Panel Statement

Panel: Centers and Institutes

The Center for Advanced Visual Studies of the Massachussetts Institute of Technology was founded in 1968 by Gyargy Kepes to advance interaction among artists, scientists, engineers and to restore the environmental scale of art toward social discourse with society at large_ Otto Piene was its Director from 1977 to 1994. Definition of new media — video / computers, laser, holography — expanded into global communication, sky art and electronic art as social agent. In 25 years, 250 Fellows resided at CAVS and 100 graduates received an MSVS degree. CAVS was the only A-S-T institute during its first decade. After the worldwide proliferation of A-S-T programs —where is CAVS and where is A-5-T now?

• Otto Piene [1928-2014]. Born 1928 in Germany, he studied art and philosophy after World War II and in 1957 founded Group Zero. He lived in New York, then studied at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology where he obtained a doctorate, was Fellow, Professor and Director of the Center for Advanced Visual Studies until 1994. He also directed the SKY Art Conference from 1981 to 1986 and other large projects in media, performance, achitecture and sky art.was the first fellow of MIT’s Center for Advanced Visual Studies (CAVS) and its Director from 1974 until his retirement in 1994.