Welcome to the first "special issue" of Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide. Devoted to the "Darwin Effect: Evolution and Nineteenth-Century Visual Culture," it is the outcome of a symposium convened at New York University's Institute of Fine Arts on April 28, 2001. We are immensely grateful to Linda Nochlin and Martha Lucy, guest editors of the issue, for all the work they have done to make it a success. We are indebted as well to the Institute of Fine Arts for their critical financial support.           This issue represents a new initiative of Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide—the publication of symposia. All too often, important symposia that blaze new trails for the field have little resonance beyond the limited group of people that attend them. Few symposia get published in their entirety these days as publishers, commercial as well as academic, have become reluctant to publish collections of essays. One or two papers given during the symposium may get published in separate journals, but the impact of the symposium as a whole is lost.               As editors of Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide, we feel that the electronic medium is suited, par excellence, to meet the need of publication venues for successful symposia. But to do so, we need your help, both professional and financial. In Linda Nochlin, Martha Lucy, and New York University, we found a perfect combination of capable editors and a financial backer that make this type of initiative possible. We hope that others will follow their example. Anyone who has ideas for future special issues, please contact Managing Editor Petra Chu at chupetra@shu.edu.               Thank you, and enjoy!