The Juilliard School has announced that a new portrait of President Joseph W. Polisi, painted by Everett Raymond Kinstler, will be unveiled before faculty, administrators, and students at an October 7 ceremony at the school, with Kinstler in attendance. The occasion for the painting, an informal portrait, is Polisi’s 25th anniversary as the school’s president. The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. has acquired 75 of Kinstler’s works for its permanent collection; he has painted six U.S. presidents, including Richard Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. The unveiling of the Polisi painting is the first of several events during the 2009-10 season honoring Polisi’s anniversary at Juilliard, including a gala concert in April 2010. Among the achievements during Polisi’s tenure at Juilliard are the school’s $200 million expansion and renovation; the addition of the school’s first residence hall in 1991; strengthening the liberal arts and humanities academic core studies; a new emphasis on leadership and arts advocacy among students; and the creation of degree programs in jazz studies and historical performance.
Photo credit: Christian Steiner
Posted September 30, 2009
