08/20/2026
NYU Skirball didn’t earn its reputation as “New York’s top landing zone for Europe’s most outré avant-garde theater and dance” (Time Out) by playing it safe. It earned it by backing artists who disturb the peace and giving them room to do it properly.
For 20+ years, Skirball has put work onstage that many New York venues wouldn’t touch. That commitment extends well beyond performance. Prep School brings students in early. Office Hours and Skirball Talks put scholars and artists in the same room for candid conversation. Essays and new commissions aren’t extracurricular; they’re part of the institution’s job.
But one stage hadn’t caught up: the digital one.
Years ago, our friends (and, if we’re honest, longtime design crushes) at Pentagram created an identity with real nerve: big type, loud color, and a voice with no interest in asking permission.
Our job was to carry that same spirit online without domesticating it. The new site is live today. It feels unmistakably Skirball, which was the whole point.
Thank you to the passionate team at NYU Skirball for the vision, trust, and willingness to push. To Pentagram for giving us a brand with enough nerve to live up to. And to James Baldwin, whose words are still doing exactly what he believed art should do.
Full case study on our site
