Soyoung Yoon appointed Director of the Independent Study Program

Soyoung Yoon has been appointed Director of the Independent Study Program (ISP) at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

An art historian, writer, and educator, Yoon previously served as Associate Professor of Art History and Visual Studies at Eugene Lang College and Director of the Fine Arts MFA Program at Parsons School of Design, The New School. She participated in the ISP as a fellow in 2006–07 and returned as faculty from 2012 to 2023.

Founded in 1968, the ISP has played a significant role in shaping generations of artists, curators, and critics through its emphasis on critical inquiry, collective study, and experimental practice. Yoon assumes leadership of the program following its year-long suspension in 2025.

Reflecting on her appointment, Yoon described the ISP as a place for those who question established methodologies and institutional structures, and expressed her commitment to supporting new forms of artistic and intellectual engagement.

Her appointment marks a new chapter for one of the most influential independent study programs in contemporary art.