Visual Studies Workshop

Visual Studies Workshop
Map
Established1969
Location31 Prince Street
Rochester, New York 14607
Coordinates43°9′27″N 77°35′28″W / 43.15750°N 77.59111°W / 43.15750; -77.59111
FounderNathan Lyons
DirectorJessica Johnston
Websitewww.vsw.org

Visual Studies Workshop (VSW) is a non-profit organization dedicated to art education based in Rochester, New York, in the Neighborhood of the Arts. VSW supports makers and interpreters of images through education, publications, exhibitions, and collections. VSW houses a bookstore, microcinema, exhibition gallery, and research center, and hosts artists-in-residence.

VSW was founded in 1969 by photographer, writer, curator and educator, Nathan Lyons.[1][2] VSW is an artist-run educational and support center for photography, artist books, media arts, and experimental games.[3][4] VSW ran a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program through SUNY Buffalo until 1981, and then through State University of New York at Brockport until 2022.[5] Since its inception, VSW has had connections with regional artists and communities involved with early experimental video and media access, including Experimental Television Center, Steina and Woody Vasulka, the Videofreex, and in particular, Rochester's grassroots media access organization, Portable Channel.[6]

  1. ^ Grimes, William (1 September 2016). "Nathan Lyons, Influential Photographer and Advocate of the Art, Dies at 86". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  2. ^ Tucker, Anne Wilkes (15 January 2019). "Nathan Lyons: An Irresistible Passion for Photography". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  3. ^ Hosken, Patrick (18 April 2024). "Barnyardia brings experimental games to Visual Studies Workshop". CITY Newspaper. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  4. ^ SCHERMERHORN, JACOB (19 April 2024). "Experiencing the art of video games". Rochester Beacon. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  5. ^ Murphy, Justin (16 June 2022). "Visual Studies Workshop to lose MFA program in Rochester NY". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  6. ^ Pellizzari, Maria Antonella (1999). Nathan Lyons: Visual Studies Workshop 1969-1999. Lubrina Editore. ISBN 88-7766-204-2.