Pratt Institute has announced that Jorge Oliver will serve as the new dean of the School of Art. A Puerto Rican filmmaker, actor and educator, he is the first male filmmaker in the history of Puerto Rican cinema to openly deal with gay images. Oliver, who begins his duties effective July 1, has led the School of Art as interim dean for the past year.
Oliver’s work as a filmmaker includes the 2013 feature length documentary Free to Love / Libres para amar, which spotlights a grassroots initiative to prevent the addition of a discriminatory amendment to the Puerto Rican constitution. He has also produced and directed the short documentaries Pride in Puerto Rico (1999), about the Eighth Gay, Lesbian, Transsexual, and Transgender pride parade in Puerto Rico, and Diaspora (1997), about the migration of Puerto Rican actors to the United States. He also has extensive experience acting in film and theater and served as a member of the Board of Directors of the University Film and Video Association, an international organization of filmmakers, scholars, and educators.
As an actor, he has performed Off-Broadway and on regional stages in San Juan; Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; and Saint Louis, having also worked with some of the major Latinx theaters in the United States. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG/AFTRA) and Actors Equity. Oliver holds an M.A. in Media Studies from The New School and an M.F.A. in Cinema from San Francisco State University.
Prior to his time at Pratt, Oliver served in several faculty and leadership roles at Webster University in Missouri and at San Francisco State University. He holds a BA in Psychology and Zoology from George Washington University, an MA in Media Studies from The New School, and an MFA in Cinema from San Francisco State University.
“I am thrilled to be named dean of the School of Art. Pratt is a very special place with a long-standing dedication to excellence in education and the arts,” Oliver commented in a written statement. “I am excited to lead its diverse departments, making sure we continue to provide exemplary education and contribute to envisioning art in this ever-changing world. I am very happy to do so by employing our shared values of inclusivity, integrity, and collaboration in my leadership.”
Prior to his role as interim dean, Oliver led Pratt’s Film/Video Department as chair from 2014 to 2019. During this time, he updated the BFA in Film curriculum, raising the profile of the program to be recognized among the top nationally and internationally. In his five years of leadership, enrollment for the undergraduate program more than doubled.
“We are delighted to announce Jorge as dean of Pratt’s School of Art,” said Kirk E. Pillow, provost of Pratt Institute. “He is a passionate advocate for arts education and promotes excellence when it comes to enacting meaningful work around diversity, equity, and inclusion among faculty, staff, and students. Jorge’s future-thinking, caring, and student-centered leadership style will serve the School of Art well.”
The School of Art of the Brooklyn-based private university comprises eight departments offering the four-year undergraduate art programs and both associate and graduate programs in numerous artistic fields and disciplines.
