Thursday, June 12, 1997 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AFI TO LAUNCH FIRST-EVER DIGITAL ARTS WORKSHOP - Michael Nash named Creative Director - Los Angeles- The American Film Institute (AFI) will launch the first-ever California Digital Arts Workshop for professional visual artists working in the non-profit sector, Jean Picker Firstenberg, AFI Director and CEO, announced today. "In partnership with the California Arts Council, AFI is creating a new vehicle to help artists explore the new digital media arts. Our goal is to help classically trained visual artists transform their careers within the expanding digital field in California," said Firstenberg. AFI has named multimedia pioneer Michael Nash as creative director of the workshop. Nash has over eight years of experience in the creative, cultural and business components of new media through his work as an entrepreneur, publisher, producer and curator, including positions with Inscape (his partnership with HBO and Warner Music Group), The Voyager Company, the Long Beach Museum of Art. He was recently named by Entertainment Weekly as one of "multimedia's 10 most influential, forward-thinking" figures. For this first workshop, scheduled for December, 1997, up to 15 professional artists will participate in an "immersion experience" working collaboratively at AFI's world-class new media labs and with AFI's professional staff and visiting faculty. This year's workshop focus is the World Wide Web. Deadline for applications is August 1, 1997 (postmarked). ****** Application forms are available by calling (213) 856-7628 or on the AFI OnLine web site at <www.afionline.org/cdaw>.*** The workshop has been funded as a prototype for an annual event by the California Arts Council, with administrative assistance from the San Francisco Foundation. The American Film Institute is dedicated to advancing and preserving the art of film, television and other forms of the moving image. AFI's programs promote innovation and excellence through teaching, presenting, preserving and redefining this art form. ### Press Inquiries: Contact: Seth Oster, AFI Communications Director, 213/856-7667, [log in to unmask] ---- To sign off SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]