Pennsylvania College of Art & Design Selects New President

Andrew W. Barnes, Ph.D, has been selected by the Board of Trustees as the next President of Pennsylvania College of Art & Design, according to Board Chair Jim Warner. Dr. Barnes is expected to take the helm of the College on Jan. 13, 2025, following  Interim President Audry Carter.

“I am thrilled to be coming to PCA&D as the next President,” said Dr. Barnes. “For 11 years I worked at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY— eight of those years as the Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences—and I miss being in an art and design school where ‘making’ is at the heart of what we do. We are makers, and that making has the potential to change our lives and our communities. It certainly has done so for me.”

Russell D. Urban, who chaired the search committee, said Dr. Barnes has a unique set of qualifications that match the needs of the College. “He has a Ph.D. and more than a decade of higher education experience with sound business and financial skills, while still being a practicing artist. These things are not usually found in one candidate.” 

Dr. Barnes currently serves as the Dean of the School of the Arts, Humanities, Education, and Social Science at York College of Pennsylvania. Before coming to York, he was Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Pratt Institute. Throughout his administrative career, Dr. Barnes has focused on program development—he has developed Masters degrees in Media Studies, Writing, and Performance and Performance studies, as well as a BFA degree in Digital Arts and Artificial Intelligence.

He holds a Master’s in Humanities from New York University, a Ph.D. in English Literature from Stony Brook University, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Bennington College. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Indianapolis.

“As PCA&D continues to evolve to serve our students, we are excited that Dr. Barnes will both address the practical improvements necessary to prepare for the future and lead with a strategic sensibility that ensures the College’s relevance and long-term sustainability,” said Jim Warner, Chair of the Board of Trustees.

“I know Dr. Barnes is looking forward to continuing to elevate the College’s programs and prominence,” said Interim President Audry Carter, noting that the College just saw the largest incoming class in PCA&D’s history. 

Dr. Barnes is committed to experiential learning. “Society is in the process of rethinking how the humanities function in today’s world,” he said. “It’s never been more relevant than now to take the humanities out of the classroom and put it into the community.”

A successful fundraiser, Dr. Barnes brought in the first National Science Foundation grant at Pratt for more than $1 million, as well as private endowments for the arts and sciences. At York College, he was instrumental in securing $1.35 million for the construction of a public-private partnership at York College’s Knowledge Park. 

In addition to his academic leadership, Dr. Barnes pursues his own creative endeavors. His first book, Post-Closet Masculinities in Early Modern England was published by Bucknell University Press in 2009. His memoir, The Dark Eclipse: Reflections on Suicide and Absence, was also published by Bucknell University Press in 2018. 

A descendant of Scottish weavers, Dr. Barnes has a textile art practice, which focuses on the intersection between textiles and texts. His project, “The Martin Cross,” is a reproduction of Agnes Martin’s painting, “Untitled 1960,” using 55,000 cotton stitches overlaid with a tale from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Similarly, “Weaving Shakespeare” translates a selection of Shakespeare’s sonnets into a series of woven panels based on a synesthetic alphabet and the formal properties of the sonnet and of weaving. He also creates blankets and tea towels for household use. (See his weaving on his webpage and his Instagram account: @drawbarnes.)

He says “Weaving is surprisingly mathematical: calculating the ends-per-inch, picks, width and length, and yardage. Of course, weaving is an art practice relying on a knowledge of color, material, and composition. This combination of the mathematical and the creative matches the left-brain/right-brain function of my mind. I am happiest living at the divide between the two. When the intellectual and the creative are in balance, I feel whole.”

Dr. Barnes serves on the boards of the York Symphony Orchestra, the Cultural Alliance of York, and the Fringe Festival, as well as on committees for the Appell Center and the Shine Music Foundation. 

He has been married for more than 32 years to David Foley, who is the chair of Interior Design at Pratt. A registered architect, Foley was the in-house architect for the Prada Group for more than 12 years.

Dr. Barnes will begin his tenure at PCA&D on the first day of the Spring 2025 semester.