The Driving Force of San Francisco

San Francisco and the surrounding area is a haven for the creative types. Maybe it’s something in the water from the bay. From the geniuses in Silicon Valley who are constantly breaking technological barriers and literally redefining the way the world works, to the culinary artists who garner the attention of foodies and the praise of the most stringent critics, to the vintners in Napa Valley who elevated wines from California to compete with those from the world’s most revered regions, to the artists and designers behind the cultural institutions and private galleries that are filled with priceless works, there is no room for doubt that San Francisco calls to original visionaries whose life works take various forms of beautiful manifestations of art.

Thus, it makes sense that the city is also home to the Academy of Art University, a school “by artists, for artists,” as the motto goes. It is the nation’s largest private accredited art institution and an integral part of the city’s cultural scene. Its influence extends around the world, as graduates from the university have excelled in numerous industries. You probably are familiar with the works of some of the graduates; if you are into popular music, you’ve likely seen director Chris Milk’s music videos for greats like U2, Green Day, and Kanye West. Perhaps you saw the photo that won former student Deanne Fitzmaurice a Pulitzer Prize in feature photography in 2005. AAU graduate Guilherme Jacinto currently serves as an animator for Pixar Studios, having worked extensively on this summer’s Up! blockbuster, and school of fashion alumni Mari Matsumoto was included in Forbes magazine as one of “five future fashion designers to watch.” The influence of the students and faculty also can be seen throughout the city, thanks to the public art galleries, community outreach programs, and city beautification projects in which the undergrads and graduates take part.

Leading this collection of greats is Dr. Elisa Stephens, the president of the university, which was founded by her grandfather Richard S. Stephens in 1929 with the assistance of his wife. The school was launched to teach advertising art, but it wasn’t long before the curriculum expanded and the long-standing philosophy emerged: hire established professionals to teach future professionals. Elisa’s father, Richard A. Stephens, took over the reigns in 1951, expanding the enrollment from around 50 students to 5,200, and increasing the number of department majors as well as the school’s facilities. Elisa succeeded her father as president in 1992 with a clear vision of continuing the school’s enduring legacy of excellence. Today, AAU has more than 16,000 students pursuing bachelor and master’s degrees in arts, fine arts, and architecture with more than 30 areas of academic emphasis, as well as certificate programs and continuing education options. In addition to the sprawling urban campus that incorporates some 42 sites, AAU features three non-profit galleries in downtown San Francisco that exhibit fine artworks by students, faculty, and world-renowned artists.

“The school is in my blood,” Elisa explains in an interview with Haute Living. “My dad and mom met at the school, and my dad grew up at the school because my grandparents started the school 80 years ago. When I was growing up, [The Academy of Art University] was always part of our conversations, however, my parents were very encouraging for my brother and I to find something that we love to do, and they didn’t want to burden us with anything other than finding our true calling.”

She obviously found hers. Under her direction, the Academy of Art University has expanded exponentially. Since 2000 alone, it has taken over 16 additional buildings in downtown San Francisco and more than doubled its enrollment. Students from all over the globe are responding to the school’s call for excellence. “The philosophy and mission statement of the university is to have professional artists, designers, actors and actresses, and musicians in the classroom,” she explains. “People who are making their living doing what they want to do come in and instruct the next generation of artists. That adheres to the time-honored principle of art and design as a foundation.”

AAU recruits the top artists and designers to teach at the school, because they can offer first-hand knowledge about what it takes to succeed in the “real world,” which can be a rough place for artists who often do not get the business and teamwork training necessary to survive in various cut-throat careers. While ardently adhering to the underlying principles, Elisa is actively working daily to improve the university. “I’ve built on the foundation that existed and added to it,” she explains when asked about the changes that have been made under her direction. While she extols on the virtues of improved technology and new programs, it is the expansion of the campus that really exemplifies her commitment to both her students and the community as a whole.

The school is dedicated to ensuring that all of their facilities are state-of-the-art. As its saying goes, “If the pros are using it, you’ll be using it too.” Every school at the Academy has the same technology and equipment being used in the industry today. And each year, the Academy makes major purchases in every department to keep up with current industry standards. These are all improvements that have been made under Elisa’s watch. “Part of our commitment to our students is being the No. 1 art school in the nation,” she explains. “And to do so, we need to have the proper facilities to support the curriculum. We also have 16 dormitories that house 1,600 students, which isn’t quite even the freshman class. For our motion picture and television school, we’ve got wonderful studios where students can shoot film and video. In our industrial design program, we’ve got auto design, and each student has his or her own studio area to work on modeling cars.”

It is this last mention that brings us to the location of our photo shoot with Elisa: the Auto Museum. The private entity, which may soon be open to the public, is a learning tool for students that is unsurpassed; AAU is the only art and design school with its very own car collection. Many of the classic autos at the museum come from Elisa and her father’s personal collection. Hard-pressed to pick a favorite amongst her vehicles, she does admit that she has an affinity for a 1954 little red Corvette. “But the museum has so many beautiful cars that really show the transition in design, so it is hard to pick just one,” she explains.

This love for classic cars earned Elisa the distinction of being the first female honorary chair of the Palo Alto Concours d’Elegance in 2009, which she tied back to the university by having students in the industrial design program exhibit their work during the event while also providing an opportunity for them to see cars they typically aren’t exposed to.

The city’s most notable and influential residents are grateful for her dedication to excellence. After one quick email to former Mayor Willie Brown, I received a phone call from his San Francisco office. He offered the following thought: “Dr. Elisa Stephens and her flagship Academy of Art University is a godsend for our city. The diversity of the student body and of the content of the training programs makes this as much of an interesting art educational center as any city in the world. And it is being done by a private, adventurous, entrepreneurial woman—just what San Francisco loves.”

Louise Renne, former San Francisco city attorney and current partner in Renne Sloan Holtzman Sakai LLP Public Law Group, was also eager to share her thoughts about Elisa’s positive impact on the community. “Dr. Stephens has added greatly to the City of San Francisco. It is truly impressive how she and her family have grown what was once a small art school into the force that it is today—known both locally and internationally. On a personal note, I know that Dr. Stephens has been extremely helpful to a number of worthy causes here in the city and that is greatly appreciated.”

The list of causes in which Elisa is involved is a lengthy one. She is a member of the Young President’s Organization, San Francisco City Club, Metropolitan Club, University Club, San Francisco Rotary Club, San Francisco Junior League…you get the idea. “I’ve been actively involved in the community ever since I became president,” she shares. “I have a list of things that I support, and I never really questioned it.”

She does so because it is important to her for San Francisco to be an excellent community that welcomes and nurtures her students. “We’ve been here for 80 years and we do a lot to support this city,” she says. And the school’s latest endeavor exemplifies her commitment to working together for a common cause—a brand new athletic program. As part of the school’s commitment to have its students become the very best they can be, the new sports allow students to “play like professionals, because they are taught by professionals.” And just as the academic faculty is made up of industry leaders, the Athletic Director is without a doubt a leader in his field. Dr. Jamie Williams, a former tight end for the 49ers and a Super Bowl champion, is heading up the ambitious new program that includes men and women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, men and women’s golf, baseball, softball, men and women’s soccer, and track and field. “We expect our students to have a great portfolio, but then we began looking at them as individuals, looking at how well they work as a team. The more I thought about it, it quickly became clear that nothing epitomizes teamwork better than sports. Our motto is ‘Be an Artist, Be an Athlete.’ They are artists first, but they have to work as a team.” The school plays in the NCAA’s Division IIA, and they also introduced club sports and intramurals, allowing this notion of teamwork and sportsmanship to trickle down through the entire student body.

But, of course, art remains the focus of the school, and the community as a whole covets the works created by students, faculty, and alumni. On Saturday, November 7, AAU held it’s 14th annual Faculty + Alumni Fine Art Auction. “Every year, the paintings on auction come from both young and established artists,” Elisa explains. Bonhams & Butterfields held the auction and served as the appraisers for the works as well. Fifty percent of proceeds earned go to the artists themselves, with the rest going to the Fine Art Student Scholarship Fund.

Since its founding, the school has helped 45,000 aspiring artists and designers pursue their educational goals in art and design though its scholarship program. In addition, AAU has an online program, making its curriculum available to students around the globe. The school will continue making strides to increase its enrollment as well as continue to make a positive impact on both San Francisco and the art world alike.