David A. Ross, chair of the Master of Fine Arts in art practice department at New York's School of Visual Arts (SVA), resigned from his position following the release of documents revealing his long-standing friendly correspondence with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The emails, dating from 2009 to 2016, show Ross praising Epstein's ideas for controversial exhibitions and offering him personal sympathy, even after Epstein's 2008 criminal conviction.
The resignation highlights the ongoing fallout within the art world from the Epstein scandal, forcing institutions to confront the past associations of prominent figures. Ross's case is particularly significant due to his high-profile former roles directing major museums like the Whitney Museum of American Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, raising questions about the ethical boundaries between cultivating donors and personal complicity.