<p>I spent Saturday (12/8) at the renovated Yale Art Gallery. It was both uplifting and depressing.</p>
<p>As to the former, the art is great. The museum is now one of the finest in the country, even in the world. To call the redoing a “renovation” understates the achievement: they’ve managed to create a large number of terrific spaces for seeing a vast amount of art while respecting the old buildings and reviving Louis Kahn’s original art gallery space so it is once again one of the great achievements of mid-century US architecture. There was so much stuff I barely even made the top floor where they have a massive show of modern art - meaning art that is now nearly 100 years old. Just too much to see. And I never even thought of crossing the street to the Center for British Art with its huge Mellon collection. </p>
<p>I love art. I’ve spent many hours in that museum over many years. Van Gogh’s Night Cafe is alone worth the trip because it is one of the world’s singularly great works. The Assyrian and Babylonian pieces are magnificent. </p>
<p>As to the latter, I was struck - repeatedly and heavily - by the moneyedness of it all. Yale when I went was a school, meaning great teachers, smart students and buildings. Many of the buildings were old, even run down, especially in the heating systems. When the heat would come on in WLH on a cold morning, it would anesthetize as it spread across the room full of parka clad students. I’m not saying old was great, but there is a vast contrast between old and shiny like a Tom Wolfe book. The classrooms sparkle. My old college now has an underground gym though it’s across the street from the actual huge school gym. Next to the gym is a dance space and next to that is an underground courtyard. The old common room looks like the lobby of a fine hotel. Yale even bought the real estate on Broadway and created a sort of outdoor mall with an Apple Store, American Apparel, etc. Add in a number of coffee bars and yogurt shops and you get the Yale Mall Effect. The little area around Yale appears to have more mens’ clothing and jewelry stores than some large cities. I could go on: the place drips cash. (And of course New Haven itself remains relatively poor.*)</p>
<p>I read a piece recently that spoke about Harvard being a hedge fund with students. It’s true. </p>
<p>And never in history have alumni and faculty been as irrelevant. It’s more that you’re tenants in a luxury hotel. The constant stream of letters begging for cash mean nothing. The article on Harvard pointed out the largest class gift ever is a drop in the bucket compared to the investment business that is the school. I think of our 25th anniversary class gift and think it could have gone to many places where it would have meant much more.</p>
<p>I find it depressing. All this money. The huge costs. I felt like the facilities were trying to say something - though it isn’t true - that you have been lucky enough to enter and thus you pass into a privileged world and see this is where you belong. Well no. The subtext is also: see, we are so far beyond you that you pass through and leave not a trace and we play this game with you where we pretend to need you but we don’t because we are self-perpetuating. </p>
<p>*One neat thing about New Haven, other than its late hours - 3AM closing - is that places tend to stay. I stoped at Modern Apizza. It’s been open since 1934. New Haven is full of places that have been and will be. Even Yorkside and Toad’s.</p>