[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 125 (Thursday, September 18, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1808]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page E1808]]

                    REGARDING SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JERROLD NADLER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 18, 1997

  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th 
anniversary of the School of Visual Arts, located in my district in New 
York City. The School of Visual Arts was established in 1947 by Silas 
Rhodes and has since grown to be the largest independent college of the 
arts in the country. The school has a student population drawn from 44 
States and 53 countries, and a faculty comprised of full-time working 
professionals.
  Mr. Rhodes, who has continued as director, founded the school on the 
idea of combining access to the professional world of art with superior 
art education. He has accomplished this by bringing working artists 
into the classroom. As instructors, these professional artists offer 
the students a solid foundation in craft as well as exposure to current 
art world expression. Working toward this goal, the school also has 
four art galleries, including one in the heart of SoHo, a visual arts 
museum, a radio station, and it offers students in the film and video 
department more hands-on experience than any other comparable degree 
program. Additionally, with the rapid advancement in computer 
technology and influence on the working world, the School of Visual 
Arts has impressively kept up to pace. The school became the first 
college to offer both a bachelor degree and a master of fine arts 
degree in computer art and maintains a 1-to-1 student to computer 
ratio.
  The School of Visual Arts offers both undergraduate and graduate 
degrees in the traditional fine arts, but has expanded the study of art 
to include advertising, graphic design, animation, art education, 
computer art, film and video, illustration and cartooning, interior 
design, photography, and art therapy. In addition to the full-time 
students, there are currently more than 4,000 members of the community 
taking advantage of the continuing education classes that are offered. 
The art education department also provides art classes to public school 
children from all five boroughs of New York City. The school also 
participates in numerous volunteer art projects, serving communities 
who otherwise have very little access to the arts.
  In celebration of the School of Visual Arts 50th anniversary, the 
school will present Art Awareness Week, designed to inform the public 
about the importance of art in society and about the different 
variations of art. In the coming months the school will host 45 events 
throughout the city and has published a book entitled ``School of 
Visual Arts Gold: Fifty Years of Creative Graphic Design.'' I would 
like to congratulate the school on 50 years of excellence in art 
education. I am proud to have this fine institution in my district.

                          ____________________