Introduction - School of Visual Arts, New York

Beginning as a trade school with three instructors and 35 students, the School of Visual Arts has grown into a dynamic multi-disciplinary institution with a faculty of more than 800 and a student body of over 3,500.

In 1947, Silas H. Rhodes and illustrator (Tarzan) Burne Hogarth co-founded the Cartoonists and Illustrators School, with New York City-based professionals working in the arts as faculty, a practice that continues to this day. In 1956, the institution was renamed School of Visual Arts (SVA), reflecting a belief that there is more to art than technique, and that learning to become an artist is not the same as learning a trade. In 1972, the New York State Board of Regents authorized SVA to confer the degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film, Fine Arts, Media Arts and Photography, the first proprietary school in the state to be so recognized. Today, the College offers 11 undergraduate degrees, ranging from graphic design to computer art to fine arts.
David Rhodes was installed as the second president of SVA in 1978, and he continues
to lead the College today.

In 1983, SVA opened its first graduate program, a Master of Fine Arts in painting, drawing and sculpture. In time SVA added seven graduate programs; Art Criticism and Writing; Art Education; Art Therapy; Computer Art; Design; Digital Photography; Illustration as Visual Essay; and Photography, Video and Related Media.

Today, SVA is widely recognized as one of the finest arts schools in the United States for its innovative and experimental program philosophies, its participation in the cultural life of New York City, and the accessibility it offers to its unparalleled faculty of professional artists.

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