SFAI’s Chestnut Street campus
INVESTING IN TECHNOLOGY In many ways, SFAI exemplifies the entrepreneurial, renegade culture of other San Francisco– and Silicon Valley–based organizations. At the same time, a 143-year history means that SFAI faces challenges in reconciling past, present, and future ways of making and working. Amid the changing landscape of higher education, SFAI is taking a fresh look at technology and how it can support artistic practice, academic work, and the student experience. In February, SFAI welcomed Bruce Griffin as Assistant Vice President of Technology, a newly created position in which he will provide vision, leadership, and management in all aspects of information technology for the campus community. Griffin previously served as chief technology officer at Ohlone College, and has also led IT departments at Claremont Graduate University and the San Bernardino Community College District. Says Griffin: “This job represented a rare ‘startup opportunity’ and the chance to initiate meaningful projects throughout the organization. It is exciting to envision how technology will advance SFAI’s mission.”
Spotlight: SFAI’s Hidden Histories? There’s an App for That. For a casual visitor, SFAI’s 800 Chestnut Street campus can be beautiful yet mysterious. People often ask, “Can I come in?” or “Was this a church?” or “I heard you have a Rivera mural?”
SFAI Professor George Kuchar filming in the legendary Studio 8
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SFAI
ANNUAL REPORT
In April, SFAI received a $60,000 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Grant in support of a mobile application to engage its 40,000 yearly visitors, from local art enthusiasts to international tourists to prospective students and their families. True to SFAI’s distinctive spirit, the app will feature artist projects (off-kilter tours or scavenger hunts, augmented realities, social games, video/sound works) inspired by our landmark architecture, archival secrets, art-based legends, and a constant push for new questions and adventurous ideas. The app will be available to the public in 2015.