Arnold Herstand Controversy Collection, 1974-1978

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Summary

Creators:
San Francisco Art Institute Herstand, Arnold Petrick, Howard
Abstract:
Extent:
4 Boxes, about 2 linear feet.
Language:
Preferred citation:

Arnold Herstand Controversy Collection. San Francisco Art Institute Archive

Background

Scope and content:

General administrative material in this collection includes letters of recommendations written by Herstand, memos and correspondence pertaining to staff salaries, Board of Trustees papers, Faculty and Student Senate papers, as well as documents from the Finance Committee and College Committee. Material related to the controversy concerning Herstand's tenure and resignation includes documentation from student newspapers, local newspapers, and transcripts of hearings with faculty and staff Fred Martin, Ray Mondini, Larry (Lawrence) Jordan, Tom Young, John Lottes, and David Hannah. Protest material includes anti-Herstand broadsides, t-shirts, color xeroxes, posters, and flyers, photographs of student protests and gatherings, newspaper clippings and photocopies of the events, many of these collected by then film student and activist Howard Petrick. The collection includes additional Student Senate, Faculty Senate, and Board of Trustees minutes from after Herstand’s resignation, as well as additional post-Herstand issues of the SFAI EYE, edited by Petrick.

Biographical / historical:

Arnold Herstand (1925-1989), university administrator, art dealer, and painter was born in Cleveland, Ohio. After graduating from high school in 1943, he was inducted into the army and served in Europe during World War II. Under the G.I. Bill, he studied painting in the studio of Fernand Leger in Paris from 1948 to 1949. Herstand received his B.F.A. from Yale University in 1952 and his M.A. from Columbia University in 1954. He was also a lecturer at City College of New York from 1952 to 1954. In 1952 Herstand joined the Fine Arts faculty at Colgate University, where he remained until 1963. From 1963 to 1969, Herstand served as Director of the Minneapolis School of Art, where he met and married his second wife, Nancy McDermott Herstand. From 1969 to 1974, he served as President of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (formerly known as Minneapolis School of Art). In 1974, Herstand accepted the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco Art Institute. After only 18 months at SFAI, his philosophy and style alienated almost everyone at the school. He was accused of failing to consult with faculty and students before making administrative policy changes, prompting students and faculty to vote overwhelmingly for his resignation. Students then went on a tuition strike, eventually forcing his resignation in 1976. Howard Petrick, an SFAI film student and editor of the SFA EYE, led the student movement to oust Arnold Herstand.

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Terms of access:

Contact the San Francisco Art Institute Legacy Foundation + Archive for questions or requests regarding use of these materials.

Preferred citation:

Arnold Herstand Controversy Collection. San Francisco Art Institute Archive

Location of this collection:
20 Hawthorne St.
San Francisco, CA 94105, US