All aspects of the marketplace for illustration have undergone major change in the past 40 years. Styles have come and gone like the latest fashion. Photoshop has become a style. Web sites are multiplying like rabbits, promising salvation and instant monetary reward. Tightly rendered work is looking less and less self-expressive than looser, more expressive work.

All this will change. It always does. What hasn't changed, in my opinion, is the illustrator's struggle to achieve personal content. Developing a personal voice is still a process of risk-taking and learning fundamentals. New voices are developing in the education process. More seminars are required to address the changes. More classes are needed to make students aware of what's happening and where to look for new outlets. Having said all this, the artistic process is not outdated. You have to take every step. If you skip one, you will have to go back and make it up.

The Illustration as Visual Essay program has been created to help students refine and define their personal vision. The program is difficult and demanding. We structure our curriculum to broaden students' opportunities as figurative artists far beyond the conventional gallery wall to creating within the full range of 21st-century multimedia. We do this by focusing on intense, personalized teaching with two basic goals: 1) to fuse the development of creative thinking, technical and communication skills in order to express a personal vision, 2) to understand how and where to apply the work produced and give students the confidence to choose making art as a way of life and not simply a career option.

We believe our program is a revolutionary approach to the figure. Your opportunities as figurative artists, with confident drawing and painting skills, can be maximized with the understanding that a strong, developed personal vision is the only measure of outstanding art achievement. The applications for such an original vision are dependent on knowing how to use your imagination and creativity. The new multimedia-defined art environment of this century will demand flexibility and excellence from artists. We offer you the chance to compete using your own vision.

Marshall Arisman, chair