The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Philip Johnson Glass House, and the School of Visual Arts (SVA) have launched glasshouseconversations.org, a website that extends the signature Glass House Conversations program, an invitational held at the Glass House during 2008 and 2009 with cultural, business and educational leaders sponsored by Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope.

The goal of the new site is to reach an international audience of people with design-related interests and provide them with an on-going forum and new community for insightful conversations. 

The site has been in development since last fall through an inventive partnership between the MFA Interaction Design Department at SVA and the Philip Johnson Glass House. Its goal is to adapt the intimate Glass House Conversations series to an expanded digital forum, and build on the legacy of architect Philip Johnson’s home in New Canaan, Connecticut, a place that architectural historian Vincent Scully called the “longest running salon in America.” It was at the Glass House that Philip Johnson and longtime partner David Whitney brought together people like Andy Warhol, Frank Stella and Robert A.M. Stern for discussions that shaped the cultural dialogue of the 20th century. This project engages a new, on-line audience and expands the conversation into the 21st century.

“The challenge was two-fold: first, how to engage a broader audience in the design leadership conversations that occurred at the Glass House and became a branded program; and then how to stay true to what Philip Johnson and David Whitney did best- always staying on the cutting edge of innovation,” said Christy MacLear, Executive Director for the Philip Johnson Glass House.  “SVA was the perfect partner to envision how a meaningful dialogue could occur in a digital forum, examples of which were limited to date. The students’ work is truly groundbreaking.”

Each week on glasshouseconversations.org a host puts forth a provocation in the form of a question or a debate topic, and members of the public worldwide have up to five days to respond. Alice Rawsthorn, the design critic for the International Herald Tribune, hosts the discussion for the week of July 19, and upcoming conversations will be hosted by leaders in cultural fields, including John Maeda, Ralph Caplan, and John Lilly.

Six students from SVA–Clint Beharry, Derek Chan, Kristin Graefe, Katie Koch, Russell Maschmeyer, and Eric St. Onge–developed the site from the fall of 2009 through the spring of 2010 in the course Continuing the Conversation. “Glass House Conversations was a dynamic opportunity for our students to extend the learning from the classroom, and work in a creative collaboration with clients who care deeply both about design and the community at large,” said Liz Danzico, chair, MFA Interaction Design Department at SVA, who directed the project with Jason Santa Maria, mentor, and Dorothy Dunn, former Director of Visitor Experience for the Glass House. In the MFA Interaction Design Department, students work both individually and collaboratively to learn the concepts and methods of interaction design, starting with an understanding of people and the environments that drive their needs, goals and experiences. Course materials consider these social constructs and human experiences as the basis for approaching problems across media.

SVA will continue to be involved through the site’s launch as two students from the MFA Design Criticism Department–Emily Leibin and Molly Heintz–have been named fellows at the Glass House to help shape content for the site, inviting moderators and designing questions to inspire on-line exchange and use. Initial audience use has been targeted to the 120 leaders involved in the 2008 and 2009 Conversations and will expand to include the 100 participants of Modern Views, a project for which contemporary artists, architects, and designers created and donated works of art and written statements, capturing their thoughts and inspirations about the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Farnsworth House (1945-51), the Philip Johnson Glass House (1949), and the architects who created them.

About SVA

The MFA Interaction Design Department at SVA is an inventive two-year program that requires students to intimately understand how design can affect human behavior, and to think more holistically about the products and services they’re creating. The program explores the strategic role of interaction design in shaping everyday life, and intends to increase the relevancy of design to business and society so designers can make a difference.

The MFA Design Criticism Department at SVA trains students to research, analyze and evaluate design and its social and environmental implications. Drawing on the broadest possible definition of design, the two-year curriculum emphasizes the skills and knowledge relevant to those who wish to apply critical thinking about design in a range of media, and addresses graphic, Web and product design as well as fashion, urban planning and network systems.

School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City is an established leader and innovator in the education of artists. From its inception in 1947, the faculty has been comprised of professionals working in the arts and art-related fields. SVA provides an environment that nurtures creativity, inventiveness and experimentation, enabling students to develop a strong sense of identity and a clear direction of purpose.
 
About the Philip Johnson Glass House and Modern Views

The Philip Johnson Glass House is an international destination and celebrated example of modernist architecture and has been named as the Center for Modernism by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It operates as a programmatic, scholastic and advisory center for modern architecture, art and landscape.

Spearheaded by Glass House leadership, as the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Center for Modernism, the Modern Views project represents a year-long initiative to raise $1M for critical site preservation efforts at both of these Modernist icons.

About the National Trust for Historic Preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a non-profit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history – and the important moments of everyday life – took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustainability. With headquarters in Washington, DC, eight regional and field offices, 29 historic sites, and partner organizations in 50 states, territories, and the District of Columbia, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories.

For more information, please contact the School of Visual Arts at proffice@sva.edu or 212.592.2010.

Click here to subscribe to the Visual Arts Briefs, SVA’s weekly digest of news and events.

Berkeley College is pleased to announce the appointment of Teri Duda as Senior Vice President, Government Affairs. In this role, she will represent the College in its interactions with municipal, county, state and federal legislators.

 “Teri’s extraordinary understanding of government operations and long-established relationships with legislators make her a successful advocate for the College community,” said Berkeley College President Dario A. Cortes, PhD.

 Ms. Duda most recently served Berkeley College as Senior Vice President of External Affairs. In this role, she built partnerships and established programming in communities surrounding several campuses of the College.

 She currently holds board positions with the Greater Paramus Chamber of Commerce and the Newark Regional Business Partnership, among other organizations, and serves as Vice President of Education for the Greater Paterson Chamber of Commerce.

 Ms. Duda recently was selected among the 2010 “Faces of New Jersey,” a project recognizing women who have a major impact on the State of New Jersey.

 Ms. Duda holds a BA from San Diego State University and an MA from the University of Wisconsin. She is a Bloustein Fellow of the John Heldridge Leadership Institute on Workforce Development from Rutgers University.

 A leader in business education for 79 years, Berkeley College maintains an enrollment of more than 8,000 students, including 665 international students in its Baccalaureate and Associate degree programs. The College has two New York campuses in Midtown Manhattan and White Plains, an Extension Center in Lower Manhattan in the Wall Street area; four New Jersey campuses located in Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson), Paramus, Woodbridge, and Newark; and Berkeley College Online. Concentrations are offered in more than 20 career fields, and all campuses are accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The College’s website address is http://www.berkeleycollege.edu

Staschak, President and CEO of Bryant & Stratton College, replaces Bryant H. “By” Prentice, III, chairman of the Board of Bryant & Stratton, who retired as vice president of the APC Board of Trustees after nearly two decades of dedicated service.

“First and foremost we salute and thank By Prentice for providing years of wisdom, counsel and friendship to the members of the APC Board of Trustees. His experience will truly be missed,” said Stephen J. Jerome, president of the APC board and president of Monroe College. “And we welcome John Staschak to the board. His vast experience in higher education will add tremendous value to our Board and to the services we provide to APC members and their students.”

APC represents a select group of 28 privately owned, accredited, degree-granting colleges across New York. Trustees carry out the mission of the association by educating state and federal decision makers in favor of legislation and policy that supports the goals of higher education in New York and helps make college more affordable and accessible for all students.

Staschak, a Niagara Falls native and current Ransomville resident, joined Bryant & Stratton College in 1987 and served as Controller and Assistant Secretary of the College until 1990.  Throughout his career he served as Vice President of Finance, Vice President and Regional Manager, Western Region and Secretary, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Operations. He also served as Treasurer from 1989 to 1999 and became President & CEO in 2001.

Staschak holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in finance from Canisius College. He is a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education Substantive Change Committee.

MUSEUM VETERAN INVITES ARTISTS TO REINVENT THE MFA

Beginning in the summer of 2011, the School of Visual Arts (SVA) will offer a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Art Practice, a low-residency, interdisciplinary program of study that offers experienced artists an opportunity to deepen their studio practice and to develop an advanced body of work under the guidance of some of the world’s foremost artists and critics. The program will be chaired by educator and art museum professional David A. Ross.  

Ross has assembled a leading group of artists, curators, historians and critics to serve as faculty members, guest lecturers and mentors in the new program, including: Vito Acconci, Cory Arcangel, Dara Birnbaum, Liam Gillick, Terrence Koh, Ming Wei Lee, Glenn Ligon, Stephen Henry Madoff, Robert Pincus-Witten, Gary Simmons, András Szántó, Carrie Mae Weems, Lawrence Weiner, and Terry Winters, among others.

Ross cites the fully-interdisciplinary approach to the MFA degree as an emerging trend in art education. “The MFA in Art Practice is based on the idea that increasingly artists do not wish to define their practice by a specific medium or discipline,” he says. “In this post-Conceptual era, artists often pursue their practice by engaging an idea first, which then may involve a combination of media, technologies and techniques.” Ross explains, “With the flexibility that a low-residency program offers, SVA will provide a new option for practicing artists–across the county and the world–to advance their careers while taking advantage of the remarkable range of resources available to students at SVA.”

The immersive 66-credit degree program is comprised of a rigorous curriculum with coursework structured to be delivered via a feature-rich, interactive online learning environment throughout the course of two academic calendar years, in addition to a series of three intensive 6-week summer sessions to be held at the College’s campus in New York City. During the summer sessions, students will further their body of work during dedicated studio time, while attending classes, seminars and critiques and engaging with the diverse cultural offerings and resources that the city of New York and the vibrant SVA community provide.
 
Required courses include: Art History: Exploring the Interdisciplinary, which examines the role of art history in preparing and developing one’s own artistic direction; Art History: Challenging the Conventional, which contrasts the canonical history of Modernism with emerging histories, offering a different reading of the social and political context of art history; Artists’ Writings, which looks at the interventions visual artists have made into the art criticism of their time via essays, manifestos, poems, letters, artists’ books and artist-run publications; Autobiography of Place, which investigates how artists situate creative practice in everyday life and how their communities can inform their work; Bases of Criticism, which delves into the prominent theoretical positions within past and present art criticism; The Journal: A Writing Workshop, where students produce a daily record of their work in writing or another platform; as well as workshops in Performance, Advanced Video and Sound Editing, Advanced Digital Imaging, Art Law and Art Business. During each term, students will participate in the program’s Graduate Seminar, as well as Studio Practice and Thesis Preparation courses.

An advocate for contemporary art and artists for the past 40 years, David A. Ross was director of The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Ross has been active in a curatorial capacity since 1971, when he was named the world’s first curator of video art at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York. A widely-published author and frequent lecturer, Ross has taught at the University of California, San Diego, the San Francisco Art Institute, Harvard University and Columbia University. Ross was one of the founders of Artists’ Pension Trust, a pioneering financial planning program for working artists. He has served as a juror and commissioner at numerous international shows and exhibitions. In addition to chairing the MFA in Art Practice Department, Ross teaches in the BFA Fine Arts Department and serves as a special assistant to SVA President David Rhodes.

SVA launched its first low-residency graduate program in fall 2009 with the MPS in Digital Photography Online/Summer Residency-a one-year program designed for working professionals who are looking to advance their skills but cannot relocate to New York for a full calendar year of study. To provide students in the program with a complete learning experience, SVA developed a robust web-based learning platform, including interactive video and audio components that allow for synchronous and asynchronous meetings, exchanges in real time and virtual office hours.

School of Visual Arts is a comprehensive college of art and design offering the degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts in advertising; animation; cartooning; computer art, computer animation and special effects; film and video; fine arts; graphic design; illustration; interior design; photography; and visual and critical studies; the degree of Master of Fine Arts in art criticism and writing; computer art; design; design criticism; fine arts; illustration as visual essay; interaction design; photography, video and related media; and social documentary film; the degree of Master of Professional Studies in art therapy; branding (beginning fall 2010); digital photography; and live action short film (beginning fall 2010); and the degree of Master of Arts in Teaching in art education.

School of Visual Arts is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. SVA is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), the International Association of Independent Schools for Art and Design (AIAS) and the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD).

School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City is an established leader and innovator in the education of artists. From its inception in 1947, the faculty has been comprised of professionals working in the arts and art-related fields. SVA provides an environment that nurtures creativity, inventiveness and experimentation, enabling students to develop a strong sense of identity and a clear direction of purpose.

Prospective students can request more information through the Office of Graduate Admissions at SVA by calling 212.592.2107 or via email at gradadmissions@sva.edu, or by contacting the Department via email at mfaartpractice@sva.edu.

For more information, please contact the School of Visual Arts at proffice@sva.edu or 212.592.2010.Click here to subscribe to the Visual Arts Briefs, SVA’s weekly digest of news and events.

 “Laura has done an excellent job of building and strengthening internal and external communications from Berkeley College,” said Berkeley College President Dario A. Cortes, PhD. “Her new position allows her to extend this correspondence and collaboration to our alumni base and constituents in the community at large.”

 Ms. Jewell most recently served Berkeley College as Director of Communications. In this role, she worked closely with Dr. Cortes, his Chief of Staff and his Cabinet to manage communications from the President’s Office.

 Utilizing her experience in marketing and communications, Ms. Jewell has served as a professional speaker, guest lecturer, mentor and workshop instructor to business associations, colleges and universities.

 Ms. Jewell holds an MBA from the New York Institute of Technology and a BA in Marketing from Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY.

 A leader in business education for 79 years, Berkeley College maintains an enrollment of more than 8,000 students, including 665 international students in its Baccalaureate and Associate degree programs. The College has two New York campuses in Midtown Manhattan and White Plains, an Extension Center in Lower Manhattan in the Wall Street area; four New Jersey campuses located in Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson), Paramus, Woodbridge, and Newark; and Berkeley College Online. Concentrations are offered in more than 20 career fields, and all campuses are accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The College’s website address is http://www.berkeleycollege.edu.

LIM College’s Maxwell Hall, which was expanded and renovated by Marner Architecture in 2009, has been recognized with an award for design excellence in the International Interior Design Association’s (IIDA) 2010 Lester Dundes Interior Design Competition. This is Maxwell Hall’s second award in as many months, as this space also recently received an Outstanding Design award from American School & University (AS&U) magazine.

The Lester Dundes Interior Design Competition was established in 2004 to recognize extraordinary design projects and honor the members of the New York Chapter of the IIDA for their contributions to these exceptional projects and the design teams that created them. Lester Dundes, legendary publisher of Interior Design magazine, was a tireless advocate for the interior design profession. IIDA NY established the Lester Dundes Interior Design Competition to honor his memory.

The IIDA is a professional networking and educational association with 13,000 members in 29 chapters around the world. IIDA strives to create a strong niche for the most talented and visionary interior design professionals, to elevate the profession to the level it warrants, and to lead the way for the next generation of interior design innovators. The IIDA also provides a forum to demonstrate design professionals’ impact on the health, safety, well-being and virtual soul of the public, balancing passion for good design and strategy for best business practices.

Berkeley College is excited to be an on-base partner in the voluntary education program at McGuire Air Force Base.

Berkeley College is proud to announce that it has been selected as an on-base partner at McGuire Air Force Base in New Hanover Township, NJ. This Partnership allows Air Force personnel to enroll in Berkeley College Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree programs in Business and Management. Through its Office of Military and Veterans Affairs, Berkeley College provides a direct system of support that enables active duty military personnel and veterans to meet their higher education goals.
 
“Berkeley College is excited to be an on-base partner in the voluntary education program at McGuire Air Force Base,” says Assistant Vice President of Military and Veterans Affairs Richard Robitaille, EdD. “Berkeley College offers premier programs in Business and Management and is honored to be able to offer these programs to Air Force personnel through a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership.” 

The Berkeley College/Air Force partnership was developed specifically for enlisted personnel whose Air Force service schools may have earned them credit that can be applied towards a degree. Through the on-base partnership with Berkeley College, Air Force personnel can work toward a Bachelor’s degree in International Business, Management, Management-Entrepreneurship, or Management-Human Resources; and an Associate’s degree in International Business.

Two design studios with MFA Interaction Design Department faculty members at their helms were designated as finalists: Local Projects, whose founder and principal is Jake Barton, was a finalist in the interaction design category and frog design, whose vice president of creative is Robert Fabricant, is a finalist in the product design category.

On the film festival circuit, Mark Kendall, a current student in the MFA Social Documentary Film Department, continues to garner praise for his short film The Time Machine, which was completed for a class project at SVA last year. Kendall’s film recently earned top honors from telegraph 21, the innovative website for documentary filmmakers, as part of its Best of Student Docs 2010 contest. One of just four winning films from an international pool of submissions, The Time Machine will be showcased on telegraph21 in September. Kendall also took home a 2010 Golden Eagle Award in the Student Division (Documentary) from CINE, a non-profit organization that has been dedicated to recognizing the work of outstanding filmmakers, videographers, producers, directors and other craftspeople in the film, television, and new media industry since 1957. Kendall was joined by alumnus Dustin Grella (MFA 2009 Computer Art), whose narrative stop-motion animation Prayers for Peace about his younger brother’s death on deployment with the U.S. military in Iraq also won a CINE Golden Eagle.

In photography as in film, the summer brings a series of high-profile prizes. Of the five student awards given at The New York Photo Festival this year, two went to SVA graduates: Natan Dvir (MFA 2010 Photography, Video and Related Media) and Stanislava Georgieva (BFA 2010 Photography). Dvir won in the Social Documentary – Essay category, and Gerogieva won in the Fine Art – Series competition. Both Dvir and Georgieva will have their work included in the New York Photo Awards 2010 Annual book as well as the forthcoming New York Photo Festival 2011.

(L-R): Dale Smith, Vice President of Marketing; Jessica Perilla, CW Alumni & Award Recipient; and Karen Smith, President

At The College of Westchester’s (CW) June 3, 2010 Commencement Ceremony, Jessica Perilla, a 2001 graduate of the Multimedia Management and Development program, was awarded with CW’s First Annual Alumni Achievement Award.  She excelled while at CW and was immediately hired by the Partnership for a Drug Free America, where she had been doing an internship that had been arranged by our Office of Career Services.  She also went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in graphic design from The School of Visual Arts.  After graduating SVA, Jessica left her full-time job to start her own company – Jessica Perilla Design – an award-winning venture which has grown to over 100 clients, some very well known, such as Real Simple Magazine, Aeropostale, and Wiley Publishing.  Jessica is a member of several professional design and entrepreneurial organizations, started the Mural Project through which artists donate their skills to create murals in hospitals, including Montefiore in the Bronx, and founded an online network dedicated to women entrepreneurs called “Web2Fem.”   Jessica has remained a loyal CW alumnus, continuing to interact with faculty, attending events, and currently assisting the CW Online Division in website design.  It is for all of these fine accomplishments that Jessica was presented with this prestigious award.

Berkeley College has launched CVET, the Berkeley College Combat Veterans Education Partnership. This Partnership is designed specifically to meet the academic and career goals of disabled combat veterans.

Berkeley College is proud to announce the launching of CVET, the Berkeley College Combat Veterans Education Partnership. This Partnership is designed specifically to meet the academic and career goals of disabled combat veterans. The CVET program, administered by the Berkeley College Office of Military and Veterans Affairs, is staffed by retired and current members of the military who are fully aware of the unique situation of disabled combat veterans returning home from duty. 

“CVET participants are enrolled in the academic program of their choice at Berkeley College and receive direct counseling and support throughout their entire academic journey,” says Assistant Vice President of Military and Veterans Affairs Richard Robitaille, EdD. 
 
The distance learning program offers Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees through the Berkeley College School of Business and the School of Professional Studies. Disabled combat veterans can enroll in the program and begin their studies while recovering at a military installation. When CVET participants near completion of their academic programs, they are connected with the Berkeley College Career Services Department, which maintains relationships with corporations interested in offering internships to veterans of the armed forces. 

“From start to finish, disabled veterans are supported to help ensure the successful completion of their academic programs and placement in organizations that want to assist veterans in transitioning to the next phase of their lives,” says Dr. Robitaille, a combat veteran with 20 years in the US Army. “In addition, Berkeley College offers these veterans free lifetime career assistance.” 

For more information on the Berkeley College CVET Partnership go to www.cvet.com. 

A leader in business education for 79 years, Berkeley College maintains an enrollment of more than 8,000 students, including 665 international students in its Baccalaureate and Associate degree programs. The College has two New York campuses in Midtown Manhattan and White Plains, an Extension Center in Lower Manhattan in the Wall Street area; four New Jersey campuses located in Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson), Paramus, Woodbridge, and Newark; and Berkeley College Online. Concentrations are offered in more than 20 career fields,and all campuses are accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The College’s website address is www.BerkeleyCollege.edu.