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For Immediate Release

Wisconsin Student Off to a Great Start in Art: $25,000 Scholarship Awarded to Attend
The Art Institutes International Minnesota

(PITTSBURGH) May 13, 2004—Twenty-four high school students from across the country interested in a graphic design career competed in the 2004 Poster Design Scholarship Competition, sponsored by The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts.  Students created original poster artwork that expressed the slogan "Life is Better with Art in It," and wrote designer statements explaining their poster concept and why they want to enter the graphic design field.

This year's national first place winner is Austin O'Brion of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. O'Brion is a senior at Lincoln High School and plans to attend The Art Institutes International Minnesota in Minneapolis to study graphic design.

"Passion leads to the achievement and success for a vast array of goals.  My passion is art, and among it, my love for graphic design," says O'Brion.  "From T-shirts to magazines, my love for graphic design is endless.  The next step is not to continue discovering my own tastes; it is to understand different types of design so that they can be incorporated into every detail of my work."

"We're pleased to be collaborating with Americans for the Arts because we believe, as educators, this is a critical time to support and strengthen the role arts play in our lives and in our communities," says Michael Maki, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Education Management Corporation, the parent company of The Art Institutes.

According to Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans For The Arts, "As funding for arts programs continues to be slashed in federal and state budgets, we want young people to remember that art is an essential part of American life that needs to promoted and preserved."

The contest, which began in January, took place in two stages–locally and nationally.  Students submitted their entries to an Art Institute of choice, where local competitions were held by February 13.  These local winners' entries from the preliminary round were placed into consideration for national judging, which took place April 14–28. 

A panel of 17 art and graphic design professionals, as well as representatives from The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts, visited The Art Institute's website (www.aii.edu/poster) and score the 24 entries on a 100 point-value system.  More than $200,000 in scholarships has been awarded to the top 10 students in the national competition.

As for O'Brion, he is looking forward to attending The Art Institutes International Minnesota and beginning his dream career.  "During college I hope that I can find a job or jobs that can assist me in creating a strong resume so that after I graduate, I will be able to find some sort of graphics management position in an advertisement firm or magazine layout department."

"Many people love art but are robbed from their passions because they see no careers in the field or the career incomes do not meet the economic demands of the time.  The advantage to a "career education" school is that it changes curriculum to match the trends in the field," says O'Brion.  "Not only does it match the trends in the field, but it gets the students working in a real world atmosphere so they can have the tools to excel in what their passions are.  I chose the Art Institutes International Minnesota because I feel that it offers the tools I need to excel in a field that will allow my passion for graphic design to grow."          

O'Brion's and all preliminary competition winners' work will be used in a promotional calendar for Americans for the Arts, to be distributed to high schools across North America. In addition, Americans for the Arts created an online gallery of all scholarship winning artwork on its web site. 

Participating locations included: The Art Institute of Washington (Arlington, VA) (a branch of The Art Institute of Atlanta, GA), The Art Institute of Atlanta (GA), The New England Institute of Art (Brookline, MA), The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles, The Art Institute of California - Orange County, The Art Institute of California – San Diego, The Art Institute of California – San Francisco, The Art Institute of Charlotte (NC), The Art Institute of Colorado (Denver), The Art Institute of Dallas (TX), The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale (FL), The Art Institute of Houston (TX), The Art Institute of Las Vegas (NV), Miami International University of Art & Design (FL), The Art Institutes International Minnesota (Minneapolis), The Art Institute of New York City (NY), The Art Institute of Philadelphia (PA), The Art Institute of Phoenix (AZ), The Art Institute of Pittsburgh (PA), The Art Institute of Portland (OR), The Art Institute of Seattle (WA), The Art Institute of Tampa (FL) (a branch of Miami International University of Art & Design), The Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago, and The Illinois Institute of Art – Schaumburg.

About The Art Institutes
The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), with 30 education institutions located throughout North America, provides an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals. The parent company of The Art Institutes, Education Management Corporation (www.edmc.com) is among the largest providers of private post-secondary education in North America, based on student enrollment and revenue. Student enrollment exceeded 58,000 as of fall 2003. EDMC has 66 primary campus locations in 24 states and two Canadian provinces. EDMC's education institutions offer a broad range of academic programs concentrated in the media arts, design, fashion, culinary arts, behavioral sciences, health sciences, education, information technology and business fields, culminating in the award of associate's through doctoral degrees. EDMC has provided career-oriented education for over 40 years, and its education institutions have more than 150,000 alumni.

About Americans for the Arts
Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With a 40-year record of service, it is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. For details, visit www.AmericansfortheArts.org.

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