Nils Folke Anderson has worked as a visual artist since graduating from The Cooper Union in 1994. He has realized numerous public and private commissions, and exhibited his work widely, including solo exhibitions at Phillips de Pury, the University of Georgia Athens, and the Dikeou Collection. He holds patents for a design inspired by a formal principle developed in his art, called reciprocal linkage. Nils became passionate about education while teaching sculpture in the Cooper Union Saturday Program, later founding an art school in Nicaragua, now known as Taller Xuchialt, that teaches art, dance, and computer skills to over 100 children annually.

Nils is also active in commercial real estate brokerage, working primarily with creative and industrial businesses.

After years of crisis in the Cooper community, the CUAA is in a state of transition, evolving towards a stable and increasingly inclusive organization. Much needs to be done in the year ahead, as we work to serve the alumni and The Cooper Union.

As current CUAA President, I have continually gauged our progress in relation to three core values: inclusion, participation, and engagement. Inclusion relates to the sense of accessibility and welcome we present to the community. Participation refers to the operations and governance of the CUAA, expressed in the day to day interactions and work of our members. Engagement is our relevance to alumni and the overall Cooper community. It is why we exist as an association.

To guide and inspire us in the coming year, I would add the single word with which Peter Cooper adorned his school at its opening: Union. We must unite, with compassion and determination, so that The Cooper Union may continue its proud legacy of being “free and equal to the best.”