About This Site

The images displayed on this site represent just a small fraction of the objects available in our collections. Comprehensive collection guides to our Design Collections are accessible at the top of each collection’s main page. For more information about the contents of SVA Collections, please contact an Archivist.

The Milton Glaser Design Study Center and Archives is dedicated to preserving and making accessible design works of significant artistic, cultural, and historical value by preeminent designers, illustrators, and art directors who have close ties to SVA. The SVA Archives documents the history of the College and provides source material for those who seek to evaluate the impact of its activities within the context of the institution as well as on the art and design communities at large.

The Archives are located in the SVA Library. To contact an archivist with questions or to arrange a visit, complete the form on the "Contact" page. Classes are welcome.

The Archives is a division of the Visual Arts Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit entity.

In 1947, Silas H. Rhodes and illustrator Burne Hogarth founded the Cartoonists and Illustrators School, with a faculty composed of New York City-based professionals working in the arts (a practice that continues to this day). Reflecting the belief that there is more to art than technique and that learning to become an artist is not the same as learning a trade, Silas H. Rhodes renamed the institution School of Visual Arts in 1956. Since that time, SVA has grown into a dynamic, multi-disciplinary institution with 7,000 students and more than 1,100 faculty members.

In most cases, the Archives does not hold the copyright to the materials in our collections. In these instances, we are unable to grant or deny permission to publish. Our staff will attempt to assist researchers by providing any information we have about potential rights holders or by contacting the rights holders on the researcher’s behalf. Please contact the Archives with any questions regarding image usage and publication at archives@visualartsfoundation.org.