Andrea Gyorody has resigned as director of Pepperdine University’s Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art after the university removed and obscured artworks it deemed “political,” prompting accusations of censorship from artists, students, and faculty.
Gyorody confirmed to Hyperallergic that Friday, October 24, was her final day in the role. Her departure follows the university’s decision earlier this month to alter or remove two works from the group exhibition Hold My Hand in Yours, which she curated. The administration reportedly turned off Elana Mann’s video Call to Arms 2015–2025 and covered a small “Abolish ICE” patch in the collaborative sculpture Con Nuestros Manos Construimos Deidades by the collective Art Made Between Opposite Sides (AMBOS).
Pepperdine spokesperson Michael Friel said the university and Gyorody had “mutually agreed” on her resignation, adding that Pepperdine “thanks Dr. Gyorody for her leadership and contributions.”
The school defended its actions at the time, citing a longstanding policy “to avoid overtly political content consistent with the University’s nonprofit status.” The exhibition was shuttered six months early after several artists requested to withdraw their work in protest.
In response, faculty from Pepperdine’s Fine Arts Division issued a statement expressing “full and unwavering support” for students’ right to creative inquiry, warning that “suppressing artwork because it is perceived as ‘political’ undermines [Pepperdine’s] mission and erodes trust in the academic process.”
Students held an “art night” protest on October 9, creating posters and messages that now cover a campus “Freedom Wall.” A larger demonstration is planned for October 29 outside Elkins Auditorium, where faculty will meet to discuss the controversy.
Mann, whose censored video was part of the show, called Gyorody’s resignation “a huge loss for the Pepperdine and Los Angeles art communities,” adding that she hopes the episode “will spark meaningful change as to who ultimately decides what goes into the museum.”
“This has been an extraordinary chapter in my career,” Gyorody told ARTnews over email. “I’m proud of the exhibitions and programs that brought new voices into conversation and invited audiences to engage deeply with contemporary art. I’m grateful to the artists, faculty, students, and colleagues who made the museum a vital space for connection and reflection, and I look forward to continuing to champion those same values in the next chapter of my work.”
Before joining Pepperdine in 2021, Gyorody served as assistant curator of modern and contemporary art at Oberlin College’s Allen Memorial Art Museum, where she co-curated the award-winning exhibition Afterlives of the Black Atlantic (2020).
