Vanderbilt’s New York City campus announces partnership with Whitney Museum of American Art – The Vanderbilt Hustler

Vanderbilt announced a partnership between its recently-opened New York City campus and the Whitney Museum of American Art Sept. 14. The collaboration aims to provide students with internships and educational programming, as well as alumni engagement, public events and more.  

The partnership builds upon Vanderbilt’s other recent expansions, including the Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang College of Art, Architecture and Design at the university’s San Francisco campus and the first cohort of students at the New York City campus this semester. A gift from an anonymous family foundation made the collaboration possible.

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney founded the Whitney in 1930 to showcase American art and artists that had previously struggled to be accepted by traditional academies. She was the great-granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who founded Vanderbilt. 

In a university article, Provost C. Cybele Raver said the partnership represents exciting new opportunities for members of the Vanderbilt community, specifically with the arts. She said individuals associated with the Whitney will help expand and grow Vanderbilt community members’ interests, strengths and skills. 

“This partnership with the Whitney reflects the ambitious, mission-driven approach Vanderbilt is taking to the arts,” Raver said in the article. “By connecting our students and faculty with the Whitney’s extraordinary leadership, collections and expertise, we are creating possibilities for learning, scholarship and creative practice that extend well beyond the classroom.”

Scott Rothkopf, the Alice Pratt Brown Director of the Whitney Museum of American Art, said in the article that the collaboration sets a new model of what is possible when museums partner with universities.

“The Whitney is thrilled to welcome Vanderbilt as a new neighbor to one of the greatest arts districts anywhere in the world,” Rothkopf said. “We look forward to building a robust and lasting relationship between our institutions that expands Vanderbilt’s access to the arts and artists in New York City and brings new ideas and perspectives into the Whitney from Vanderbilt’s areas of academic excellence.” 

Senior Sophie Azar, a current student at the New York City campus, said the partnership reflects the kind of opportunities available in New York City that encouraged her decision to spend a semester there.

“I’m so excited about the partnership with the Whitney,” Azar said. “My friend and I have been really excited to go, but I think we’ll wait until I learn more about it in my Intro to Museum Studies course so I know a little more about the museum’s history before exploring the exhibits.”

Azar noted the convenient location of the New York City campus to the Whitney. She is excited that the partnership will open up more art-related opportunities to community members participating in the New York City campus program.

“We have such easy access to the museum, especially since you can get there with a quick walk along the High Line, and I really appreciate that admission is free for people under 25,” Azar said. “Beyond making the museum more accessible, I think the partnership gives students a chance to engage with New York’s cultural scene in a way that’s authentic and really unique to the program.”