For Stephen Vitiello, listening is an art form – and the National Academy of Design agrees

By Sophie Tran

Sound artist Stephen Vitiello has spent much of his career working outside traditional categories - or even locations, as his acclaimed World Trade Center soundscape attests. Now, that boundary-crossing artistry has earned him recognition from one of the nation's oldest arts institutions.

The National Academy of Design has elected Vitiello, a Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts professor of kinetic imaging, as part of its 12-member Class of 2026. The prestigious, highly selective 200-year-old organization historically honors visual artists and architects, who since 1825 have nominated and elected their peers.

"For me, as a sound artist, I often fall outside the cracks," Vitiello said. "I don't fit in normal boxes. So, looking at the roster of artists and architects who are there, I feel honored knowing the kind of work I do. … It makes me feel much more proud."

Based in New York City, the National Academy of Design has supported the arts through education, exhibition and research within its current membership of roughly 450 and its much larger collection, which features nearly 8,000 works donated over time by members. Vitiello will be one of the first - if not the first - to contribute a work of sound to the permanent collection.

The recognition marks a significant moment not only in Vitiello's career but in the broader acknowledgment of sound as a fine-art medium, one that has historically existed on the margins of museum and institutional collections.

NAD's Class of 2026

"What is especially exciting to me about Stephen's election is the opportunity to welcome an artist of such creativity, innovation and generosity of spirit into a community that traces its roots to the Hudson River School painters of the 19th century," said Gregory Wessner, executive director of the National Academy of Design. "Stephen's work expands our understanding of what art can be while continuing the academy's two-century tradition of supporting artists who shape the cultural landscape of the United States."

In his multidecade career in sound art, electronic music and soundtrack composition, Vitiello is probably best known for his pre-9/11 World Trade Center recordings. For six months in 1999, he served as the World Views artist-in-residence, recording sounds from the 91st floor of Tower One. The resulting sound work has been broadcast and exhibited internationally.

"I was struck that you could see what was outside the building, but it didn't feel real until you could hear it," Vitiello said. "Once you could hear it, everything came to life. … You hear a much more fragile structure than you would imagine being in this gigantic office tower."

But his projects have included intimate field recordings as well, along with numerous solo exhibitions, sound installations and experimental recordings and collaborations. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Growing up in New York, Vitiello made his first foray into sound art as a guitarist in punk and post-punk bands. He then moved to experimental sound practices and collaborations, working with artists including Nam June Paik and Ryuichi Sakamoto.

"The best way you learn is by paying attention," Vitiello said.

That philosophy continues to shape both his artistic practice and his teaching at VCUarts' Department of Kinetic Imaging, where he encourages students to think critically about sound in animation, video, virtual reality and installation work. He said one of the most important shifts he tries to instill is moving away from the idea of creative work as "homework" and toward a sense of ownership and authorship.

"These are not assignments in the traditional sense," he said. "They're artworks. And students should feel proud of what they make."

In April, Vitiello was among 10 inaugural honorees in VCU-ARIA. Debuting this year, the Annual Research Impact Awards are a highlight of the monthlong Research Weeks program that spotlights innovation and discovery on campus. Vitiello was cited in the category of enriching the human experience, which is a pillar of VCU's research enterprise.

Also a talented musician, Vitiello's recent high-profile collaborations include the LP "Second" on the Spanish label Balmat. Named one of the "Best New Albums of the Month" by NPR Music, the record represents a masterful intersection of sound art and post-punk, described by Hearing Things as a "post-rock tasting menu prepared by three James Beard award-winning chefs." (Read more.)

Vitiello sees sound not simply as accompaniment but as something capable of changing perception itself - influencing how audiences experience emotion, memory and even physical space. He often describes his work as open-ended, designed to invite interpretation rather than dictate meaning.

"I never want to make something where I think, 'This is what you have to understand,'" he said. "I want to make something open-ended enough that people bring themselves to it."