November 18, 2020
Today, the Art Students League announces its new Artistic & Executive Director Michael Hall. Hall brings his years of management and art world leadership, most recently with Art Basel and The Armory Show, to the 146-year-old institution. In his appointment to this role, Hall succeeds Michael Rips, who departed the League in June 2020.
Hall has been with Art Basel as the Global Head of Operations & Logistics since 2015, managing the fair’s production in Basel, Miami, and Hong Kong. A practicing artist himself who frequently collaborates with artists on independent projects, Hall brings the combined experience of organizational leadership, art world knowledge, and artistic practice to the position.
“Being able to join the League at this unprecedented time in our history fills me with so much energy,“ Hall says of his appointment. “The opportunity to continue to grow the League and engage our global community further, providing accessible and meaningful artistic instruction, is both inspiring and deeply necessary. For a nation that is hurting and asking for change, art is not only a salve for turbulent times but a force for social transformation. Now that the League has successfully taken the leap into digital, the possibilities are limitless.”