The Art & Design Alumni Association (A&DAA) provides a vital link between the alumni and the high school.
Our purpose is to help the students of the High School of Art and Design
• with scholarship awards at graduation
• sponsor student art competitions and student activities
• offer career guidance by arranging for alumni to come to classes
to speak about their work and careers
• help with portfolio grading at the end of the school year
• to set up mentoring programs
• encourage the donation of goods and services to the school.
The Alumni Association has long been a grass-roots organization. Many of us recall years going by following graduation without a word of contact. But the tide began to change in the mid-1980s. A new group of volunteers emerged.
A 25th anniversary celebration was held at Art & Design in 1985, bringing together many graduates who had not been seen or heard from in decades. And in October 1990, a major fundraising was held at the National Arts Club, where more than 370 alumni attended, some of whom flew in from across the country for the event.
On October 4, 2001, the Art and Design Alumni Association held the largest reunion in alumni history in honor of our school’s 65th birthday, the Grand Reunion. Over 600 alumni and faculty attended.
On November 5, 2011 our school celebrated its 75th birthday with a wonderful Hudson River boat ride, and the Alumni Association plans to hold another major celebration with the opening of the new building in the Fall of 2012. We hope to see you there, and we hope you will help support our work to assure the future of the High School of Art and Design.
We receive most of our funding through membership dues, and although we have been the recipients of donations from various corporate sponsors, our primary support comes from the alumni who join the Association.
Alumni Association Scholarship Program
Since June 1990 the Alumni Association has given cash awards at graduation: to a student who has consistently excelled in art and to a student who has consistently excelled in architecture. Our first awards amounted to just $25 each. They have since been increased to $300 or more, thanks to your support. Click here to view the scholarship awards.
