The University of Hartford community is saddened by the passing last month of Peter McLean, professor emeritus of fine arts at the Hartford Art School, whose influence can still be felt in studios, classrooms, and careers shaped by his teaching. From the moment he arrived on campus in 1970, McLean challenged students to think expansively, work rigorously, and approach art as both a discipline and a process of discovery.
After earning degrees from Massachusetts College of Art and Syracuse University, McLean joined the Hartford Art School faculty, where over the next 27 years, he became a driving force in the evolution of its curriculum. Alongside colleague Christopher Horton, he helped establish the Experimental Studio Program, an innovative major that encouraged students to move beyond traditional boundaries and develop their own creative paths.
“Peter McLean was an amazing role model for me as a young professor in the early 1990s,” says Mark Snyder, associate dean for student academic services and associate professor. “He was instrumental in our former Art Education Program and co-founded the Experimental Studio major at HAS with his colleague Christopher Horton. Peter was an amazing draftsman and an expert visual storyteller. His passion for research, thinking, and artistic production was passed on to the students in his courses. He was truly student-centered and became a lifelong mentor to so many of our Hartford Art School students.”
That commitment to mentoring extended far beyond graduation. Many former students remained connected to McLean for years, seeking his guidance as artists, educators, and creative professionals.
Among them is Robert Calafiore, former associate dean of finance and administration at the Hartford Art School and current visiting assistant professor of photography.
“Pete was one of my first, and it turns out most significant, mentors,” Calafiore recalls. “Long before getting behind a camera and into the darkroom, he gave me a way of thinking and making that stretched my imagination and allowed me to consider approaches to art that changed my photography before I even started. His kindness, openness, and obvious enthusiasm made him immediately accessible. He left an indelible mark on my young mind that I still consider in the studio every time I work.”
While teaching remained at the center of his professional life, McLean was also an accomplished artist whose large-scale charcoal drawings were exhibited in more than 100 shows across the United States and Europe. His work reflected the curiosity, craftsmanship, and intellectual rigor that defined his classroom approach.
Outside the University, McLean pursued a wide range of interests, including music, home design and construction, and glider flying. Yet for generations of Hartford Art School students and faculty, he will be remembered first as a teacher whose influence reached well beyond any single course or critique. His ideas, encouragement, and example continue to be part of the school's creative culture.
A celebration of life will be held on the family property in summer 2027. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Hilltown Community Ambulance Association, the Highland Ambulance EMS Service, the Worthington Fire Department, and the Peter McLean Fund at the University of Hartford.