Sheila Levrant de Bretteville, Yale University

Over her five decades of practice, designer and artist Sheila Levrant de Bretteville has been a consistent trailblazer. From founding the first design program for women at CalArts, co-creating the Feminist Studio Workshop, and running the Woman’s Building and the Women’s Graphic Center to being the first woman to receive tenure at Yale University School of Art, de Bretteville has been at the forefront of conversations regarding design, equality, and culture. Since 1990, she has been director of Yale’s graphic design MFA program, one of the most adventurous and forward-thinking of its kind in the world. Through her leadership and teaching, the program has been in constant dialogue with the international design scene, embracing a critical and experimental approach to design while producing some of the most exciting young designers today. In 2004 de Bretteville received the “Design Legend Gold Medal” from the AIGA.