David LaChapelle Endowed Fund for Excellence in Visual Arts

A discretionary fund to benefit the High School Visual Arts program with a scholarship for a second-year student. Fund may also be used to enhance the Visual Arts program through student awards, travel, guest artists, and materials for special student projects for students in the School of Design and Production.

Born in Connecticut in 1963, photographer David LaChapelle studied in the high school Visual Arts Program at the University of North Carolina School of Arts before moving to New York where he enrolled at the Art Students League and the School of Visual Arts. His work was seen by Andy Warhol and the editors of Interview Magazine when it was exhibited at 303 Gallery and they offered him his first professional job. Since then his work has appeared in magazines such as Italian Vogue, French Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, Rolling Stone and i-D, on many occasions on the cover. Throughout his career he has photographed a diverse range of personalities including Hillary Clinton, Muhammad Ali, Elizabeth Taylor, Lance Armstrong, Madonna and Jeff Koons and has expanded his work to include direction of music videos, live theatrical events, and documentary film. His work has been the subject of numerous exhibitions including those at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Taipei, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Barbican Gallery, London, Museo del Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, Mexico City, Musee de La Monnaie, Paris and the Museo de Las Arts in Guadalajara. Donor’s intention in making this gift is to provide financial support for the Visual Arts Program of the UNCSA School of Design and Production, in the form of scholarships, student awards, travel, guest artists, and materials for special student projects.