Agent Art

Where Creativity Takes Flight…. and Splashes Its Way onto Canvas

On October 28, The Art Institute of Washington – Northern Virginia held its grand opening celebration.  Being the new kid on the block hasn’t stop this new school from celebrating its successes… or taking part in the traditional Art Institutes grand opening paint splash.  Dignitaries and local community leaders joined campus director Sam Ortiz and students, faculty, and staff for this milestone event.  And media too – check out the Loudoun Independent’s coverage of the event.  The theme of the grand opening was “Where Creativity Takes Flight,” a nod to Dulles International Airport’s proximity in Loudoun County, Virginia. 

So please take your seat, fasten your seatbelt, turn off all portable electronic devices (just kidding!), and check out some pictures from the grand opening:

 

 
Guests were offered a variety of complimentary paint cans and brushes

 

 

Campus director Sam Ortiz, serving as pilot, greets passengers…er, I mean, guests!

 

 

Mark Herring, State Senator for Virginia’s 33^rd District, had Seat 1A

 

 

   
And we’re cleared for take off!

 

 

A bird’s eye view of the action

 

 

 

Meet the New President of The Art Institute of Virginia Beach

 

Ahh Virginia Beach – sun, sand, surf, and now, home to the newest addition to The Art Institutes system of schools.  The Art Institute of Virginia Beach is getting ready to open its doors to students in January 2010, and leading this effort is Marilyn Burstein, president of the new school.  Marilyn isn’t new to The Art Institutes family – she has previously served in academic positions at The Art Institutes schools located in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and most recently, Charleston. 

 
     

The Art Institute of Houston – North day

So what's so special about July 21, 2009? It's not only the day where one of the more recent additions to The Art Institute family held its official grand opening celebration, but the mayor of Houston also proclaimed it The Art Institute of Houston – North Day. How cool is that? Here's the proof:

 

Gwen Condoleo (left), from Houston Mayor Bill White’s office, presents THE official “The Art Institute of Houston – North Day” proclamation from the city to campus director Ron McKinney (right). 

More than 100 guests, including reps from the school itself, The Art Institutes parent company EDMC, and civil servants from city, county, state and federal levels attended the grand opening. For your viewing pleasure, a recap of the festivities:

 

Ready. Aim...

 

 

...Throw! The signature grand opening paint toss, compliments of the fine group above.

 

Here's some more paint toss action.

Creativity flows as the canvas gets a personal touch:

 

 

 

Gary Elkins, Texas State Representative (left), presents The Art Institute of Houston – North campus director Ron McKinney (right) with a special congratulatory letter from the state of Texas.

Thanks, Houston, for a wonderful welcome to the community.

And that's no bull...

Okay, I'm going to see how many times I can say "no bull" or some derivative of in this post.  Ready?

The Art Institute of Raleigh-Durham celebrated its grand opening with a splat (No bull - splat.  That's what it said on the invitation!) on Tuesday, November 18th.  School President, Mike Deprisco was quoted on mync.com as saying, "The American Tobacco Campus is a fantastic environment to teach education in the areas that we offer." No bull.  It's a beautiful location with an amazing modern/industrial feel to its buildings.  Talk about cultivating a student's inspiration. 

Some no bull pics for your visual stimulation...

What other kind of guest book would The Art Institutes have?

Paint for our SPLASH er... SPLAT.
 

Ahem... is this thing on?

Stacy Sweeney - Group Vice President for The Art Institutes

I love the blanket of paint hanging mid-air.

Ariel view of the grub and the fabulous people serving it.

The crowd! They <3 The Art Institutes! Or maybe they just wanted some amazing food... hmm.  

The Art Institute of Raleigh-Durham President, Mike Deprisco works the camera. This is the NO BULL zone!

Wow... only 4 no bull statements.  I'll need to work on that one. 

Welcome to the family Art Institute of Raleigh-Durham!

Options. Don't you just love options?

Adult students can now get their learn on in the evenings at The Art Institute of Colorado, The Art Institute of Phoenix, and The Art Institutes International Minnesota.

That's right!  These three schools are now offering an Evening & Weekend program in order to provide working adults who cannot attend class during traditional business hours the opportunity to complete their education through a combination of evening, weekend, and online courses.  Pretty neat, huh? 

That means when you say, "Hey, I'm thinking about going back to school for graphic design" and that smarty pants at the water cooler says, "Heh.  Don't quit your day job" you can retort back, "I don't have to." 

Just imagine how sweet that conversation will be.  *sigh*

Okay, so each school offers a unique program so make sure you get all of the facts.  Here are links to each school's website to get you started.

The Art Institute of Colorado:

www.artinstitutes.edu/pr.aspx?ID=CEW091

The Art Institute of Phoenix:

www.artinstitutes.edu/pr.aspx?ID=PEW091

The Art Institutes International Minnesota

www.artinstitutes.edu/pr.aspx?ID=MEW091

 

Lovin' the Heartland *muwah*

The Art Institutes International – Kansas City held its grand opening on October 21.  Some official folks from Lenexa City and the great state of Kansas joined The Art Institutes Internaional - Kansas City president Susanne Behrens, faculty, staff and students in celebrating the launch of the new school, which began classes in August.  As part of the event, the school hosted “classroom” sessions, during which guests could visit with faculty and interact with them in sample courses.  The school also partnered with local boutiques and designers for a fashion show and sponsored a silent auction benefitting the Women’s Employment Network of Kansas City .  

 

 

President Susanne Behrens

 

 

Ribbon cutting?  Pffft.  We like to say, "Hi!  We're here!" with a splash.

  

 

I bet this could sell for a million bucks.

  

 

Let's get a little more on there.  Riiiiiight... here.

  

 

We're The Art Institutes.  You know there's gonna be some serious food!

  

 

...And fashion.