PASADENA, CAArt Center College of Design has just announced that the Board of Trustees has chosen a new president, effective September 7, 1999.

Richard Koshalek, 57, will be only the fourth president in the history of the 69 year old renowned institution. He succeeds David R. Brown, who has headed the international design center since 1985.

Seven final candidates emerged in a nationwide search by trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, and Korn/Ferry International that began after David Brown announced in September of 1998 that he would be leaving Art Center by the year 2000. The Board selected Koshalek at the April Board meeting.

Bud Knapp, Chairman of Art Center's Board of Trustees and of the Search Committee, said that "Koshalek has a strong vision for the leadership of Art Center that impressed me and the Committee composed of faculty, students, staff and trustees." He stated that the new president's lifelong commitment to the advancement of art education and strong connections with artists, designers and patrons will increase Art Center's influence into the twenty-first century. Knapp believes that Koshalek "is the right person at the right time to move our ambitious strategic plan forward, elevating our teaching and learning methods and curriculum to a higher level in order to graduate the future creative leaders of industry and culture." He noted that opportunities in the new era will revolve around original ideas and individual initiative. "Art Center is clearly committed to advancing the world of material and visual culture through the thinking and vision of career professionals who are trained, educated and prepared to make a difference through the highest expression of their unique talents."

Brown University President E. Gordon Gee, professor of education and public policy and advocate for higher education, agrees. "I have had the privilege of knowing Richard Koshalek for a number of years, particularly in my capacity as president of the Ohio State University, where he was instrumental in developing an arts-centered curriculum. Richard Koshalek is a leader, an educator, and a creative visionary. He will serve Art Center College of Design very well, indeed."

What does Koshalek hope to accomplish? He stated, "For many years I have been keenly aware of, and interested in, the mission and achievements of Art Center. The college has an enormously gifted faculty and students in virtually every visual discipline, and every discipline taught at the school is of great personal interest to me. This alone would make me eager to go there, but there are other factors as well. It's commonplace knowledge that we live in a world that is changing at a dizzying rate. More than ever, artists and designers are assuming a kind of 'alchemist' role in this world. No longer are they concerned merely with 'objects' as creative ends, but with concepts and processes and the ways these affect the environment we live in.
In short, the creative personan artist, a designercan also be a problem-solver at the most fundamental levels that address the larger world. As with most endeavors, it's the best-trained artists and designers who will have the best solutions. Education at the highest levelwhich Art Center has always stood for and which can flourish even moreis at the root of our future more than ever. Education that fosters creativityand the diversity inherent to true, individual creativityis exactly what I hope to encourage in my presidency at Art Center."

An energetic champion of new art and architecture, Koshalek joined Los Angeles' Museum of Contemporary Art in 1980 when the museum was but an aspiration. He served as its illustrious director for nearly 17 years, when he announced in March of 1998 that he would be stepping down. A native of Wisconsin who studied art history and architecture at the University of Minnesota, Koshalek began his career at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, serving as registrar, assistant curator and curator from 1967 to 1972. In addition to working with museums, he was the head of the public art program for the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C. from 1972 to 1974. Koshalek joined MOCA in 1980 as deputy director and chief curator, brought in at the invitation of Eli Broad, former Board Chairman, and Robert Irwin, trustee. He was promoted to the director's position in 1982.

In addition to formal duties, Art Center's new president is a sought-after opinion leader, frequently asked to contribute his expertise throughout the world. For example, he has served on the Praemium Imperiale Selection Panel with David R. Rockefeller since 1989. From 1987 to 1990, he was the chairman of the Architectural Selection Committee for Walt Disney Concert Hall; and was appointed a member of the Award Committee for the Lillian Gish Prize this year.

"Richard's appointment is a great choice on many fronts representing an amazing 'marriage' of talents and commitment to the community," commented architect Frank Gehry. "He will bring a true, lifelong passion for the arts and design at the highest level to his new post. Equallyor even moreimportant, he brings an unstoppable energy and ability to integrate institutions into the community in the largest sense, giving them new visibility, purpose, and importance. He will be an incredible colleague to the faculty and students of Art Center, and I know they will enjoy collaborating with him as much as I have."

The new president will work with the 15-member Board of Trustees to formulate policies and planning for educational initiatives, fundraising, corporate and alumni relations, and represent the institution around the world at professional, civic and social events.

A private, nonprofit institution, Art Center College of Design was founded in 1930 with the purpose of educating students for careers of achievement in the visual arts professions. Bachelors and masters degrees are conferred in: Film, Transportation Design, Fine Art, Product Design, Illustration, Environmental Design, Advertising, Art Theory and Criticism, Photography, Communication and New Media, and Graphic Design. The total enrollment is 1,400. Twenty-four percent of students are international and represent 47 different countries. The College is accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).