LOS ANGELES, Oct 26 (ARTnews) – 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 backlash and accusations of censorship from artists, students, and faculty.

Gyorody confirmed to Hyperallergic that October 24 was her final day in the role. Her departure follows Pepperdine’s controversial decision earlier this month to alter or remove two works from the exhibition Hold My Hand in Yours, which she curated.

Among the censored works were Elana Mann’s video Call to Arms 2015–2025, which the university turned off, and a collaborative sculpture, Con Nuestros Manos Construimos Deidades, by the collective Art Made Between Opposite Sides (AMBOS), from which the school covered a small patch reading “Abolish ICE.”

Pepperdine spokesperson Michael Friel said the university and Gyorody had “mutually agreed” on her resignation, thanking her “for her leadership and contributions.”

The university defended its decision, citing its policy “to avoid overtly political content consistent with the University’s nonprofit status.” However, the move led several artists to withdraw from the exhibition, which subsequently closed six months earlier than scheduled.

In response, faculty members from the Fine Arts Division issued a statement expressing “full and unwavering support” for students’ creative freedom, warning that suppressing artwork “because it is perceived as ‘political’ undermines Pepperdine’s mission and erodes trust in the academic process.”

Student and Faculty Protests

Students have held multiple demonstrations since the censorship controversy broke. On October 9, an “art night” protest transformed a campus “Freedom Wall” with posters and messages supporting artistic expression. A larger demonstration is planned for October 29 outside Elkins Auditorium, where faculty will meet to discuss the issue.

Elana Mann, whose video was censored, described Gyorody’s resignation as “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.”

Gyorody’s Response and Career

“This has been an extraordinary chapter in my career,” Gyorody told ARTnews in an email statement. “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).

Her resignation marks the latest in a series of controversies at U.S. academic art institutions over censorship, freedom of expression, and the role of university museums in facilitating difficult cultural conversations.