ACADEMY OF ART COLLEGE
San Francisco

The Academy of Art College was established in San Francisco by Richard S. Stephens, a creative director with Sunset magazine. In 1929, he decided to open a school to teach Advertising Art. Assisted by his wife Clara, the new school was initiated in a rented room on Kearny Street. Within a few years, a distinguished faculty of practicing art and design professionals was assembled and the school's philosophy was formulated: hire established professional to teach future professionals. In 1933, the curriculum was expanded to include Fashion Illustration, and in 1936, a Fine Art Department was added.

In 1951, Richard A. Stephens took over the Presidency from his parents and continued to expand department majors. In 1966, the school was incorporated and granted authority to offer a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts by the Council for Private and Post-secondary and Vocational Education of the State of California. In 1977, the Master's program was inaugurated and approved by 1983.

In 1992, the granddaughter of the founder, Elisa Stephens, succeeded her father as President of the Academy of Art College. Today, the college has approximately 5,000 students, making it the largest private school of art and design in the country. Students now have the opportunity to pursue BFA, AA, MFA and Certificate Programs in ten different majors.

It is the mission of the Academy of Art College to provide aspiring artists and designers with career preparation, combined with academic excellence for the BFA, AA, MFA and Certificate Programs in the areas of art and design.

The objectives of the Academy of Art College are to: maintain an open admissions policy that affords all persons who wish to obtain an education in the visual arts access to an institute of higher education; teach a disciplined approach to the study of art and design; maintain a faculty of professional artists and designers whose success as educators comes from their ability to impart the wisdom they have amassed from years of experience; be an urban institution that both draws upon and contributes to the cultural wealth of the community in which it resides.

The Academy of Art College was a proud host to the American Society of Portrait Artists Foundation Seminar and Workshop this past August. The event drew 240 artists from across the country and the San Francisco Bay Area. The Academy is looking forward to hosting the event again next year.

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ART
Chicago

Frank Young and Harry Timmins, owners of a successful Chicago advertising agency, founded the American Academy of Art in 1923. Timmins and Young gave the idea of opening an art school a great deal of thought, but after establishing one successful business, they were ready to risk founding another. The businessmen determined the need for a good practical art school and then began the task of finding a space for classes, designing a schedule and choosing instructors.

It required a great deal of faith in their ideal and real courage to found an art school in Chicago. The Chicago Institute, with its international fame and prestige as a museum, had already been teaching art for 50 years and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts had been a prosperous and flourishing school for 22 years. Both were widely advertised. It was the founders' personal reputations in the field of commercial art that made it possible in the beginning to attract talented students to the Academy in spite of the overwhelming competition from older schools. No salaries were drawn except for the actual teaching periods so as not to burden the School's finances.

The reputation of the school grew steadily each year and attractive advertising literature brought students from distant cities and states. In 1928 a book by Frank Young on advertising layout was published, and its sensational success with universally favorable literacy reviews assisted tremendously in publicizing the school on a nation-wide basis. From the beginning, Young's friends in the advertising business throughout the country recommended the school above all others for commercial art training and this had always remained an important factor in securing students for the American Academy of Art.

The Great Depression dealt the school a staggering blow but somehow Young and Timmins managed to keep it alive by cutting salaries, reducing operating space and other expenses. However, the quality of the instruction was never compromised.
As the Depression eased, the school revived and steady progress was made in every way until the beginning of World War II. This event once more made it very difficult to carry on and threatened to close the school's doors. The founders were determined to keep the name of the Academy alive if it was reduced to one classroom. A consistently growing national and international reputation was developed though the enrollment was terribly diminished during the war years.

The history of the Academy is an incredible story of hard work and setbacks, of patience and perseverance, of success won over desperate odds. Never once did the founders of this fine school lose faith in the vision of the school. Today's wide-spread fame of the Academy and its contribution to the education of young men and women in practical art are rewards which compensate for all past struggles and sacrifices.

Over the 76 years of its existence, the Academy has been associated with numerous alumni and instructors of national note such as J. St. John, known for his illustration of the original Tarzan books; Haddon Sundblom, the illustrator who developed the Coca Cola Santa Claus and the Quaker Oats Quaker; portrait artist Richard Halsted; Richard Schmid, nationally renowned artist and art book author; Howard Terpning, Western artist; Douglas Graves, portrait artist, and many others.

The American Society of Portrait Artists Foundation (ASOPAF) was honored to hold one of its four regional seminars at the Academy. John Naylor, Michele Mitchell and Jim Ostlund conducted demonstrations, slide presentations, lectures and portfolio reviews. Artists from all over the country attended this event. ASOPAF will also award a $5,000 scholarship to a fine art student at the school.

The American Academy of Art has been known for the rigor of its training and the quality of its graduates. In an era of changing ideas about the nature of art training in the United States, the American Academy of art has held on to the traditional values of draftsmanship, craft and professionalism. From traditional oil painting and portraiture to the latest computer animation, the American Academy has trained and will continue to train professionals in the fine and commercial art fields.

PAIER SCHOOL OF APPLIED ARTS
Connecticut

Founded in 1946 by Edward and Adele Paier, the Paier School of Applied Arts was created as a response to the needs of veterans returning from WWII. Paier began in a modest 4th floor loft of the Alchuler building on Cambell Avenue in West Haven, Conn., with approximately 17 students. The primary interest was drawing and window designing. The College now offers 15 programs in five disciplines; Fine Art, Illustration, Interior Design, Graphic Design and Photography, offering BA Degrees, Professional Diplomas and Certificates. There are now 27 full-time employees and as many as 50 part-timers serving 300 students.

The College campus is now located in the suburban environment of Hamden, Conn., within easy reach of many urban resources. The four main buildingsÑthe Fine Arts building, the Photography/Interior Design Building, the Graphics Building and the LibraryÑhave all been constructed with very specific uses in mind.

Although each program is equipped with computer technologies, the College has never lost sight of its original Renaissance-style of Art education. Many of the techniques employed to educate/train artists have not changed since the Guilds of Michelangelo and Giotto. It is this spirit that has generated a mutual attraction between the Paier College of Art and the American Society of Portrait Artists Foundation. The College is delighted and proud to list ASOPA among its affiliations as well as sponsoring its workshops on its campus.

Accredited Nationally by ACCSCT (Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology) and DHE (Connecticut Department of Higher Education), Paier is able to offer both a professional college degree as well as financial aid to qualified applicants. Maintained on sight by the Paier family, devotion to the field of art and commitment to their students is a way of life for the college's administration, now into its second generation of Paier direction. Students and visitors alike soon appreciate the comfortable and personal approach of every aspect of college life.

One need not look hard to find influence of Paier's fifty-plus years. Disney and Hallmark and BBD&O are among the larger companies that have strong Paier influences. Successes are found in graduates both as corporate members and individuals. One Paier graduate who is now an instructor recently unveiled a portrait of President Clinton for the Yale Law School.

The Paier College of Art, Inc., is committed to excellence in the visual arts field. Everything it has done in the past support this, and every intention is to continue to do so in the future. It is for this reason Paier has resisted absorption by larger interests, which would ultimately put Paier in the control of a Board of Directors which does not necessarily understand the needs of this unique and exciting field.

SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN
Georgia

Founded in 1946 by Edward and Adele Paier, the Paier School of Applied Arts was created as a response to the needs of veterans returning from WWII. Paier began in a modest 4th floor loft of the Alchuler building on Cambell Avenue in West Haven, Conn., with approximately 17 students. The primary interest was drawing and window designing. The College now offers 15 programs in five disciplines; Fine Art, Illustration, Interior Design, Graphic Design and Photography, offering BA Degrees, Professional Diplomas and Certificates. There are now 27 full-time employees and as many as 50 part-timers serving 300 students.

The College campus is now located in the suburban environment of Hamden, Conn., within easy reach of many urban resources. The four main buildingsÑthe Fine Arts building, the Photography/Interior Design Building, the Graphics Building and the LibraryÑhave all been constructed with very specific uses in mind.

Although each program is equipped with computer technologies, the College has never lost sight of its original Renaissance-style of Art education. Many of the techniques employed to educate/train artists have not changed since the Guilds of Michelangelo and Giotto. It is this spirit that has generated a mutual attraction between the Paier College of Art and the American Society of Portrait Artists Foundation. The College is delighted and proud to list ASOPA among its affiliations as well as sponsoring its workshops on its campus.

Accredited Nationally by ACCSCT (Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology) and DHE (Connecticut Department of Higher Education), Paier is able to offer both a professional college degree as well as financial aid to qualified applicants. Maintained on sight by the Paier family, devotion to the field of art and commitment to their students is a way of life for the college's administration, now into its second generation of Paier direction. Students and visitors alike soon appreciate the comfortable and personal approach of every aspect of college life.

One need not look hard to find influence of Paier's fifty-plus years. Disney and Hallmark and BBD&O are among the larger companies that have strong Paier influences. Successes are found in graduates both as corporate members and individuals. One Paier graduate who is now an instructor recently unveiled a portrait of President Clinton for the Yale Law School.

The Paier College of Art, Inc., is committed to excellence in the visual arts field. Everything it has done in the past support this, and every intention is to continue to do so in the future. It is for this reason Paier has resisted absorption by larger interests, which would ultimately put Paier in the control of a Board of Directors which does not necessarily understand the needs of this unique and exciting field.

The Savannah College of Art and Design exists for the purpose of preparing talented students for careers in the visual and performing arts, design, building arts, and the history of art and architecture. Since being founded in 1978 by Richard and Paula Rowan, the meteoric growth of the college has brought culture and vitality to the entire community. From its flagship building, the former Savannah Volunteer Guards Armory, the college has expanded to include over 1 million square feet in more than 52 facilities in historic Savannah, including 12 on-campus multi-media art galleries. The city campus offers a creative environment conducive to study, research and artistic expression.

SCAD is a private, non-profit accredited institution. Class sizes are small, with a faculty and staff of over 700, and a student enrollment of just over 4,000 from all 50 states and more than 80 countries. A strong "English as a Second Language"program and dedicated international studies staff are available to assist foreign students with the adjustment to college life in the United States.

The college offers bachelor of fine arts, master of fine arts and master of arts degrees in a number of different majors. It also offers the professional five-year bachelor of architecture degree and the master of architecture degree.

The facilities of the school provide leading edge technologies in a beautiful, historic setting. The college is a leader in restoring architectural treasures in Savannah's renowned National Historic Landmark District, winning recognition from the Historic Savannah Foundation, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, the Art Deco Societies of America, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the American Institute of Architects.


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