Academy of Art University Raises Record Funds for Emerging Artists at 12th Annual Fine Art Auction

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (November 28, 2007) – On November 17, 2007, the Academy of Art University hosted its most successful emerging art charity auction to date: the 12th Annual Faculty & Alumni Fine Art Auction. In partnership with Bonhams & Butterfields, the Academy auctioned $180,000 in artwork, which will contribute $90,000 to the university’s Student Scholarship Fund. This fund directly benefits rising students in the Academy’s Schools of Fine Art and Photography.

“This year’s Faculty & Alumni Fine Art Auction was our most successful yet, demonstrating the powerful interest San Francisco collectors have in giving generously to the scholarship needs of the Academy’s emerging artists,” comments University President, Elisa Stephens. “The Academy is deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from the community and from the university’s seventy participating alumni and faculty.”

Each year, the Academy’s Annual Faculty & Alumni Fine Art Auction offers guests an exceptional opportunity to support emerging student artists by bidding on works by some of the finest internationally collected artists that call San Francisco and the surrounding region home. Many of the featured Academy Faculty and Alumni from this year’s auction, including Jo Babcock, Brian Blood, Margaret Keelan, Carolyn Meyer, Kevin Moore, Will Mosgrove, Craig Nelson, Peter Schifrin, and James B. Wood, have representation at esteemed galleries nationwide, have earned coveted accolades in their respective fields, and were present to meet with collectors at the auction itself.

The Academy of Art University is proud to announce that it has been granted regional accreditation by the Senior Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Founded in 1929, the Academy of Art University is the nation's largest private art & design university, offering accredited Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, or Master of Fine Arts degrees in thirteen areas of art & design, and over 30 areas of academic emphasis. With close to 10,000 students both online or on campus, majors include Advertising, Animation/Visual Effects, Architecture (MFA only), Computer Arts/New Media, Digital Arts/Communications (AA, BFA Only), Fashion, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Architecture & Design, Industrial Design, Motion Pictures & Television and Photography. Academy of Art University is nationally accredited by WASC, NASAD, Council for Interior Design Accreditation (Formerly FIDER), (BFA-IAD), and NAAB (M-ARCH).