to attrition and adding to the decline in our
enrollment.
At the same time, however, a concerted effort
was initiated to gain degree-granting authority, once again led by the new Dean
of Academic Affairs, Robert Simon. The process was long and drawn out and
involved nearly everyone on staff and faculty. The effort culminated in1988
when the State of Massachusetts granted AIB the authority to offer the Bachelor
of Fine Arts degree. Although the BFA was generally a very positive outcome, it
cost us several capable fine art faculty members who didn’t have terminal
degrees. However, by this time our enrollment was nearly half of our peak
enrollment, slipping under 300 FTE by 1990 and it was clear that it would take
several years before our degree-granting authority become widely known. Concurrently,
President Willis, Jr. came under increasing criticism from faculty, staff, and
some students.
Planning began for a major renovation of 700
Beacon Street in 1985. I stepped down from the Exhibitions Directorship to
assist the President in planning this process and became Facilities Manager
while continuing as a full time faculty member. I oversaw the regular
maintenance of our buildings and sat in on much of the planning for the
renovation that began in June of 1986 with a proposed completion date of January
1987. The construction company chosen to oversee this process was one with ties
to a member of our Board of Trustees.
The renovation was disastrous and had a severe
effect the enrollment in several academic departments especially the
Photography Department. The work was chaotic, with a fire resulting in loss of
records, costs overruns that nearly doubled the final expenditure, poor
craftsmanship throughout, and the completion date pushed back to the fall of
1987. In addition to the increased cost that nearly destroyed our financial
stability, we also were informed that the lease for 21-27 Burlington would
increase by three times when we it was to be renewed in 1989. Given our
financial crisis, this increase was impossible to absorb, so we moved out of
that space and shoehorned everything into 700 Beacon.
In the summer of 1987, with declining
enrollments weighing heavily on the college, I was asked by President Willis to
replace the recently resigned Dean of Admissions. I hesitated to accept this role,
knowing it would be a very difficult one for whoever assumed the position. My
reticence also reflected my uncertainty as to whether I had the right personal
skills to make a difference. I did, however, become Dean of Admissions and
remained in that role for three years. This was one of the most difficult times
I spent at AIB as the odds were stacked against us. The facilities issues,
including the lack of a computer lab for students (that the chair of design,
Sue Morrison, Bob Simon, and I lobbied heavily for and eventually succeeded in
getting in 1989), the late acquisition of degree-granting authority, the lack
of finances to support the enrollment effort, and the eventual loss of 21-27
Burlington proved overwhelming. We struggled to maintain our enrollment levels
with little success.
Also in 1987 we had our first accreditation
revisit by NASAD that again required a self-study and an accrediting team
visit. Fortunately, we had mostly completed the renovation of 700 Beacon. We
received the team’s approval and a continuation of our accreditation with them.
In the spring semester of 1990, several
momentous events transpired. As the situation became desperate with the fate of
AIB hanging in the balance, the faculty, students, and some administrative
staff took the unprecedented step of asking our Board of Trustees to seek
President Willis’s resignation. Before mid-summer, Tuck had stepped down and
several upper-administrators resigned as well. The success of this effort was
tempered by our financial crisis, but we were determined to move forward and
keep AIB opened. Robert Simon, who was Dean of Academic Affairs, was selected
by the Board to act as the Interim Administrator with the caveat that he not
apply for the presidency. I became the Dean of Students and Diana Arcadipone
replaced me as Dean of Admissions.
Our problems, however, were not over. 1990-91
saw a major banking crisis in which a number of banks were closed.
Unfortunately for AIB, the bank that held all of our ready cash and loans was
one of them. This really felt like the death knell for our college. Robert and
several members of the Board of Trustees succeeded in convincing the FDIC to
forgive our loans and return $100,000 from our account. Meanwhile, a search had begun for a new
president. The search committee was very representative of the AIB community
and included students, staff, faculty, board members and alumni. A headhunting
firm was hired and eventually identified three candidates to be interviewed by
the committee.
Stan Trecker was chosen to be president and began
his tenure in the summer of 1991. With an almost completely new administration
we undertook the arduous process of rebuilding our college. Christopher James
was hired the previous January to head our photography program, initiating a
clear revival of that department, which has since become our showcase academic
department. Stan took the necessary steps to begin a three-year planning
process and in the summer of 1992, a retreat was held that marked its beginning.
One of the first steps taken was to acquire some additional space. The Workspace
in Kenmore Square was leased and adapted to fit our needs. This 10,000 sq. ft.
was critical to our growth plans.
Although there was a gym on the floor above us, this space was nevertheless
a very active and welcome addition.
Diana quickly pulled together a crack recruiting
team whose efforts shortly bore results. Due to the changes made during those
early years of the ‘90’s, and the Admissions departments efforts, our FTE
enrollment reach over 500 by 1997. Among the changes that impacted the college
were the addition of Geoffrey Fried as chair of Design and David Schuster as
chair of Illustration later to be succeeded by Robert Kaufman. Robert Simon was
promoted to VP of Academic Affairs and Diane Wald was hired as Dean of Faculty.
One of the first tasks I undertook was to change
the nature of the Dean of Students office from a primarily registrar’s
operation to one of student services. This included giving much more attention
to housing assistance, mental and physical health concerns, financial aid,
academic counseling, etc. During the same period, we computerized the college’s
administrative processes, making admissions, finances, and matriculation more
efficient and therefore more effective. I hired Naomi Kadinoff to be our first
Director of Student Services shortly after assuming the dean’s role. Naomi, Mary
Kaye and myself initiated the Bridge Program to assist academically
underprepared students achieve success in our college. I worked to develop a team mentality in
the office so that the registrar, financial aid director, the director of
student services, and our administrative assistant collaborated extensively.
Naomi also initiated the development of an extensive orientation program and a
peer advisory program.
During the period of the early nineties our
continuing Ed program was somewhat leaderless and the work of holding it
together fell on an ad hoc committee. This committee included Daniel Lusk, who
served primarily as the public relations officer for the college, Naomi
Kadinoff, Diana Arcadipone, and me. Although our efforts were scattered we
managed to maintain the program until a new director could be funded and hired.
One of the chance outcomes was my meeting with Bill Jarcho, who was a principle
at Olive Jar Animation Studio in Boston. We put together a continuing education
course in animation that was quite successful. This effort lead to additional
courses in the evening as well as the subsequent hiring of John Casey to head
up a day program in animation under the auspices of the Illustration Department,
ultimately culminating in NASAD approval of an Animation major.
A committee, composed of faculty and
administrators, was formed shortly after the 1992 retreat to consider the
possibility of a Master of Fine Arts degree. This committee began work on the
idea of a low residency MFA akin to that offered by Vermont College. The effort
did not gain momentum until we completed the merger with Lesley University. The
culmination was the successfully acquisition of an MFA and accreditation by
NASAD and approval by the State of Massachusetts. Members of the forming
committee included Stan Trecker, Christopher James, Tony Apesos, Michael Conway,
who brought his own experience from his time in the program at Vermont College,
Marion Nesbit, representing the University, and me. Tony Apesos had been one of
the initial motivators for this program early on brought his experience at Bard
College to the table. Marion Nesbit had significant experience with their
low-residency programs. This team outlined what is essentially the current MFA
in Visual Arts at AIB, a fruitful addition to our college. Tony Apesos was the
first director of the program and established much of the detailed processes of
the program. Judith Barry, who has overseen the significant growth and national
stature of the program, followed him in this role.
I spent considerable time working together with individual
academic department chairs to address the necessary changes to their programs in
order to better reflect what was happening in the art world and art education.
Thus in 1997, when Robert Simon resigned, I added the responsibilities of Dean
of Academic Affairs to my role as Dean of Students. Around 1994, the college
undertook the effort to become regionally accredited by the New England
Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Again, Robert Simon took the lead
role in coordinating this effort. The application for accreditation involved an
extensive self-study written by a number of the faculty and administration. In
1996 we submitted our application/self-study to NEASC and a team was sent for a
three-day visit to AIB. We were given Conditional Status, with several areas to
be addressed in order for AIB to be fully accredited. These included finances,
library resources, and facilities.
I became full time Dean of Academic Affairs in
1998 while student services came under the supervision of the Director of
Student Services. With the NEASC report in mind, and further growth dependent
on the expansion of our facilities, we acquired additional space by leasing 601
Newbury. David Schuster had become the VP of Administration by this time and he
and I collaborated with the President and department chairs in developing this
new space. Knowing we couldn’t undertake this project alone, we worked with the
Boston Architectural Center (now College) who shared one floor of this new
space for the first three years of our lease. At the same time as we leased and
developed this new space we initiated an effort to partner with another
institution. It became clear that attaining our goals would be extremely
difficult and those outlined by NEASC while maintaining our status an
independent college.
By mid 1998, our search for a partner concluded
and we set in motion the merging of AIB with Lesley College, now Lesley
University. The process, involving numerous legal hurdles, was completed in
December of 1998, at which time we became The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley
College. This was a momentous event for our college, and inspiring great
optimism. We now had access to the resources of Lesley including library, NEASC
accreditation, and a fuller range of liberal arts courses. Stan Trecker became
the Dean/Director of our college at this time.
A transition team spent nearly a year working
out all the details involved in completing the merger process. This team had
representatives from all the major administrative offices at Lesley, as well as
Stan and myself. Much of the work was completed by fall 1999, and AIB was fully
integrated into the Lesley systems including the libraries, facilities,
faculty, technology, and administrative structure. Another year passed before the
work was completed and most of the glitches solved. The most difficult aspect
of the merger was melding two very different cultures while retaining the
qualities that defined AIB. Assimilation evolved slowly over the next few years
as the AIB community and the Lesley community discovered their similarities,
and gained respect and understanding of their differences. Participation in
events and a variety of committees solidified the mutual recognition and
acceptance of our cultural characteristics.
Yet another committee was established in early
2000 charged with beginning the research into a new facility in Cambridge for
AIB. This committee consisted of related administrators and Stan and me. Over
the next two years we developed the fundamental strategy necessary for the
housing of our college, working with a consultant firm headed by George Mathey to record our
current space usage while considering what our needs would be in the near
future. Several planning meetings with the chairs of the academic departments
resulted in a plan for the square footage that we perceived as the necessary
minimum necessary requirement with future considerations in mind. Over time and
through the work of additional members of the community, especially Geoff Fried
and Michael David, this plan was altered to reflect a more feasible size. This
group effort has led eventually to the current architectural design that we
hope to occupy in January of 2015.
Dean/Director Trecker accepted the presidency of
Montserrat College of Art in Beverly MA and left AIB in June 2002. A period of
instability in leadership ensued that remained until Stan resumed the position
of Dean of AIB in the summer of 2007. Prior to his return, I served as the
interim dean for AIB for one year. During this year there were several changes that
affected the University, and our college in particular. Most significant was
the 2003 resignation of the University Provost. Elsa Nunez had been provost
since late 1999 and had spearheaded several major projects.
Among Elsa’s projects was the establishment of
an Academic Planning Program (APP) in which faculty and administrators from
across Lesley participated in a number of forums, meetings, and retreats
focused on program quality, program initiatives, and faculty collaboration. Associated
with the APP, the provost initiated a study of the general education program as
it related to the undergraduate programs at Lesley. This culminated several
years later in a significant change in both the structure and the expectations
relating to general education.
The search for a permanent dean for AIB resulted
in the hiring of Gary Sangster in the summer of 2003. He had been the director
of a small museum in Baltimore, MD, and through this association had
substantial connections to the contemporary art world. Although Gary was hired
specifically to oversee the public relations/fund-raising effort for AIB’s new
facilities that would be located in Cambridge, his lack of experience in
academia proved fatal to his tenure at AIB. He resigned in November of 2004. At
that time, Terry Keeney, Dean of Lesley College, stepped into the void. Dean
Keeney’s efforts to stabilize AIB were proving effective until the spring of
2007 when President Margaret McKenna made the sudden and unexpected decision to
remove Terry and replace him with Stan Trecker. This left the AIB community
stunned and angry since equilibrium was finally being restored.
At the same time, I was replaced as Associate
Dean of Academic Affairs, a title change I received at the end of the spring
semester in 2005. Geoffrey Fried was chosen to be the new Senior Associate Dean
of AIB. His tenure in this position was very fruitful with he and Stan working
well as a team. Geoffrey had the respect of the department chairs, and his
style was to be as transparent in his actions as possible. After three arduous
years Geoffrey stepped down from the position to return to the faculty. He was
replaced by the current Senior Associate Dean, Matthew Cherry I returned full
time to a faculty position in 2007after having taught minimally in the foundation
program while serving in administrative positions. This was a very desirable
change for me.
Very sadly, Robert Kaufman, chair of the
Illustration Department, died at the end of 2009 and Nate Goldstein retired
that same semester after teaching at AIB for 38 years. Nate was awarded
emeritus status in May 2011. He died in 2013.
