Bruce Wands

Bruce E. Wands (October 22, 1949 – July 6, 2022) was an American educator, author, artist, and musician, with a specific interest in digital art. As well as art and music, he was interested in creativity in general. Specifically, he was a pioneer of computer graphics.[1] He founded the BFA Computer Art Department at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and directed the New York Digital Salon. Time Out New York named Wands as one of the "99 People to Watch in 1999".[2]

Bruce Wands
Headshot of Bruce Wands
Bruce Wands speaking at the
EVA London conference
Born(1949-10-22)October 22, 1949
Montclair, New Jersey, United States
DiedJuly 6, 2022(2022-07-06) (aged 72)
Montclair, New Jersey, United States
Occupation(s)Academic and author
Years active1984–2017
Known forNew York Digital Salon; School of Visual Arts BFA and MFA programs
TitleChair
AwardsTime Out New York "99 People to Watch in 1999"
Academic background
Alma materLafayette College (BA, 1971); Syracuse University (MS, 1976)
Academic work
DisciplineArt
Sub-disciplineDigital art
InstitutionsSchool of Visual Arts (New York)
Main interestsDigital art
Notable worksDigital Creativity (2001); Art of the Digital Age (2006)

Born in Montclair, New Jersey, and raised in nearby Verona, as the youngest of three children,[1] Wands graduated from Verona High School in 1967.[3] In 1971, he received a BA degree from Lafayette College and in 1976 he was awarded a Master of Science degree by Syracuse University. He was director of Computer Education at the School of Visual Arts in New York and then founded the BFA Computer Art program at the School, which he led from 1994 until 1998. He was later Chair of the MFA Computer Arts program during 1998–2016, and Chair Emeritus from 2017 until 2022.[4]

Wands was curator (1993–1995) and director (1998–2017) of the New York Digital Salon (NYDS).[4][5][6] He authored two books,[7] Digital Creativity: Techniques for Digital Media and the Internet (John Wiley & Sons, 2001) and Art of the Digital Age (Thames & Hudson, 2006),[8] together with many articles on digital art. He lectured, performed, and exhibited his creative output around the United States and also internationally. In 1992, he was the first musician to perform live using an ISDN connection on the Internet.[1]

Wands died in Montclair, New Jersey in July 2022.[1] The EVA London 2023 conference was dedicated to his memory, a year later.[9]

References
  1. "Bruce E. Wands: October 22, 1949 – July 6, 2022". Prout Funeral Home. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  2. "Bruce Wands". monoskop.org. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  3. Scherling, Laura. "The Magic of Computer Art: A Biographical Account of Bruce Wands", Columbia University. Accessed July 9, 2023. "Later, between 1963-1967, Wands attended Verona High School where he joined the marching band."
  4. "Remembering MFA Computer Arts Chair Emeritus and Longtime SVA Faculty Member Bruce Wands (1949 – 2022)". School of Visual Arts. July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  5. Wands, Bruce (2022). "The New York Digital Salon: A Memoir". Leonardo. 55 (2): 181–185. doi:10.1162/leon_a_02146. S2CID 238656179.
  6. "New York Digital Salon (NYDS)". monoskop.org. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  7. "Bruce Wands". Amazon.com. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  8. "Bruce Wands". Thames & Hudson. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  9. Lambert, Nick (2023), "Tribute to Bruce Wands", EVA London 2023, p. vii, doi:10.14236/ewic/EVA2023.0, S2CID 259686856
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