Robert Kinyon Memorial Endowed Scholarship

The Robert Kinyon Memorial Endowed Scholarship was established in 1981 in memory of one of the most respected members of the San Diego art community. It supports late-term Illustration and Graphic Design students who demonstrate financial need and exceptional talent and promise, with a preference for those from San Diego County.

Robert Kinyon attended ArtCenter in the early 60s, graduating with honors in Illustration. Robert became “San Diego’s most recognized commercial illustrator whose national reputation brought him many of the nation’s highest awards.” Not long after Robert passed away from cancer at the age of 39 in 1979, an independent fundraising group was formed called “Robert Kinyon Memorial Scholarship, Inc.”, which held biannual auctions to raise funds for this scholarship at ArtCenter in Robert’s name.

In the words of family and friends, Robert Kinyon was not only an extraordinary artist, but also a remarkable human being, and one of the most respected members of the San Diego art community. His scholarship is a manifestation of “the creative force of an artist who still has work to do.”

Robert Kinyon’s entertainment industry clients included MGM, Universal, 20th Century Fox, CBS, NBC and Disneyland. He was honored by the Society of Illustrators of New York and Communication Arts and Art Direction magazines.