David Schorr

David Schorr, professor of art, died on June 16, at the age of 71. Schorr received his BA from Brown University, and his BFA and MFA from Yale University. He arrived at Wesleyan in 1971, and has taught a wide range of courses including printmaking, drawing, graphic design, and calligraphy. He received the Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 2015. Shorr’s career as an artist and designer was also broad-ranging. He provided illustrations for numerous books (including Parallel Lives, by Professor of English emerita Phyllis Rose, and Distinguished Professor of Literary Translation Norman Shapiro’s translations of La Fontaine’s fables)as well as hundreds of literary portraits for The New Republic, and had an active practice as a painter and printmaker. “David was an incomparable raconteur who loved bringing people together around art and conversation,” said his colleague Jeffrey Schiff, professor of art. “He was a dedicated teacher, who cared deeply about his students and the fullness of the educational enterprise, and did much to shape the studio arts at Wesleyan.” Schorr is survived by his niece, Sarah Schorr ’99; his nephew, Max ’03; and his sister-in-law.