ContinuEd Winter 2018

continued WINTER 2018

D I V I S I O N O F C O N T I N U I N G E D U C AT I O N · S C H O O L O F V I S U A L A R T S

C R E AT E / C O N N E C T/ C O M M U N I T Y

Kevin O’Callaghan N MAESTRO OF REINVENTION N

Artist and 3D designer Kevin O’Callaghan has lived many lives at the School of Visual Arts, engaging in near every capacity. From matriculated undergrad to creator and chair of the 3D Design program and teaching across several departments, he is a true citizen of the College. With a mind far beyond disciplinary boundaries, his realm is one of reinvention. continued on page 4 v

WHAT’S IN SIDE

3

NE WS “Art and Activism” featuring Steve Brodner, Ed Woodham and Nancy Giles held at SVA Theatre.

6

IN THE CL A S SROOM Students experiment with a 1980’s printing technology at SVA’s RisoLAB.

8

SPECIAL PROGR AMS Review of “Astral America” exhibition of four Summer Residency alumni.

9

DEPARTMENT PROFILE Debbie Millman, writer, designer and SVA chair, on teaching branding.

11

ALUMNUS PROFILE Vietnam veteran John Melillo reinvents himself as an artist.

by Sarah Grass

TO CONTINUE S T A R T

HERE Which Course Is Right for Me?

Continuing Education Information Sessions

These information sessions are offered to the general public free of charge. Seating is given on a first-come, first-served basis.

INTERIOR DESIGN

ADVERTISING

Monday, January 8 6:30 – 8:30pm 136 West 21st Street, Room 418F MODERATOR : John Rea

COMPUTER ART, COMPUTER ANIMATION AND VISUAL EFFECTS Thursday, January 11 6:30 – 8:30pm 133/141 West 21st Street, Room 301C MODERATOR : Deanna De Maglie

DESIGN

Tuesday, January 9 6:30 – 8:30pm 209 East 23rd Street, Room 311 MODERATOR : Sue Walsh

FILM, VIDEO AND ANIMATION Wednesday, January 10 6:30 – 8:30pm 209 East 23rd Street, Room 502 MODERATOR : Valerie Smaldone

FINE ARTS: DRAWING, PAINTING, SCULPTURE AND PRINTMAKING Wednesday, January 3 6:30 – 8:30pm 133/141 West 21st Street, Room 602C MODERATOR : Steve DeFrank

ILLUSTRATION AND CARTOONING

Thursday, January 11 6:30 – 8:30pm 209 East 23rd Street, Room 311 MODERATOR : Jason Little

Wednesday, January 10 6:30 – 8:30pm 133/141 West 21st Street, Room 1104C MODERATOR : Lucas Thorpe

PHOTOGRAPHY

Thursday, January 4 6:30 – 8:30pm 214 East 21st Street, Room 205A MODERATOR : Keren Moscovitch

VISIBLE FUTURES LAB Wednesday, January 10 6:00 – 8:00pm 132 West 21st Street, 7th floor MODERATOR : John Heida

VISUAL NARRATIVE

Monday, January 8 6:30 – 8:30pm 136 West 21st Street, 11th floor MODERATOR : Panayiotis Terzis

Nir Arieli

S VA C O N T I N U I N G E D U C AT I O N N E W S

FROM THE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Reinvention. The term itself evokes a feeling of excitement and action, producing an energetic force. Typically, when a new year dawns, we all resolve to change stagnant behaviors and improve our lives.

I am proud to say that in this issue of ContinuEd, we will address many different types of reinvention.

As executive director of the Division of Continuing Education at the School of Visual Arts, I often encounter professionals who express interest in taking a course or two, but complain that there is not enough time in their already harried lives to add yet another thing “to do.” Although I understand it may seem daunting and stressful, especially for mid-career professionals, continued learning is essential for anyone who aspires to remain in the workforce to stay current, relevant and engaged. Let’s face it, the way we do business has changed.

The environment in companies has changed. And, the workforce has changed. In order to be marketable, whether seeking advancement in your current job, or looking for a new one, remaining open to learning new skills and technologies is not only preferred, in many cases, it is mandatory.

Reinvention at any stage of life is more than possible. It helps to keep our minds creative, skills fresh and our work fulfilling. Embracing new technologies, networking with others and having a presence on social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter are critical ways to stay current professionally.

We’ve heard students say that they choose to take continuing education courses because they wish to further their skills in their current careers, are looking to learn new ones to embark upon a new path, seeking a community of like-minded individuals, or want to, as one student put it, “crack open the mold of my mind.” Some individuals want to shake up their lives, or just want to learn something fun.

Whatever your reason, I invite you to browse through our more than 400 courses at sva.edu/ce. I am certain you will find a subject that intrigues you and that will become a catalyst to your personal or professional reinvention.

—Joseph Cipri, on behalf of the Division of Continuing Education

SVA NE WSB I T ES

%

D

Summer Residency alumnus Ilona Szwarc

SVACE student Lori Richmond Published her children’s book

Photographed women music

Pax & Blue with Simon and

icons, including Janet

Schuster.

Jackson and Peaches, for The New York Times Magazine

SVACE faculty Emily Weiner

feature, “Should Women

Featured in the exhibition

Make Their Own Pop Music

“The In, With and Between Us”

Canon?,” written by

at the Gerðarsafn – Kópavogur

Wesley Morris.

Art Museum in Iceland.

Reflections on the “Art and Activism” Event by Its Host Valerie Smaldone

T

he administration of the Division of Continuing Education at the School of Visual Arts had this idea.

What if they produced an event for the community focusing on how artists of different disciplines respond to the political landscape through their art? What if they didn’t charge an admission fee and publicized it outside of the SVA community?

What if nobody came?

These were some of the pressing questions raised in the Division’s pre-production meetings. I was in on these meetings because I was asked to produce and host the event, titled “ContinuED: Art & Activism.” The original purpose of the event was to make it a launch party for the debut newsletter just published by the Division of Continuing Education.

But it quickly became apparent that the event was much larger than a launch party. The interest in seeing our celebrated speakers—political satirist Steve Brodner, performance artist Ed Woodham, and comedian and news commentator Nancy Giles—grew quickly.

But there was no way of knowing if people would actually show up! After all, there was no financial commitment to come, since tickets were free.

And as luck would have it, weather reports for the evening of September 6th called for torrential rains!

With the show beginning at 6:30pm and a fairly empty lobby at 6:15pm, I began to show some signs of anxiety. But by 6:25pm, the people started to arrive, and continued to come. So much so, that our nearly 300-seat theater was filled to capacity. The crowd was enthusiastic and engaged as each speaker provided context to how they create their particular art.

Steve Brodner, known for his provocative illustrations in The

Economist, Vanity Fair and The Nation (among other publications) was very clear about his point of view.

One of Brodner’s iconic quotes is: “Courage is a big part of being creative.” During the panel discussion following the artists’ talks, Brodner proclaimed, “My job as an artist is to break the silence.”

Ed Woodham, educator, puppeteer, performance artist and founder of Art in Odd Places, showed images of his amazing performance events in New York, California and Australia.

He explained to the audience that all of the public art performance projects he produces are done without permits. When asked if he has ever experienced law enforcement intervention, he said, “Surprisingly, no, but we have had issues with the Parks Department of New York!”

Reading the premier issue of ContiuEd.

And Nancy Giles, actress, comedian and Emmy Award-winning commentator on CBS Sunday Morning, spoke about her early years as a performer at Second City in Chicago.

She wasn’t particularly involved with politics at that time, until a specific election in Chicago, causing great consternation in the city, was underway. She read everything she could about politics in her city, and the beginning of her brand was born. At the “Art & Activism” event, Giles showed the video commentary that provoked the most comments since she has been at CBS—her story about the politics of hair, and how everyone has opinions about how people—especially African-American women—should style their hair.

[Valerie Smaldone] VO L U M E XC I V • N U M B ER 4

From left to right: Valerie Smaldone emcees the chat with Steve Brodner, Nancy Giles and Ed Woodham at the SVA Theatre on West 23rd Street.

ContinuEd (USPS-004171), Copyright © 2017 by the Visual Arts Press, Ltd. is published quarterly by the School of Visual Arts, 209 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010.

Call (212) 592.2050 to subscribe. Periodicals postage is paid at New York, NY. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ContinuEd, 209 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010-3994.

3

KEVIN O’CALLAGHAN: MAESTRO OF REINVENTION Tia Magallon

His course Three-Dimensional Design and Illustration challenges students to consider intersections: between sculptural practice and design principles, most obviously, but also between objects and their meanings. Imagining new identities for the surplus and obsolete—typewriters, pay phones and environmentally hazardous vehicles—students are called to push the boundaries of their own creative ability in order to reinvent the world around them. A gas guzzling truck, for example, may be

“If you can show students that you’re in it with them, that you’re not leaving at the end of the class, that you’re in for the long haul, that you’re going to cry with them, you’re going to laugh with them—then you’re going to get the most out of them.”

KEVIN O’CALLAGHAN faculty

transformed into a living room, with each of its parts reconsidered as a more eco-friendly furnishing. In O’Callaghan’s pedagogical practice, personal limits are constantly questioned and objects not only live, but live multiple lives on grandiose display—such as 29 Yugo cars rescued from abandonment to become larger-than-life surreal sculptures (a toaster, shower, confessional, cigarette lighter) for “Yugo Next,” an exhibition so popular it toured 28 cities in North America.

O’Callaghan’s career as a reinventer can be traced to his earliest time at SVA. Leading into his senior year in BFA Advertising, he was unsure of his selected major. “Why don’t you just reinvent yourself?” a concerned Richard Wilde (chair of BFA Advertising and BFA Design) asked him. “Don’t think about categories. Just do what you want to do.” Heeding this freewheeling advice, young O’Callaghan entered a new unbridled phase in his career, one in which his natural showmanship and 4 • CONTINUED / WINTER 2018

89 Keys by Celia Landegger transformed a Yugo car into a piano and was the centerpiece of the “Yugo Next” exhibition.

penchant for the spotlight could grow both himself and all those around him into giants.

The test-drive of his newly minted identity appeared as a 15' tall, fully functional graduation portfolio on a trailer bed. Eager to reinvent the acceptable standards of the field he felt he’d grown out of, he began by simply enlarging them. He precariously drove his magnum opus through the Midtown Tunnel to a review in the office of Milton Glaser, though, of course, he had to park it outside. Constructed from wood, hardware store items, and prints so large they had to be made by a billboard company, his portfolio was both a traffic nuisance and news highlight. Surpassing his original limit of employability, the portfolio was featured in a spread in People magazine, and O’Callaghan’s career was on.

After a few years of veritable success working on film sets in L.A., O’Callaghan found himself restless once again. He visited SVA for a meeting with his former professor and mentor Richard Wilde, who introduced him to yet another new facet of his multidisciplinary future: the classroom.

O’Callaghan was asked to share stories of his burgeoning career with a group of current students, when for the first time in a long time, he found himself smiling. It was intuitively known to O’Callaghan that teaching, a plan B for many artists, would quickly become his plan A. Shortly thereafter he accepted a position as faculty at SVA, along with a new lifestyle in which his art practice would blend with his classes. This reinvented process afforded him yet another life at SVA, a “maestro,” directing students’ indi-

vidual growth into massive public art installations that only the energy of a collective could produce.

As a maestro of reinvention, O’Callaghan imparts his limitless mindset onto others with astounding results.

As he defines his practice, “My art is with the students. It’s a shared thing that I’m most proud of. To be able to get the most out of the students as I possibly can.” He manages this with a special brand of pure and sincere

e

RELATED COURSES

An Introduction to Fabrication (FIC-2467-A) Moving Objects: Simple Automata and Mechanical Toys (VLC-2713-A) For more information, visit sva.edu/ce

Myko Photography

motivation. In O’Callaghan’s words, “If you can show students that you’re in it with them, that you’re not leaving at the end of the class, that you’re in for the long haul, that you’re going to cry with them, you’re going to laugh with them—then you’re going to get the most out of them.” In the Division of Continuing Education, the majority of students are looking for something more, something to bridge them from one career to another or a stepping stone to get started. This experience of dissatisfaction and desire for something new is one in which O’Callaghan is very well versed. For it is the experience that has led him to each reinvention on his interdisciplinary career path. Change is never easy, but with a veteran reinventor like O’Callaghan by your side, it can all feel a bit more possible. “My class is based on making it happen,” he says, “That’s the success. Because if you can make it happen, then you can do anything.

You’re no longer afraid of the world.

My students go out and they’re not afraid anymore. When it’s all over, that’s what I’m going to be the most proud of. That I was able to show them that they could do anything.”

Learn more about Kevin O’Callaghan and his induction into the Art Director’s Club Hall of Fame by visiting vimeo.com/63099036. E

Top: An abandoned carousel transformed into a tribute to icons of the 20th century. In view are Elvis, Chuck Berry and Albert Einstein. Bottom: A family snapshot of Kevin O’Callaghan with his giant portfolio built with wood, fiberglass, found objects and hardware store items.

READY TO CHECK OUT OUR COURSES?

sva.edu/ce

5

IN THE CLASSROOM

An 80’s Printing Technology Finds a 21st Century Following

Two pages from the class collaboration zine.

R

iso is making a transformative comeback. A high-volume printing technology invented in 1986 by the Japanese Riso Kagaku Corporation, it is now becoming one of the most sought after mediums for artists and designers.

With its fun, energetic and timeless appeal, more artists are using Riso to give voice to ideas and foster creative communities. From the creation of zines to limited edition posters, it’s a self-publisher’s dream.

What places Risograph in a class of its own is its unique ability to combine the characteristics of traditional printmaking, the speed of a conventional photocopier and the precision of a laser printer.

Panayiotis Terzis is an artist, printer, faculty member and the lead technician of SVA’s RisoLAB. His passion for the medium is unprecedented, as he has published multiple zines and is the creator of dystopian sci-fi/futurist magazine Trapper Keeper. Terzis shares that “the impulse to make a 6 • CONTINUED / WINTER 2018

zine either to communicate in symbols, language and visual indicators to a closed community, or to make a general proclamation, has been with us at least since Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of that church in 1517. In my class I trace this impulse, and its expression in print form, from Guttenberg through Martin Luther, William Blake, Thomas Paine, the Dadaists, Constructivists, 1960s underground comics and newspapers, the punks, etc. It’s about harnessing this burning desire to express something and commit it to print rather than an ephemeral digital form, and most importantly without asking permission from any gatekeepers, be they publishers or peers—that gets me excited.”

There’s no denying the allure of the SVA RisoLAB, an electrified atmosphere where you will find students feverishly working the Riso printers while thoughtfully conversing about art, activism and everything in between. The work produced is undeniably cool, yet incredibly sincere.

Works that address states of affairs, both political and personal, are the currency that drives these zines into fruition. The magic of Riso is in its ability to bring the artist’s storytelling to life via the printed page, where every edition counts. E

Students enrolled in RISO Printing: Zines and Small Publishing collaborated on a zine together. Above, instructor Panayiotis Terzis and student Betty Wang look over prints.

by Georgette Maniatis

READY TO CHECK OUT OUR COURSES?

sva.edu/ce

Top: Colorful pages from Daniel Shepard’s zine, My Drinking Team has a Skateboard Problem.

Middle: Student Betty Wang examines her newly created risograph prints.

Bottom: Ryan Smith opens the Riso machine to reveal two different color print drums.

! photography by Georgette Maniatis

e

RELATED COURSES

RISO Printing: An Introduction (VNC-1577-A) Risograph: Focus on Photography and Graphics (VNC-2176-A) Mini-Comics: From the Page to Production (VNC-2362-A) InFORMed by Story (VNC-2341-A) For more information, visit sva.edu/ce

7

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Astral America B Summer Residency Exhibition:

orrowed from Jean Baudrillard’s essay of the same name, “Astral America” addressed how hyper-reality and ethereality manifest in the contemporary notion of “America” as both location and ethos. Featuring work from Summer Residency alumni, the exhibition examined the transforming global landscape with its reinventions of technologies, histories and relationships. The exhibition took place in July 2017 at the SVA Flatiron Space and was curated by Keren Moscovitch.

City as Site alumnus E. Adam Attia served for three years as a geospatial analyst for the U.S. Army. His military service inspired him to create conversations about topical social and

political issues. Res Judicata (2012 – 2017) is a series of public interventions, exploring the use of drones in surveillance and warfare. Producing 1:1 scale, large, black, silhouette-like shadows on rooftops around the globe, Attia captures photographs of these large-scale installations, resulting in a conflation of the real and imaginary.

Actively reinventing the digital landscape, Attia’s Traces (2017) captures representations of the Earth as seen from above by web-based mapping platforms that have spontaneously documented the presence of drones flying overhead.

Painting and Mixed Media alumnus Alva Calymayor’s work investigates the tragicomic nature of immigration,

Top: Eto Otitigbe, Bound States (2016), Valchromat, 34 x 23 x 12", from the series Patience on a Monument. Below: Alva Calymayor, Untitled: Hey! Where have you been?! Thought you got deported (2017) (detail), graphite, markers, acrylic paint on Xerox print, fan, pedestal, 36 x 48".

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SUMMER RESIDENCY PROGRAM

sva.edu/residency 8 • CONTINUED / WINTER 2018

Top: E. Adam Attia, Untitled from the series Res Judicata (2012 – 2017), digital pigment print, 16 x 20".

Below: Phyllis Dooney, Still from TO THE GAD-FLY (2017), 16mm film (digitized).

home and belonging, and the slippage of identity in America. Untitled: Hey! Where have you been?! Thought you got deported (2017) revisits fragments of Baudrillard’s text in context to a salutation expressed to the artist while ordering an Americano from her local coffee shop. Baudrillard’s own questions trigger Alva’s memories, as she explores laughter in America. An excerpt from The Names Below (2007 – 2016) archives the names and dates stamped underneath paper takeout bags, belonging to the line workers who supervise the making of each individual bag, and presents a narrative on the transforming human landscape of global America.

Photography alumnus Phyllis Dooney’s short film TO THE GADFLY (2017) is a probe into historical memory and race in America. On January 29, 2017, Dooney traveled to Wilmington, NC to make a piece on the 1898 Race Riots. The New Black Panthers were in town and their presence confirmed a confluence of the past, present and future. Featuring footage made in collaboration with spoken-word poet Jeffery Bos-

ton Weatherford, the piece explores experimental filmmaking itself, utilizing techniques born in analog and bringing forth a dialogical possibility alongside a collective history that underscores the visual conversation about time and transmission. On the gallery’s street-side monitor, State Fair (2017) utilized mirroring to deconstruct time and the corporeality of the American body politic.

Sculpture, Installation and New Media Art alumnus Eto Otitigbe presented two modular sculptures from the series Patience on a Monument, exploring the memory traces of presence and disappearance through physical memorials and other public sculptures. Bound States (2016) and Forced Away and Expelled (2016) were inspired by travels to Egypt, where he followed the flow of the Nile River to the Aswan Dam, a functional monument that has effected both progress and blight to archaeological, natural and residential sites. These objects transform with each showing to comment upon the ephemerality of history and object-hood, interrogating the ownership of memory and grief.

ñ EXPLORE OUR ˜

C O N T I N U I N G E D U CAT I O N WINTER 2018

G R AD UAT E

F E A T U R E D

COURSE OFFERINGS

PROGRAMS MFA Art Practice Art Writing Computer Arts Design

Design for Social Innovation Fine Arts Illustration as Visual Essay Interaction Design Photography, Video and Related Media

Stop-Motion Animation

Accordion Book Workshop

Letterpress: An Introduction

AURELIO VOLTAIRE HERNANDEZ

ELISE ENGLER

DIKKO FAUST

In a workshop setting, students learn about

This workshop will include creating a short

Through hand typesetting vintage metal

this art form by making easy-to-build foam

narrative through drawing, painting or col-

and wood typefaces, students will gain a

rubber animation models and sets, using

laging a story in an accordion format and

broader understanding of typography. A

established industry techniques, and ani-

then assembling the book and creating a

range of projects from type-based graphic

MA

mate them using state-of-the-art digital

cloth or other mixed-media cover; ending

designs to fine art limited editions will be

Critical Theory and the Arts

animation equipment.

in a finished illustrated book.

explored, through lectures and studio time.

Products of Design Social Documentary Film Visual Narrative

Curatorial Practice Design Research, Writing and Criticism

MAT Art Education

MPS Art Therapy

The Feeling of Design

Modern Aesthetics

SUE WALSH

DEVI DUMBADZE

Self-Portraiture in the Age of the “Selfie”

This course addresses graphic design as a

Students will examine modern aesthetic

JONATHAN DAVID SMYTH

tonal and atmospheric whole. Students will

theories through works by authors such as

Through assignments and group discus-

build upon an understanding of the indi-

Søren Kierkegaard, Georg Lukács, Walter

sions, students will gain an expanded

vidual elements of design: typography,

Benjamin, Benedetto Croce, John Dewey,

understanding of what a self-portrait can

composition, color, image usage, etc., and

Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, Jean-

be. Using any photographic format of their

examine how—together—an emotional or

Paul Sartre, Jacques Derrida and Theodor

choosing (including video), students will

intellectual tone is created.

W. Adorno.

produce their own self-portraits.

Branding Digital Photography Directing Fashion Photography Visit sva.edu/grad for more information about our graduate program offerings

D E PA R T M E N T P R O F I L E

A Chat with MPS Branding Chair Debbie Millman

SVACE: You once described branding as “deliberate differentiation.” Can you expand on this?

DM: Brands can help foster deep connection.

Brands now do more than they have before: they help define our beliefs, they signal our affiliations, and they allow us to telegraphically communicate who we are without saying a word. I believe that the definition of “branding,” or the act of creating a brand is deliberate differentiation. Brands are created and built on intentional clarity of difference: real, dramatic, daring, unexpected, contrasting, choice-making difference.

You co-founded SVA’s Masters in Branding program, the first of its kind in the United States. How did you recognize that opening, the need for such a program?

I didn’t! It was all Steven Heller’s (chair of MFA Design) idea. He wrote me a note on July 5, 2007 inviting me to lunch. When we met, he asked me if I’d be interested in starting a graduate program in branding. He asked me to think about it, but I responded immediately with an enthusiastic “YES.” I find the role of branding now incredibly, incredibly exciting. I think that the ultimate goal of the discipline of branding is to reflect the culture in which the brand or the product or the company participates, which evokes a unique composition of sensory perceptions, which in turn create brand tribes. The extension of any one of these sensory perceptions impacts the way we think and act—and the way we perceive the brand or the product or the company. When these perceptions change, people change.

I also think Black Lives Matter is one of the most important movements to enter our cultural discourse in a long time. Design has finally become democratized, and these efforts are not about anything commercial. They have not been

John Madere

➧

Now in its eighth year, SVA’s Masters in Branding program (MPS Branding) uniquely combines the disciplines of design, commerce and psychology. It’s where creative skills meet business-minded processes. Designed for working professionals, the program allows students to maintain full-time jobs while they reinvent their careers through the program. Its student projects often involve real-world clients.

We asked Debbie Millman, chair and cofounder of MPS Branding, about the program and its origins, philosophy and results.

MPS Branding co-founder and chair Debbie Millman

created for any financial benefit. They have been created by the people, for the people, to serve the highest purpose design has: to bring people together for the benefit of humanity. As a result, I believe that the discipline of branding—and by extension, design—has more impact on our culture than any other creative medium.

and business in the art and science of branding.

We created this program to pioneer the examination of the relationship between design and strategy, and the power of brand thinking as a way to combine creative skills with the problem-solving and decision-making processes of design and business.

While developing the program, did you find inspiration and precedents in other programs, either in the U.S. or abroad?

I believe that any knowledge of culture is impossible now without an understanding of the implications of “brand.” We have entered a day and age where brand is an extension of human facility, whether it is psychic or psychological.

Rarely are design, branding and strategy discussed in terms of a synergistic relationship in academia. There are design schools and there are business schools, but there is no one academic environment that comprises a rigorous, robust education of the intersection of design

Branding is often about invention and reinvention. Does the MPS Branding program offer students an opportunity for reinvention?

The School of Visual Arts Masters in Branding provides a radical, innovative look at the relationship between design, branding, science and strategy, and focuses on how students can use learned skills to generate and sustain new market opportunities. In the process, they learn about themselves and their deepest professional and psychological intentions. The class I teach, A Brand Called You, is all about reinvention, and students start and end the class fundamentally changed. [Michael Bilsborough] 9

ART IN NEW YORK CITY

Judy Chicago (American, born 1939). Study for Virginia Woolf from The Dinner Party, 1978. Ink, photo and collage on paper, approx. 24 × 36 in. (61 × 91.4 cm). National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.; gift of Mary Ross Taylor in honor of Elizabeth A. Sackler, 2007. © 2017 Judy Chicago / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. (Photo: Lee Stalsworth).

Winter

Museum Roundup N

ew York City’s museums promise a winter season of historical exhibitions for artists with diverse interests.

Students of painting and photography will find common ground when viewing “Josef Albers in Mexico” at the Guggenheim. Albers, the Bauhaus legend and author of the color-theory essential Interaction of Color, visited Mexico nearly a dozen times between 1935 and 1967. He declared: “Mexico is truly the promised land of abstract art.” Albers documented this promised land in hundreds of black-and-white photographs. What do they mean for his indispensable accomplishments in abstract painting? You’ll have to see for yourself! The exhibition runs from now through February 18, 2018.

The Morgan Library presents “Peter Hujar: Speed of Life,” a retrospective of a major chronicler of bohemia, gay life and artists in downtown New York.

The exhibition draws from 10 different 10 • CONTINUED / WINTER 2018

collections, including the Morgan’s, and features 160 works. The exhibition opens in January 2018.

The Brooklyn Museum goes behind the scenes of Judy Chicago’s signature installation with “Roots of ‘The Dinner Party’: History in the Making.” Leading to this iconic work of feminist art is a reserve of preparatory drawings, notebooks and ephemera. This exhibition (running now through March 4, 2018) goes deeper, detailing “The Dinner Party” as “a multilayered artwork, a triumph of community art-making, and a testament to the power of historical revisionism.”

And finally, who doesn’t love David Hockney? Working across media, Hockney is especially known as a pioneer of bridging abstract and figurative painting. Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Fifth Avenue) to see his iconic works from 1960 to the present. The exhibition opened November 27 and runs through February 25, 2018. [Michael Bilsborough]

Peter Hujar (1934 – 1987), Boy on Raft, 1978, gelatin silver print. The Morgan Library & Museum. Purchased on the Charina Endowment Fund. © 2017 Peter Hujar Archive, LLC. Emily Phoenix.

@

VISIT US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

facebook.com/SVACE Instagram: @svace Twitter: @SVAContinuingEd youtube.com/CETUBEatSVA

#SVA SPOTS

SVA CE Students Share Their Favorite Places in NYC

M I C H A E L MILLE R

IONE WA N G

La Pasadita Taco Truck

Hungarian Pastry Shop

957 Broadway @ Myrtle Avenue, Near Bed-Stuy/Bushwick “The best Mexican food in the city, period. Always great, sober or drunk!”

1030 Amsterdam Avenue @ 111th Street Eastern European treats “It hasn’t changed since the ‘70s. It is full of the spirits of the past and present, and it feels like home!”

2 MARGARET BU R D G E

RedFarm

CHRIS CONANT

529 Hudson Street @ West 10th Street Dim Sum and modern Chinese “Amazing Chinese food. They’re also known for their Pac-Man dumplings!”

Chelsea Square Restaurant 368 West 23rd Street @ Ninth Avenue 24-hour American diner “Open all the time, plenty of counters, plenty of booths, plenty of windows, with a four-page menu ... it’s either the easy option or the only one.”

Eataly

I C O N PA R KI NG

401 Second Avenue, NYC 10010 (between 23rd and 24th streets)

CARL A ROCHA

Billy’s Bakery

Georgette Maniatis

Veteran Discovers a Passion for Painting ➧ A portrait painting by John Melillo.

iPA R K

B RIGITTE CA R A M A N N A

“In the final analysis, I’ve learned you have to feel your passion and act boldly.” - John Melillo

John Melillo is a Vietnam veteran who has worn many hats throughout his professional career, having been involved in marketing, business, technology, entertainment, real estate, the oil and gas industry, and more. “I’ve always been somewhat of an entrepreneur,” he said.

In early 2015, he decided to leave his prior engagements behind and pursue something that he could truly enjoy making a living at. Interested in art, but always too busy to pursue it in the past, he started auditing classes at his local community college. “The result— the earth shook under me,” John said of his first art classes. He fell in love with painting.

Eros

447 Third Avenue @ 31st Street “When I step off of Third Avenue and into Eros it feels like I stepped onto a Greek island. The authentic atmosphere, food, and the warm and friendly service provide a supremely comfortable place to dine. Try the branzino, but leave room for the baklava.”

215 East 24th Street, NYC 10010 (between Second and Third avenues)

2

287 Third Avenue @ 22nd Street Irish pub and restaurant Famous for its burgers, sawdusted floor and fireplace: “Great atmosphere!”

JO SEP H CI P R I

Best deals near our east-side campus

142 Edgecombe Avenue @ 142nd Street Harlem coffee shop “Excellent atmosphere, plenty of space to work, free WiFi, coffee and snacks are fantastic, and there are old couches to relax on if you are lucky enough to snag a spot!”

Molly’s Pub

2

PARKING SPOTS

Manhattanville Coffee

200 Fifth Avenue @ 23rd Street Italian market, numerous restaurants “PASTA HEAVEN! … or wine heaven, cheese heaven, nutella heaven… basically all of the most delicious Italian offerings under one roof. A bit dangerous for your wallet and your waistline, but totally worth it!”

Think Coffee

280 Third Avenue @ 22nd Street “It’s sustainable, friendly and locally run. I enjoy running into students, other faculty and staff on their coffee breaks. Plus, their avocado toast is the best breakfast ever.”

j

OLIV IA GARCIA

B I AN CA PASTE RN AC K

C E S TA F F P I C K S

KER EN M O SCOV ITCH

184 Ninth Avenue @ 21st Street Cakes, brownies, pies For sweets in a cute space near the west side campus: “I always get a cookie or cupcake.”

He decided that he would unite his past experience and his newfound passion for art, with the eventual goal of owning his own business in the arts. His first step toward this new goal was to immerse himself in the role of the artist. “How do artists think? What drives them? What tools do they need/use to accomplish their goals?” John decided to pursue further instruction. Having already obtained a BS before the Army, he enlisted the Veteran’s Administration for help in finding a school. “After careful research, and with the help of Christopher Holder from the VA and Gemma Prosper-Brown from SVA, I realized SVA was the best fit for me. The course content, as well as quality of the teachers, made the answer clear.”

John took Marvin Mattelson’s course in Realistic Figure and Portrait Painting and John Parks’ Portrait Painting and Making It Real. “Oil painting is my passion. I look to give my paintings a sense of reality by pushing back and bringing things forward that I want to emphasize. This can give a

Best deals near our west-side campus

MP G PA R KI NG

180 West 20th Street, NYC 10011 (between Sixth and Seventh avenues)

SP +

120 West 21st Street, NYC 10011 (between Sixth and Seventh avenues)

painting a real sense of life when done properly. I found Marvin Mattelson’s approach very simple and intuitive—no matter what you’re painting, it all starts with drawing shapes properly. John Parks’ use of color was also very helpful in my progress as well.”

As for what’s next for John, his immediate plan is to continue honing his skills at SVA. His next decision will be on whether to begin looking for a master’s degree program in studio art or business to aid in his long-term goal of starting his own venture. It is clear that regardless of where this new path leads him, discovering painting has given him a new sense of direction and perspective.

“In the final analysis, I’ve learned you have to feel your passion and act boldly. Do not be afraid of failure, because painting is a very humbling experience no matter who you are and what level you’re at.” [William Patterson]

New Beginnings, a painting from the Ship Wreck series by John Melillo; oil on canvas.

11

Periodicals Postage

SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS 209 East 23rd Street New York, NY 10010-3994 sva.edu/ce

Paid at New York, NY

WIN T E R 2018 NEWSLETTER

D I V I S I O N O F C O N T I N U I N G E D U C AT I O N

N

ST U D E N T G A L L E RY

N CO NTI NUE D Winter 2018

editorial staff Joseph Cipri, editorial director Akiko Takamori, managing editor Keren Moscovitch, editor Nika Lopez, editor v isual arts press, lt d.

Anthony P. Rhodes, executive creative director Gail Anderson, creative director Brian E. Smith, art director Sheilah Ledwidge, editor Carli Malec & Sarah Kim, designers con t ributors Sarah Grass Georgette Maniatis William Patterson Michael Bilsborough Valerie Smaldone © 2017 Visual Arts Press, Ltd. ContinuEd is published by the Division of Continuing Education school of v isual arts Milton Glaser Acting Chairman David Rhodes President Anthony P. Rhodes Executive Vice President

Comics Project ➧ CIC-2773-A ST U D E N T : T R AV IS J O N ES IN ST RU C TO R : C AR L P OT T S ➔ Submit your best CE work for consideration. Information can be found at sva.edu/ce/submitart.

facebook.com/SVACE Instagram: @svace Twitter: @SVAContinuingEd youtube.com/CETUBEatSVA sva.edu/ce