Announcing the Anders Larson-Toich Memorial Scholarship

Thanks to the generous support of the Anders Larson-Toich Foundation, the GCA will now annually award a tuition scholarship of $1250 to one of its students.  Just as Anders Larson-Toich discovered a passion for the kind of drawing taught at GCA, this earnest spirit will be honored in another, in his name.

The Anders Larson-Toich Foundation joins our existing list of generous supporters, the Alfred and Jane Ross Foundation, the Newington-Cropsey Foundation and the Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund.

Anders on a Summer Day

Anders Larson-Toich packed a great deal into life before cancer took him at 23. He was born in New York, NY on December 27, 1984. He lived in a number of New York’s neighborhoods and absorbed much of the rich traditions that this city’s myriad cultures have to offer. He attended private, public and parochial schools,  each offering a different learning experience. He applied and was accepted to the prestigious LaGuardia High School on New York’s Upper West Side in their Fine Arts program. During his junior year, he was diagnosed with sarcoma and began a course of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation treatments that proved debilitating enough that he had to be home-schooled all of his senior year. Yet he still managed to graduate from LaGuardia.

Despite all this, he continued on with his life, enjoying friends, art, music and trips to his favorite city, London. He put together a portfolio and was accepted at The Parsons School of Design. Once again, the burden of treatment proved to be too much for him to continue at Parsons. During one of his recovery periods from treatment, his cousin sent him a link to a truly unique and magical place, The Grand Central Academy of Art. He had finally found a place that was close to his artistic heart. He spoke to everybody about the school and extolled its virtues.

Unfortunately, in late 2007, he was unable to continue at the Academy due to the progression of his illness. In April 2008, Anders lost his long battle with cancer and passed away. His style, uniqueness and love of life will always be a continuing inspiration to us all.

-Frank Larson-Toich