Difficult situation / issue with admissions/graduate study

[ohtheanxiety]

You have my simpathies. I've been in a very similar field, and have seen grad students go through similar situations when their advisor left (though not as bad as you describe). Unfortunately, these types of academic communities are so small that his reputation could follow you for awhile. Hopefully, you will go on to work under someone else and can build a name for yourself. Have you thought about a related field like museum curating as an alternative?