舊金山藝術(shù)學(xué)院 (San Francisco Art Institute)一直是美國(guó)北加利福尼亞州藝術(shù)界近150年來的中堅(jiān)力量，也擁有眾多知名藝術(shù)家、音樂家和電影制作人校友包括Kehinde Wiley, Jerry Garcia, Annie Leibovitz和Kathryn Bigelow等等。因新冠狀肺炎疫情影響，舊金山藝術(shù)學(xué)院近日由于財(cái)務(wù)困難和無法確定未來合作伙伴，將面臨著在2020年5月畢業(yè)季后暫停運(yùn)營(yíng)的不確定性。

Gordon Knox, president of the San Francisco Art Institute, stands in the institute’s new campus inside the historic Herbst Pavilion at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture in 2017. Photo by Leah Millis. Courtesy The Chronicle

美國(guó)時(shí)間2020年3月23日（周一），舊金山藝術(shù)學(xué)院校長(zhǎng)戈登·諾克斯（Gordon Knox)和學(xué)院董事會(huì)主席潘·羅克·列維（Pam Rorke Levy)在給所有學(xué)生和教職工的公開信中提到，舊金山藝術(shù)學(xué)院將會(huì)在5月所有畢業(yè)生完成畢業(yè)之后暫停所有課程和秋季學(xué)期招生。舊金山學(xué)院此前與灣區(qū)最好的兩所高等教育機(jī)構(gòu)的談判由于新冠狀病毒肺炎的影響而陷入了僵局，“盡管作為藝術(shù)機(jī)構(gòu)，舊金山藝術(shù)學(xué)院正面臨著一系列新的挑戰(zhàn)，但是這些挑戰(zhàn)將迫使我們不斷發(fā)展，在未來的數(shù)月甚至數(shù)年中，我們的目標(biāo)是再次重生，可能是為新時(shí)代而采取新的方式?！?因新冠狀病毒肺炎所帶來的恐慌和股市暴跌，使得控制風(fēng)險(xiǎn)成為了很多國(guó)際藝術(shù)機(jī)構(gòu)和大學(xué)的首要任務(wù)。盡管舊金山藝術(shù)學(xué)院對(duì)可實(shí)現(xiàn)的戰(zhàn)略伙伴關(guān)系充滿期待和希望，但疫情所帶來的全球化影響可能會(huì)拖慢一切步伐。  

Pete’s Cafe at the San Francisco Art Institute. Photo by Vince Maggiora. Courtesy The Chronicle

盡管舊金山藝術(shù)學(xué)院很有可能再難以一個(gè)獨(dú)立學(xué)院重新開放，但董事會(huì)主席Pam Levy仍在接受《舊金山紀(jì)事報(bào)》的采訪時(shí)表示出一些積極的期待。Levy稱：“我們（的規(guī)模）可能會(huì)變小，可能會(huì)合并成一個(gè)校園。我們也可能會(huì)與其他院校機(jī)構(gòu)建立合作。但無論如何我們會(huì)繼續(xù)下去?！?/p>

The San Francisco Institute (SFAI), remains to be a critical force among the art scene in Northern California for nearly 150 years, and it also has quite a few notable artists, musicians and filmmakers as alumni including Kehinde Wiley, Jerry Garcia, Annie Leibovitz, Kathryn Bigelow and so on. For the influence of coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), the San Francisco Institute will be confronted with the survival issue after the institute’s efforts to merge with other educational institutions cannot be developed further. It is uncertain that it can continue operating after the graduation in May.

On 23 March (Monday), Gordon Knox, President of the San Francisco Institute and Pam Porke Lvey, Chair of its Board Trustees, indicated in the open letter to all students and faculty members of, SFAI will cease classes and admission of news students for the fall of 2020. The negotiations that SFAI has conducted with “two of the Bay Area’s finest institutions of higher learning” reached an impasse for the influence of COVID-19 pandemic. “Today we as an institution are facing a new set of challenges that will force us to evolve, and in the months and years ahead our goal will be to reinvent ourselves once again, perhaps taking a new form for a new era,”Knox and Levy wrote in the open letter. The coronavirus scare and following nosedive in the stock market, have made limiting possible risks become the priority for most international art institutions and colleges. Although SFAI has remained exception in the reliable partnership to maintain its financial survival, but the global influence from COVID-19 pandemic might slow down any pace of development.

While there is a strong possibility that SFAI will never reopen as an independent institution, Board Chair Pam Levy remained somewhat optimistic in an interview with The Chronicle. “We might be smaller. We might be consolidated to one campus. We might be in partnership with another institution, but we will continue,” Levy said.

Edited by Sue and Emily Weimeng Zhou

References:

1.  Zachary Small, San Francisco’s Top Art School Plans Closing After Almost 150 Years, http://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/arts/design/san-francisco-art-institute-coronavirus.html

2.  Madeline Wells, San Francisco Art Institute likely to close due to coronavirus impact,

https://www.sfgate.com/education/article/San-Francisco-Art-Institute-is-likely-to-close-15154496.php;

3. Jasmine Weber, Renowned San Francisco Art Institute Is Closing Due to Rocky Finances, https://hyperallergic.com/549305/sfai/

4. Nancy Kenney, San Francisco Art Institute considers suspending classes after May graduation, https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/san-francisco-art-institute-considers-suspending-instruction-after-may