The answer is yes .... and no. SIGGRAPH 98 marked the 25th SIGGRAPH annual conference. Carl Machover and his 25th Conference Celebration Committee put together many wonderful exhibits and activities to showcase the history of SIGGRAPH (the organization and its annual conferences) and the history of computer graphics. ACM SIGGRAPH existed as an organization for five years before holding its first conference [see Carl Machover, "Looking Back to SIGGRAPH's Beginnings," Computer Graphics, February 1998, pg. 25-27.]
The next question you might ask is , "What does SIGGRAPH do besides the annual conference?" While the annual conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques is certainly the largest and most visible of SIGGRAPH's activities, there are many other activities throughout the year and around the world. These activities include the SIGGRAPH awards, special projects, public policy activities, educational activities, a vast array of publications on many different media, a traveling art show, small conferences and workshops on sharply focused computer graphics topics, and a variety of activities at over thirty SIGGRAPH Professional Chapters. See "The Many (Volunteer) Faces of SIGGRAPH" for a description of SIGGRAPH activities and the volunteers who make them happen.
In celebration of SIGGRAPH's 30th year, we will showcase all these activities through exhibits and events at SIGGRAPH 99 in Los Angeles and at other conferences and professional chapters events throughout the world during the following year. Through these exhibits and events, we will also look into the future of SIGGRAPH and computer graphics. Join us as we follow SIGGRAPH's Pathways to the Future. We will have more about these activities in each issue of the newsletter.
Judy Brown, SIGGRAPH 30th Celebration Chair