Multimedia News Release - A Great Start in Art: High School Designers Create Art for Poster Design Competition

PITTSBURGH, May 25 /PRNewswire/ -- "Art Leads to Innovation" inspired 30 high school students from across the U.S. to create their own vision of what innovation means in the 2006 Poster Design Scholarship Competition, sponsored by The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts. Budding artists with an interest in graphic design created original poster artwork reflecting the theme "Art Leads to Innovation," and wrote a statement explaining their concept, and why they are interested in the field of graphic design.

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/edmc/24506/

For David Rossow, grand prize winner of the 2006 Poster Design Scholarship Competition, the competition's theme was an opportunity to showcase the evolution of art and how it would lead to innovation. "On my poster I wanted to show 'change' in an interesting way," says Rossow. "I did this by picking an ordinary, creature and transforming it into a mechanical contraption; something that would spark the viewer's interest and their imagination."

Eighteen-year-old, Rossow, a high school senior at River Cities High School, from Wisconsin Rapids, was the grand prize winner of the competition receiving a full tuition scholarship worth $25,000 to study graphic design at The Art Institutes International Minnesota.

"There is nothing better then seeing my work published knowing that it's being viewed and enjoyed by the public," says Rossow. "If I could make a successful career out of doing what I love that would be great. My art and design have brought me many opportunities in the past and I hope to continue growing in those fields," says Rossow.

"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 universal role that the arts play in our lives and in the world," says John Mazzoni, President of The Art Institutes.

The National Poster Design Competition began in 2004 to encourage and reward young designers to pursue an education and a career in graphic design. An equally important goal of the program, according to Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, "is to draw attention to the need for increased funding for arts in schools. These exceptional young artists show us that there is a wealth of talent in our nation's high schools that is at risk of never finding a voice if arts funding is eliminated."

The competition, which began in February, took place in two stages -- locally and nationally. Students submitted their entries to a participating Art Institute of their choice, where local competitions were held by March 26, 2006. These local winners' entries from the preliminary round were placed into consideration for national judging, which took place April 18-May 12, 2006.

A panel of 13 art and graphic design professionals, as well as representatives from The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts, visited The Art Institutes' website (http://www.aii.edu/posterdesign) and scored the 30 entries on a 100-point-value system. More than $100,000 in tuition scholarships to The Art Institutes have been awarded to the top 10 students in the competition.

Preliminary competition winners' work will be used in a promotional calendar, to be distributed to high schools across North America. In addition, The Art Institutes created an online gallery of all scholarship winning artwork on its web site at: http://www.artinstitutes.edu/posterdesign/.

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 Art Institute of California - Inland Empire, 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 Art Institute of Vancouver, Canada, The Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago, and The Illinois Institute of Art - Schaumburg, The Art Institute of Ohio - Cincinnati, The Art Institute of Indianapolis, Bradley Academy for the Visual Arts (York, PA) and The New England Institute of Art.

About The Art Institutes

The Art Institutes (http://www.artinstitutes.edu/), with 32 educational institutions located throughout North America, provide an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

About Americans for the Arts

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it has a record of more than 45 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available http://www.americansforthearts.org/.