Reflecting Back at 80: Alumni Relations

Annual meeting of Society of Art Center Alumni at the Sportsmen's Lodge in North Hollywood (1963)

Guest post by Art Center Archivist Robert Dirig

Art Center’s alumni have always been an important part of the College, but the Office of Alumni Relations wasn’t formed until the ’60s—and it looked much different than it does today.

Ninth Annual Meeting of the Society of Art Center Alumni, known as the "Fall Roundup" because of the Western theme (1969)

The Society of Art Center Alumni was formed and incorporated in 1960. While support for the Society was provided by the College, it was a separate organization with a budget based in annual dues.

The aim of the Society was to form a network of alumni by creating alumni directories, distributing newsletters, organizing regional chapters and planning exhibitions.

One particular goal was for alumni to be more active with Art Center and help support and strengthen the curriculum and policies.

During the ’70s, the Society’s most important activity was a juried exhibit of alumni work for which they produced a catalog. During this era, the annual meeting was an opportunity to showcase the alumni work created during the previous year.

In 1982 the society became the Art Center College of Design Alumni Association. At this time, the College took over management of the association, and membership became automatic (and free) after graduation.

Last month's Hypen8 alumni workshops

Today, our Office of Alumni Relations is led by director Kristine Bowne and assistant director Matt O’Brien. In addition to offering numerous alumni benefits and alumni events across the globe, Alumni Relations provides alumni access to inCircle, an exclusive online social network for Art Center alums, and Outer Circle, the College’s annual online alumni publication.

For more information on the Office of Alumni Relations, visit the alumni website. You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr.