SVA Visual Arts Journal Fall 2012

Fall 2012

VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

Image from Maëlle Doliveux’s book project “Arctic Explorer – Louise Arner Boyd.”

See “Color Commentary: The Book Show,” page 30.

FALL 2012

Contents From the President 3 Front Matter 4 Brief takes on big stories around SVA.

What’s the Stitch? 38 A look at the growing fusion between fiber art and technological processes.

What’s in Store 12 New products created by SVA entrepreneurs.

Social (Action) Media 48 Shared images and experiences inspire online communities to make a difference.

Hire Ed: Five Tools for Success 18 A guide to defining professional success and some tools that will help you get there.

Q + A: Vashtie Kola 54 “Downtown’s Sweetheart” sets her mind to filmmaking, fashion design and being kind.

Under the Influence 20 Interior design faculty member Neville Lewis has had a lasting impact on alumnus Anthony Spagnolo.

Family Affairs 60 Second-generation SVA students can benefit when creativity runs in the family.

Portfolio: Sharon Harper 22 Things one can’t always see and can’t always know drive this artist’s photographic explorations.

Color Commentary 30 MFA Illustration students put their observations and stories to paper in “The Book Show.”

Alumni Affairs 69 The alumni community is made up of stories; Alumni Benefits, Exhibitions and Notes; Scholarship Recipient Profiles; In Memoriam; Donors List.

From the SVA Archives 80 A moment in the history of the College.

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VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL School of Visual Arts Magazine Fall 2012 Volume 20, Number 2

From the President

EDITORIAL STAFF S.A. Modenstein, senior editor James S. Harrison, managing editor Dan Halm, visuals coordinator VISUAL ARTS PRESS, LTD. Anthony P. Rhodes, creative director Michael J. Walsh, director of design & digital media Brian Smith, art director Sheilah Ledwidge, associate editor

ADVERTISING SALES 212.592.2207 CONTRIBUTORS Kim Ablondi Marshall Arisman Katrina Chamberlin Christopher Darling Francis Di Tommaso Michael Grant James Grimaldi Dan Halm James S. Harrison Carrie Lincourt S.A. Modenstein Keri Murawski Lee Ann Norman Jane Nuzzo Miranda Pierce Angela Riechers Rhonda Schaller Gayle Snible Elizabeth Stark Ken Switzer © 2012, Visual Arts Press, Ltd. Visual Arts Journal is published twice a year by the Office of External Relations, School of Visual Arts, 209 East 23 Street, New York, NY 10010-3994. Milton Glaser, acting chairman; David Rhodes, president; Anthony P. Rhodes, executive vice president.

photo by Harry Zernike

COVER FRONT: Sharon Harper, Moon Studies and Star Scratches, No. 6, June – September 2004, Saratoga Springs, New York; Middlesex, Vermont; Johnson, Vermont; Eden Mills, Vermont; Greensboro, North Carolina, 2004, Luminage print mounted on dibond.

BACK: Isaac Kerlow, still from Sudden Nature (detail), 2011, digital film.

“May you live in interesting times.” For decades that expression was understood to be the English translation of an ancient Chinese curse, usually invoked in times of economic or social unrest—times not unlike those we find ourselves in today. Another school of thought has it that the saying originated among the British in the early 20th century. Curse or not, it’s beyond question that, for individuals who are alert to possibility, change brings opportunity.

Given the global scale of the changes unfolding today, it is only fitting that many of the individuals you will meet in these pages made their way to SVA from one of the 66 countries now represented in our student body. Korean-born Hyun Soon Kim (MFA 2012 Fine Arts) is among the artists profiled in “What’s the Stitch?” along with Alumni Scholarship Award recipient Elektra KB (BFA 2012 Visual and Critical Studies), who was born in the Ukraine and raised in Colombia.

As you will read in this issue of Visual Arts Journal, the SVA community is fortunate to count many such individuals in its ranks. One is BFA Photography Department student Grace Brown, whose blog and photography series Project Unbreakable offers support for victims of sexual assault all over the world. In some cases, people are finding support here that was unavailable even in their own families. As discussed in “Social (Action) Media,” Brown is just one of a number of alumni who are tapping the ubiquity of the Internet in the interest of building communities.

“Color Commentary” presents work by MFA Illustration as Visual Essay students—work that was recently on view at the Visual Arts Gallery as part of “The Book Show,” an annual exhibition launched in 1994 by the late Robert Weaver, a distinguished faculty member who taught at SVA for a decade. Though the works produced by these young artists often reflect a markedly different world from the one that existed in the mid-1990s, they leave little doubt that the book remains a singular platform for invention.

In “Family Affairs,” you will meet several graduates for whom the SVA community is, quite literally, family. Brittany Neff (BFA 2012 Film and Video) followed in the footsteps of her mother, Fran Neff (BFA 1980 Media Arts), a freelance producer, to enter the film industry. Although graduating under very different circumstances from their parents, second-generation alumni like Brittany are already making their mark in fields from animation to illustration.

It is uniquely gratifying to find SVA students and alumni so productive and inventive in the midst of lingering uncertainty and profound transition.

Whatever changes lie ahead in this election year, it’s clear from what we read in this issue of the Journal that the SVA community is making the most of the “interesting times” in which we live.

David Rhodes President

facebook.com/schoolofvisualarts @SVA_News schoolofvisualarts.tumblr.com FALL 2012

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Front Matter

VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

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photo by Raul Gomez Valverde

Arts and Sciences

Photo by David Corio

You may not think of microscopes when you think of art school, but that is changing. The BFA Fine Arts Department at SVA recently unveiled its new Nature and Technology Laboratory, a state-of-the-art wet lab where students can experiment in the creation of BioArt, a burgeoning artistic practice that draws inspiration from 20th- and 21st-century scientific discoveries and makes use of biological materials and cutting-edge software and simulations. The lab is the brainchild of BFA Fine Arts Department Chair Suzanne Anker, an artist at the forefront of the field. One of a handful of such facilities offered in art schools around the world, it has much of the same equipment that one finds in professional biology labs. Anker says, “Science has a unique affinity with art. In the lab, we are looking at ways to visualize scientific knowledge and move those ideas forward.”

Whether drawing from skeletal remains in the lab’s collection, which has been in development for the past year or so, using imagery derived through the lenses of high-powered microscopes, or

incorporating living materials into their work, students utilize a broad range of resources to develop projects in any medium—from digital artwork to performance pieces. Since the lab opened in spring 2012, BFA Fine Arts Department students and Summer Residency program participants have been experimenting with a range of technologies and equipment to pursue projects that involve everything from the tissue culturing of plants and tree grafting to microaquatic ecosystems and terrariums. They have been sourcing material for their projects locally, bringing in soil, air and water samples for examination and “creative repurposing.” In advance of working in the lab, students receive a thorough background in botanical research methods, lab protocol and safety procedures.

After that they are free to explore how the tools offered in the lab might inform their work. In the year ahead, the Nature and Technology Laboratory plans to host regular visits by leading scientists and artists to share insights into their increasingly intersecting fields. [Keri Murawski] FALL 2012

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Lance Keimig, Steve’s Rock, 2010, archival pigment print. © Lance Keimig Photographics

VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

Talking the Talk

Front Matter

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What do pioneering collective Videofreex, author Luc Sante and molecular cuisine have in common? They will be either subjects or speakers in this fall’s installment of Art in the First Person, the ongoing series—now in its sixth year— produced by various departments at SVA for students as well as the general public.

More than 20 of these events have been or will be held this fall in a series that began in September and continues through December. Another First Person series begins in the spring semester.

In an inaugural-year talk for the MA Critical Theory and the Arts Department to be given on October 26, author Martin Jay will discuss a subject he’s calling Chromophilia: Kandinsky, Benjamin and the Emancipation of Color.

The MPS Digital Photography Department has photographer, author and educator Lance Keimig, best known for his nighttime photography, scheduled to speak on November 13. On November

27, Miriam Romais, a photographer and executive director of the nonprofit group En Foco, gives an overview of that dynamic organization and discusses its long tradition and mission of furthering photography among diverse cultural groups. She will also present a selection of works by En Foco members.

On November 1, MFA Art Practice Chair David A. Ross and Paley Center for Media Curator of Television and Video Ron Simon co-chair a one-day symposium on the work and significance of Videofreex. A screening of Videofreex’s work is included.

Presented by the MFA Art Criticism and Writing Department, writer Luc Sante talks about The Genius of the System on November 15. “Over the past seven seasons, the Art Criticism and Writing Lecture Series at the SVA Theatre has become one of the premier monthly series in New York City,” says David Levi Strauss, chair of the department.

A three-day international conference—from October 19 through 21—will be presented by the BFA Fine Arts Department. Titled Molecular Cuisine: The Politics of Taste, the conference investigates the importance of taste from the perspectives of the culinary arts, sociology, art history and theory and anthropology, as well as the cognitive, material and biological sciences.

And if your mind isn’t satiated after any or all of these events, the BFA Visual & Critical Studies Department will present a five-person panel moderated by painter Rochelle Feinstein simply titled The Talkers, an evening featuring five topics, one proposed by each of the participants. The date for this panel is to be announced. For more details on all of the Art in the First Person series visit www.sva.edu/artinthefirstperson.

[Gayle Snible]

Community Center Last year, New York City’s art therapy community saw two milestones: the School of Visual Arts MPS Art Therapy Department celebrated its 10th anniversary and a new art therapy initiative found a home on the SVA campus as the nonprofit Art Therapy Outreach Center opened its doors. The goal of the ATOC is to provide support for at-risk youth, people living with HIV/AIDS, female veterans, and survivors of 9/11 and other traumas who may lack the means to get help on their own.

Grounded in research showing that the creative process can improve and enhance physical, mental and emotional well-being, ATOC’s programs consist of small-group sessions led by specialized therapists in which individuals with shared experiences create a piece of art. “Because traumatic memories are

stored as images in the right hemisphere of the brain, art therapy can often be more effective than verbal therapy in reaching traumatized individuals,” says Deborah Farber, chair of the MPS Art Therapy Department at SVA and ATOC’s acting clinical director.

Because its services are offered free of charge, the organization relies entirely on community support, grants and donations. ATOC’s biggest supporter is David Wasserman, a former financial services executive and art collector who began funding art therapy groups at SVA several years ago. When Wasserman retired in 2010, he expanded his support by pledging annual gifts to ATOC through his private foundation. Through partnerships with the Children’s Aid Society, the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center and St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Crime Victims

Treatment Center, among others, ATOC has already served nearly 200 trauma survivors, and there are plans to increase that number significantly. “We’re trying to reach the scale where we can not just help a few hundred people, but a few thousand in New York City,” Wasserman told the Wall Street Journal.

One of ATOC’s earliest supporters was SVA President David Rhodes, who agreed to house the organization rent-free on campus. “It seems especially fitting that SVA be home to the center,” says Rhodes, “since the College’s very first students were veterans.” Legendary designer and SVA Acting Chairman Milton Glaser created ATOC’s logo. To learn more about ATOC or to make a donation, visit www.atocny.org. [Michael Grant]

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Front Matter Brooklyn-based artist and SVA alumnus Brian Donnelly (BFA 1996 Illustration), aka KAWS, was selected to create a giant balloon of his beloved character Companion for this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. As a youngster growing up in New Jersey, KAWS remembers that watching the parade on TV was more important than the holiday itself.

“To have my character in a line-up with Snoopy and Kermit is a real dream,” he told The New York Times. Companion, a figure that often appears with gloved hands covering the face as if crying or ashamed, has been seen in a number of prominent locations around the world since its creation nearly 10 years ago.

For the Macy’s parade, Companion will be seen in its largest iteration yet—30 feet tall, 40 feet long and 23 feet wide.

In addition to Companion, Donnelly will also reinvent a number of other balloons and floats as well as a selection of

Image courtesy of KAWS/Macy’s Inc.

Companion Piece promotional merchandise, putting his signature stamp and pop culture twist on the parade.

Since 2005, Macy’s has invited well-known contemporary artists to create balloons for the Thanksgiving Day procession as part of the Blue Sky Gallery series. KAWS is best known for making work that is a mash-up of pop culture and fine art, often in the form of toys, paintings, prints and sculptures. “KAWS brings a unique visual aesthetic to the line-up of giant character balloons,” says Amy Kule, executive producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “Over the course of his career, KAWS has embraced

and redefined pop culture imagery to create new meaning and interactions with established works. Our collaboration will be another exciting entry in the Macy’s Parade’s Blue Sky series.” Companion will join the ranks of designs by Tim Burton, Keith Haring (BFA Fine Arts) (Macy’s made the balloon in partnership with the Keith Haring Foundation; the artist died in 1990), Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, and others. More than 3.5 million spectators in Manhattan along with an estimated 50 million broadcast viewers nationwide will see Companion and the rest of the balloons on Thursday, November 22. [Lee Ann Norman]

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This fall, SVA will hold its first-ever exhibition dedicated exclusively to major video artists. Curated by David A. Ross, chair of the MFA Art Practice Department, “Life & Death” will include new and seldom-seen classic works by Dara Birnbaum, Peter Campus, Frank Gillette and Bill Viola. Ross, who was formerly director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, began his museum career in 1971 at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York, where he was the world’s first curator of video art.

Dara Birnbaum’s 1983 Damnation of Faust, revisits the eponymous 19th-century myth in a modern-day three-part series of contemplations on remembrance and loss and the contrasts between women’s interior lives and the external world. Adolescents on a playground, close-ups of a woman looking wistfully out of a window, and footage of American civil rights demonstrations constitute just some of the imagery through which the artist threads her narrative. Damnation evokes the binary realities of women’s lives through visual devices derived from Birnbaum’s training as an architect and painter: fan-shaped

Charting the Way Forward The SVA Board of Directors has approved a new five-year strategic plan for the College. Titled The Way Forward, it is the result of hundreds of hours of interviews and discussions that began more than a year ago. The plan reaffirms SVA’s commitment to educating future generations of artists, designers and creative professionals, and articulates the institution’s core values: freedom of expression, diversity, integrity and accessibility. The plan also introduces a new vision statement proposed by longtime faculty member and SVA Acting Chairman Milton Glaser. The statement calls

Moving Images and rain-streaked wipes, multiple images within one frame, and box inserts that seem to be windows into the psyches of the women as they gaze out at the street.

In his 1976 Head of a Man with Death on His Mind, Peter Campus closely frames a face staring directly at the viewer, immobile except for an occasional monumental (the projected face is 12 feet high) blink of the eyes. The video loops continuously, giving the impression that the man will bear his thoughts of death silently, impassively, forever.

Frank Gillette stages a face-off in his 2012 work Conjunction with four identical monitors placed at right angles to each other. Two show nature in its purest form, completely free of human intervention; the other two manifest the man-made synthetic in our world— “ritualistic assemblies (moving still lifes),” as the artist puts it. This confrontational installation represents “the perpetual conflict and mutual antagonism floating

between sovereign nature and the toxic swagger of invading artifact.”

Bill Viola’s 1992 Heaven and Earth illustrates the theme of this exhibition with moving simplicity. It consists of two exposed cathode ray tubes separated by only a few inches, one rising from the floor on a narrow pedestal, the other descending in similar fashion from the ceiling. On the lower upturned screen we see the artist’s grandmother on her deathbed. Looking down upon her, his face reflected in hers, is Viola’s newborn son. Their respective positions suggest her transition heavenward and his earthbound. Their reflected faces, commingled on the two screens, silently attest to the brief interlude between birth and the end of life, and the continuum that embraces us all in the cycle of life and death. The exhibition is on view through November 17 at the Visual Arts Gallery, 601 West 26th Street, 15th floor, New York City. [Francis Di Tommaso]

for the College to be the best art and design school in the world, acknowledging that in today’s global, technology-driven economy, “‘Best’ is a continually moving target.”

“This is not a road map, but rather a compass,” says SVA Provost Jeffrey Nesin, who co-authored the plan with BFA Interior Design Department Chair Jane Smith. “It will be a living document that will guide our community at a critical time in its history.” Nesin and his team have set up an online platform that enables staff members to measure their progress against the plan’s goals in real time.

With the aim of seeing to it that SVA meets the needs of students in coming years, The Way Forward lays out a series of strategic priorities. Foremost among these is strengthening the campus

and community. “The educational experience extends beyond the classroom,” the authors write. “We aim to encourage a culture of curiosity and invention by providing spaces both physical and virtual for students and faculty to continue the creative dialogue.”

The Way Forward was initiated

by SVA President David Rhodes, who urged faculty and staff members “to ask serious questions” about the College— from current needs to opportunities for development. Rhodes charged Nesin with overseeing the plan’s development, along with Smith, Chief Financial Officer Gary Shillet, Director of Admissions Adam Rogers and Chief Information Officer Cosmin Tomescu. The Way Forward is available online at strategicplan.sva.edu.

[Michael Grant] FALL 2012

photo by David Corio

Small Talk Robert Lobe

FROM TIME TO TIME, THE VISUAL ARTS LIBRARY ACQUIRES SPECIAL COLLECTIONS OF PRINTED MATERIALS THAT BECOME VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR THE SVA COMMUNITY. NOT LONG AGO, THE DIRECTOR OF THE LIBRARY, ROBERT LOBE, SPOKE WITH VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL ABOUT A RECENT ACQUISITION FROM THE PRESTIGIOUS REINHOLD-BROWN GALLERY IN MANHATTAN.

Can you talk a little about what the Reinhold-Brown Gallery collection consists of?

It’s a remarkable cache of more than 700 rare and scarce books, as well as more common periodicals, pamphlets and printed ephemera, mainly centered on the history of poster design. This material was assembled over many years by Susan Reinhold and Robert Brown; their gallery was the first in New York to specialize in rare 20th-century poster art and graphic design. The collection includes a wealth of Art Nouveau and Art Deco material, and illuminates regional manifestations of these movements—Jugendstil in Germany, Art Nouveau in Belgium and Art Deco in Italy. I was particularly delighted to discover that the collection includes important publications about the Modern poster movement in Poland.

What are the plans for the acquisition?

When MFA Design Department Co-chair Steve Heller told me that this library was for sale, I sensed an unusual opportunity.

My visit to the gallery and meeting with Robert and Susan confirmed that this was indeed an extraordinary collection. I was gratified that SVA President David Rhodes gave his quick and enthusiastic approval for the purchase.

Because of its importance, I thought it would be fitting to produce a distinctive bookplate for the collection

VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

and the distinguished designer Louise Fili created one that references Constructivist typography. All the books in the Reinhold-Brown Gallery library will receive this special bookplate. The majority of the collection consists of valuable and rare items, which will be housed in our rare book cabinets. These can be consulted by patrons in-house. Less scarce items and those represented elsewhere in our collection will be allowed to circulate.

How will this collection contribute to SVA’s resources?

Poster design and its history have always been popular research topics here. Students often seek inspiration for posters they’ve been asked to create for graphic design classes and research into poster history is also often part of general assignments about Art Nouveau or Art Deco. We never seem to have enough material in these areas, and what we do have circulates constantly. The ReinholdBrown Gallery library vastly expands the amount of this material—and information about design history in general—that we are able to offer SVA students, faculty and alumni. In addition, the impressive scope and depth of this collection will make our library a destination for researchers, as well as design professionals seeking inspiration and perspective for various projects. [Katrina Chamberlin]

For up-to-date news and events, visit

blog.sva.edu.

Front Matter

photo by Donald Lesko

And So the Story Begins Next summer, SVA will launch a new graduate program, MFA Visual Narrative.

Chaired by editorial illustrator and comic book artist Nathan Fox (MFA 2002 Illustration as Visual Essay), the MFA is built on an innovative approach to storytelling: the education of the “artist as author,” which puts equal emphasis on creative writing and visual expression.

“Those exceptional individuals with the ability to function as both author and artist entertain us and influence our imaginations through both art and literature,” says Fox, whose work has appeared in

the pages of Image, Marvel, Dark Horse and Vertigo Comics.

The program is to be lowresidency; participants will be on campus in New York City for three intensive eight-week summer residencies. During the fall and spring semesters they will work online, synthesizing the skills and crafts presented in the summer sessions. During the summer, students will attend classes and seminars and work in the studios for eight to 10 hours a day, six days a week. The summer sessions will concentrate on advanced creative

Global Association The School of Visual Arts has officially become a member of Cumulus, an international association of 189 universities and colleges of art, design and media. The College’s induction into the group took place earlier this year at the organization’s annual general assembly in Helsinki, Finland. The three-day gathering of 400 chief academic officers, educators and researchers from more than 40 countries was held on the Töölö campus of Aalto University, which hosted the conference.

From architect Alvar Aalto—in whose honor the university is named—to composer Jean Sibelius, some of the 20th century’s greatest creative minds have called Helsinki home, making it a fitting place at which to consider the role

of creative professionals in improving the quality of life in the world’s cities, the theme for this year’s Cumulus conference. In the course of more than 80 presentations, attendees laid out ways in which artists and designers could become fully engaged in the betterment of their communities.

Cumulus aims at building and maintaining a dynamic and flexible academic forum for top-tier educational institutions from all around the world. While Cumulus is focused on collaboration among those institutions, encouraging cooperation with industry and business is important as well. “With a continually updated goal of designing a better world in a truly global context,

writing, digital media and the process and craft of visual storytelling. Classes will have names such as History of Visual Storytelling: The Picture Book; Form, Empathy and Character Play; and Web and Digital Media. In the third year, each student will produce, curate and/or publish a narrative thesis in both analog and digital form that will be exhibited in a group show in one of the SVA galleries.

“Since visual communication technologies are advancing rapidly in such areas as e-books, interactive websites, podcasts, social media outlets and mobile devices,” says Fox, “the program is geared toward preparing students for the challenges and opportunities in this digital marketplace.” But applicants with a figurative art background in any medium are welcome. Fox says that there is a growing demand for talented and original content creators in all forms of advertising, fine arts, game design, picture books, graphic novels, film, illustration and animation. He continues: “The MFA Visual Narrative program will enable students to become creative, responsible arbiters of visual storytelling, able to shape their own identities, artistic voices and narrative art, regardless of medium.” [Gayle Snible]

Cumulus is a perfect fit for SVA,” says SVA Provost Jeffrey Nesin, who attended the conference along with MFA Interaction Design Department Co-chair Liz Danzico.

Also on the conference agenda was a New Members Fair, where SVA Executive Director of Admissions and Student Affairs Javier Vega and Director of Communication Michael Grant greeted representatives from European, Asian and Middle Eastern institutions seeking international exchanges and partnerships. Aalto University is one of 25 institutions that currently welcome SVA students for a semester abroad under SVA’s International Exchange program.

[Michael Grant]

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What’s in Store

MTA Arts for Transit posters Jonathan Bartlett, Megan Berkheiser, Yuko Shimizu www.transitmuseumstore.com Posters, $22.95 Since the 1980s, New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority has had a program in place called Arts for Transit through which it commissions artists to create all types of artwork for subway and commuter rail stations—art that enhances the travel experience for riders. Within the last year, three graduates of the SVA Illustration as Visual Essay Department—Jonathan Bartlett (2010), Megan Berkheiser (1997) and Yuko Shimizu (2007)—have looked past gallery walls and created posters for subway walls as part of the Arts for Transit program.

Megan Berkheiser’s poster, a subway train running though a partially green city, is intended to symbolize how mass transit can conserve natural resources while moving millions of people each day. Berkheiser talks about the concept behind her poster: “Meeting the biggest green challenges starts with a city. It is the people’s innovation and creativity which ultimately make a city sustainable or not.”

Faculty member Yuko Shimizu used the twinkling constellations on the ceiling of the main concourse of the MTA’s Grand Central Terminal as inspiration for her poster design. She would pass through Grand Central on weekend visits to New York City as a child. “The vaulted ceilings in Grand Central were always breathtaking,” Shimizu says. “Every time I walk into that place I feel like I become a kid again. The Asian girl at the top of the illustration is me.”

Babe Ruth and Jay-Z can be found on a bridge overlooking a Central Park lake in Jonathan Bartlett’s poster. Bartlett considers both the baseball legend and the rap artist to be New York City icons worth tucking into any illustration.

Thanks to Arts for Transit, passengers waiting for a subway train to arrive have more to look at than just the screen on their smart phone. Admission to this “gallery” is only $2.50 and includes a ride to anywhere in New York City.

[Christopher Darling]

Sited Body, Public Visions: silence, stillness & walking as Performance Practice Ernesto Pujol (faculty, MFA Art Practice) McNally Jackson Softcover, 188 pages, $14.95

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Power, Speed & Automation with Adobe Photoshop Geoff Scott (MPS 2010 Digital Photography) & Jeffrey Tranberry (faculty, MPS Digital Photography) Focal Press Softcover, 344 pages, $39.95

Tall Poppy Syndrome Amy Stein (MFA 2006 Photography, Video and Related Media) & Stacy Arezou Mehrfar DECODE Books Hardcover, 96 pages, $60

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The Innkeepers Directed by Ti West Dark Sky Films DVD/Blu-ray, $27.98/$34.98 A pair of bored slackers—Luke and Claire (Pat Healy and Sara Paxton)—are the eponymous lead characters in The Innkeepers and the last remaining staff on duty at a tired old New England hotel that is about to close its doors for good. The two become convinced that the place is haunted, and they set out to prove it. The result is a slyly comic, edge-of-your-seat piece of entertainment.

The Innkeepers, which opened in theaters last February, is the latest scare flick from Ti West (BFA 2003 Film and Video), who is building a reputation for writing and directing movies—see also The Roost, The House of the Devil and three other feature-length efforts—that take their cues from horror movies of 40 years or so ago. Instead of the slasher epics often found splattered across screens today, West’s specialties are long takes, empty rooms, people creeping down dark basement stairways or through the woods at night with flashlights. This is not to say that The Innkeepers is dated; people speak on cell phones, have money woes, and are very much in the contemporary moment.

While West has nothing against big-budget movies, and indeed would like to make such films in the future, Innkeepers was made on a shoestring, by the usual Hollywood standards. In an interview with Brian Glaser in the fall 2010 Visual Arts Journal, West said: “We shot it in 17 days in a hotel in Connecticut. It’s the hotel we stayed at when shooting House of the Devil and I actually wrote The Innkeepers specifically for that location. Having 17 days to make a 35mm feature film is a challenge, but we had a great crew and finished early every day. It was surprisingly easy.”

[James S. Harrison]

The New York Times Magazine Photographs Kathy Ryan, editor Aperture Foundation Hardcover, 448 pages, $75 The New York Times Magazine has been around almost as long as its parent publication. (The newspaper was founded in 1851; the magazine first appeared in 1896. Originally it was just a section of the paper, not the separate insert that it is today.) But photographs were an integral part of the magazine from the beginning. In 1897, 16 pages of photos documenting the Diamond Jubilee of Britain’s Queen Victoria appeared in its pages.

The series proved to be wildly popular and helped make the magazine a success.

Now, well over a century later, at a time when both photography and print publications themselves are in a transitional mode, the prestigious Aperture Foundation has published a book titled The New York Times Magazine Photographs. Edited by Kathy Ryan, a mentor, thesis advisor and sometime lecturer in the BFA Photography Department and the magazine’s longtime photo editor, the volume concentrates on work done during the last 15 years; it presents some of the finest commissioned photography that has appeared during that time. Among the approximately 150 photographers represented are such readily recognizable art world names as Chuck Close, David Hockney, Jeff Koons and Cindy Sherman.

There are 500 four-color images. Anecdotes from writers, editors, photographers and others who are a part of this important publication appear throughout, providing behind-the-scenes textual perspectives.

Besides Ryan, the School of Visual Arts is represented in the book by the work of Marc Asnin (BFA 1985 Photography), Matthew Pillsbury (MFA 2004 Photography, Video and Related Media) and Collier Schorr (BFA 1985 Communication Arts). [James S. Harrison] FALL 2012

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What’s in Store

Brand Bible: The Complete Guide to Building, Designing, and Sustaining Brands Debbie Millman, editor Rockport Publishers Softcover, 312 pages, $45 Brand Bible: The Complete Guide to Building, Designing, and Sustaining Brands, is the result of a student project of the MPS Branding Department.

Department Chair Debbie Millman served as editor of the book, compil­‑ ing case studies, interviews, commentary and brand profiles written by members of the 2011 graduating class. “Branding is storytelling elevated to narrative,” MFA Design Department Co-chair Steven Heller writes in the Bible’s foreword. “This book will help the reader understand what it takes to build, design, ‘activate’ and sustain brands.”

The Brand Bible is arranged by theme: Building Brands, Sustaining Brands and Designing Brands. Each chapter examines all aspects of the field and traces the history of branding from strategies used in Elizabethan times to the evolution of contemporary iconic brands such as Martha Stewart and Coca-Cola. In addition to the students’ research, each section includes advice from leading strategists and designers, providing a comprehensive view of branding.

In a chapter called “The Beginning of Manufacturer Brands,” Jada Britto, Chi Wai Lima and Mo Saad discuss how businesses learned that the potential to attract customers existed not only in creating a product that fulfilled a need, but also in creating the need. This section also charts the rise of consumerism in the early 20th century by examining how brands like Colgate, Nabisco and Johnson & Johnson created a link between the quality of a product and its packaging. Rebecca Etter and Maxine Gurevich discuss the reinvention of luxury brands such as Chanel No. 5 and Lacoste in their essay on brand differentiation. Of Chanel No. 5 they write, “Chanel No. 5’s understated bottle, with its clean lines and pared-down label, embodied the sentiment often attributed to Chanel: ‘elegance is refusal.’”

Sascha Donn, Brian Gaffney and Zachary Lynd consider “the Pepsi Challenge” and the development of “coffee culture” in “Thirst: The Evolution of

Branding Beverages.” They also investigate how a label on a bottle of wine can communicate taste, and how bottled water became a multibillion-dollar industry. In “A Brand Called You: The Evolution of Multimedia Brands and Beyond,” Jeremy DiPaolo and Kathryn Spitzberg ask the reader to think about why Playboy, Oprah and Disney are famous brands despite their differing approaches to conveying their own social and cultural values.

Readers of the Bible will learn everything necessary to develop a successful brand system, from defining a brand’s attributes and assessing the competition to working with materials and vendors and all the steps along the way. [Lee Ann Norman]

Manuel Pardo: Universo Soñado in Technicolor Manuel Pardo (BFA 1978 Fine Arts) Grand Central Press Hardcover, 272 pages, $45 Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox: The Great Pancake Adventure Matthew Luckhurst (MFA 2010 Design) Abrams Books for Young Readers Hardcover, 48 pages, $17.95 VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

Nature of the Beast: A Graphic Novel Art by Owen Brozman (MFA 2007 Illustration as Visual Essay) Soft Skull Press Softcover, 240 pages, $23.95

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Corduroy Magazine Peter Ash Lee (creative director), Tim Chan (managing editor) www.corduroymag.com. $12.95 at retail outlets, $20 online In 2008, at a time when magazine titles were quickly disappearing from newsstands, SVA alumnus Peter Ash Lee (BFA 2009 Photography, MPS 2012 Fashion Photography) launched Corduroy, a biannual style and culture publication now in worldwide distribution. While a student in the BFA Photography Department, Lee had the idea of creating a magazine platform that would function as both gallery space and storybook and meld together pop culture, fashion and art.

Starting off with no publishing experience, industry connections or budget, Lee succeeded in bringing his idea of a fashion magazine with a fine art perspective to fruition with ingenuity, hard work and a small business loan.

Now in its 10th issue, the magazine has met with critical success and its launch parties have become eagerly anticipated New York City social events, attracting thousands of partygoers and the attention of stalwart fashion outlets like Women’s Wear Daily and Dazed and Confused. Contributors to the

magazine include top fashion photographers Guy Bourdin, Tierney Gearon, Ari Marcopoulus and Sølve Sundsbø.

Inspired by the idea of the corduroy jacket that never goes out of style, the magazine emphasizes timelessness over trends and celebrates the work of contemporary creative people making the new classics. Corduroy features photo essays and profiles of an impressive roster of taste-makers, including the likes of visual artists Robert Longo and Alex Prager, musicians Lenny Kravitz and Raphael Saadiq, actors Anjelica Huston and Isabelle Rossellini, fashion luminaries Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte, filmmaker Michel Gondry, designer Philippe Starck and blogger Garance Doré, among many others.

Corduroy is sold at major retail outlets across North America, including Barnes & Noble, Universal News and Books-A-Million as well as in boutiques like Colette, Palais de Tokyo and Opening Ceremony. [Keri Murawski] FALL 2012

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What’s in Store

Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics Christopher Irving (author), Seth Kushner (photographs) powerHouse Books Hardcover, 240 pages, $35 Like comic books themselves, Leaping Tall Buildings uses both words and images to tell its story—the history of the American comic book—via interviews from the artists and writers behind some of the most beloved characters of all time. Working from what began as the website Graphic NYC (www.nycgraphicnovelists.com), writer Christopher Irving and photographer Seth Kushner (BFA 1995 Photography), have come up with a recounting of the story of the comic book, from its birth in the late 1930s to its current renaissance on movie screens and digital readers.

Kushner’s evocative portraits and Irving’s hard-hitting, narrative-style profiles are derived from personal interviews with both industry legends and rising stars. These are accompanied with examples of original art, sketches, final panels and covers. Included in the more than 50 comics VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

creators represented here are Marvel guru Stan Lee, underground legend Art Spiegelman (Maus), X-Men writer Chris Claremont, painter Alex Ross (Kingdom Come), and artist/writer/director Frank Miller (Sin City, 300). SVA is represented by numerous alumni, including Joe Quesada (BFA 1984 Media Arts), Dash Shaw (BFA 2005 Illustration), Raina Telgemeier (BFA 2002 Illustration) as well as faculty members Jessica Abel, Nick Bertozzi, Peter Kuper and Matt Madden.

Leaping Tall Buildings is a comprehensive look at the comics, covering high and low moments, mass market work and niche innovations. Besides telling the story of an art form, it provides an inside look at the creative process of the artists who have brought superheroes and others into our lives.

[Dan Halm]

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Your Sister’s Sister Directed by Lynn Shelton IFC Films DVD/Blu-ray, $24.98/$26.98 Your Sister’s Sister, an indie film written and directed by Lynn Shelton (MFA 1995 Photography, Video and Related Media), stars Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada), Rosemarie Dewitt (Rachel Getting Married) and Mark Duplass (Humpday, also written and directed by Shelton), as a trio of 30-somethings—Iris, Hannah and Tom, respectively.

Most of the action in this tale of grief, romance, sibling rivalry and above all confusion, takes place in and around a family cabin on a heavily wooded island off the coast of Washington State. After Tom, whose brother has died before the film opens, makes a desperately awkward speech at a memorial service, Tom’s former girlfriend, Iris, suggests that he spend a few days in the presumably empty cabin for some rest. But empty and restful it turns out not to be; Hannah, Iris’s sister, is in residence. Hannah is fond of desiccated banana chips and has just ended a rocky relationship with a woman. A bottle of tequila is discovered, and then another and, well, if you’ve ever been to a movie you don’t have to be told what happens next. The following hangoverish morning, Iris unexpectedly arrives, making a strained situation even more awkward. The actors—who, as is usual in a Shelton movie, do a lot of improvising—fumble, stumble, bumble and mumble their way trying to figure out where they are headed.

It took a number of years for Shelton’s career—which has included stage acting, freelance film editing and directing many experimental films—to come together in a single direction: feature filmmaking. This happened in 2006 with her directorial debut of We Go Way Back. Since then, her films have mostly been shot on micro-budgets with tight shooting schedules and based primarily in one location. How does she do it? “It’s somehow impossible to say no to her,” says Mark Duplass. “I can’t quite explain it, but I think it has something to do with her laugh, her enthusiasm, and her love of actors.” [James S. Harrison]

2012 SVA Design App Produced by Leo Mancini, Sebit Min (BFA 2012 Graphic Design) and Ori Kleiner School of Visual Arts iPhone/iPad app, Free Fire Island: Beach Resort and National Seashore Shoshanna McCollum (BFA 1988 Fine Arts) Arcadia Publishing Softcover, 128 pages, $21.99 The Moon Moth Adaptation and illustrations by Humayoun Ibrahim (BFA 2005 Cartooning) First Second Books Softcover, 128 pages, $17.99

To submit a product for What's in Store, please send information to news@sva.edu.

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Five Tools for Success

BY RHONDA SCHALLER The following is an excerpt from Create Your Art Career: Practical Tools, Visualizations, and Self Exploration Exercises for Empowerment and Success by MPS Photography and Continuing Education faculty member Rhonda Schaller. It will be published next spring by Allworth Press, an imprint of Sky Horse Publishing.

Information is power. Knowing what you want and understanding the marketplace and what it needs is powerful. With that knowledge in hand, you create a career plan. What are the directions available to you as you pursue your creativity in the workplace? Which one or two of those directions will you choose and why? There are many tools and techniques to put into play to create a successful career. But first, you have to know what you want and what success means to you. It is never too early or too late and you are never too young or too old to adapt, become more knowledgeable, and refine what you want and what you do.

So ask yourself: • What does success mean to you?

• What kind of career do you want?

• What kind of artwork, service or product do you want to offer?

• What would it take to turn your dreams into goals?

Does success mean having work published? Do you see yourself having a large audience? Or a small specialized niche? Do you see yourself telling a great story, a hard story, a story others may not want to hear but needs to be told? Can you imagine that your work brings illumination, understanding, edification and inspiration or confrontation and challenges the ideas of others?

Does success mean working for yourself on assignment or by commission? Do you see yourself maintaining strong relationships with editors, art buyers, art directors, gallery dealers, agencies, studios? Can you see yourself on staff in a large agency or studio or working for a small start-up? Can you imagine yourself starting your own business?

Does success mean having a commercial gallery represent you and exhibit your work? Does it mean having the space and time to deepen your message and make your work regardless of where it’s shown or if it’s shown? Do you see your work in the street or going viral? Is it for sale to collectors, individuals, galleries, museums or in corporate collections?

Can you imagine your work being funded and in public spaces?

Does the art world even matter to you?

Success tool No. 1: Where do you see yourself?

Close your eyes for a moment. Image your work, and let it be in the world. Where is the first place you see your work? Imagine that people are looking at it; who are they? How does this feel? Go with it for a few moments. Breathe. Imagine you are successful. Imagine you can see yourself being a successful creative in the world. What do you see?

Success tool No. 2: Confirm your own nature and wiring.

Take stock of yourself, be honest and take a good look. Are you independent and inspired? Are you a planner or spontaneous?

Are you outgoing and social? Or are you private and quietly determined? Do you need a low-stress environment or a fast pace with pressing deadlines? Confirm your nature, work with your wiring. Success comes to those who know themselves and make choices suited for their temperament as well as their skill set.

Success tool No. 3: What would you do if you couldn’t fail?

Ask yourself, “What would I do if I couldn’t fail?” What do you need to do to take the first step toward that career? What do you really want most in life and in your career? Can you risk breaking free of options that others have defined for you and step up to the plate? Can the real you stand up?

Success tool No. 4: Turn your dreams into action steps.

Each choice you make, each decision you make can be toward reaching that goal in your heart of hearts. Imagine, each step you take brings you closer toward the dream you have in mind.

What is the high road for you? Brainstorm a list of key moves you could take to move you in the direction of your goals. Make a list of action steps, and then add dates to your steps. Put them on your calendar and do them one at a time.

Success tool No. 5: Make conscious choices.

There are many ways to fashion a career from the possibilities in front of you. Know your dreams, but then match yourself to what is real, based on what suits you and what is available. This means you assess your talent, your skills and your education in relationship to each type of career you envision. Take stock of where you are and where you need to get to and make your choices purposeful. Your choices will determine your direction.

Are you—right now—who you want to be? What you dreamed you’d be doing? Can you make new choices to move in a new direction? It’s easy to get caught up in life, in the “busyness” of routine and survival, in the busyness of being busy. Check in with your definition of success and how you see yourself as a creative professional periodically. It can and will change over time. Don’t judge, don’t censor. Go for it and see what comes.

Then adapt and try again. Let your dreams become goals and your knowledge lead you to action. When you define what you want to accomplish and when, you have self-determination.

And there’s no stopping you. ∞ FALL 2012

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Under the Influence

BY JAMES GRIMALDI

Neville Lewis & Anthony Spagnolo When he was growing up, Neville Lewis says that he wanted someday to become a tramcar conductor. But things turned out quite differently. “I had been a pretty good athlete,” Lewis says, “but I got hurt in a baseball game and was laid up, and having nothing to do, I started drawing.” That changed his life forever. Decades later he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame for Interior Design, win Designer of the Year for Interiors, and be awarded a Gold Medal at the National Arts Club in New York City. During his career, Lewis started and ran two interior design firms, consulting on both the design side and client side.

It’s no surprise, then, that, in 1994, SVA recruited Lewis to teach in its interior design program.

Lewis would be guiding the members of the graduating class through their thesis project and he made it a priority to try to give his students the confidence to express themselves. Lewis became known for drawing out his students’ ideas through anecdotes, visual imaging and confidence building.

It was during that first year at SVA that a student named Anthony Spagnolo walked into Lewis’s class. “Anthony was special,” Lewis recalls. “When I first met him I thought ‘this is going to be a challenge,’ because he had so many interests— music, sports and, of course, design. And the challenge was for me to bring out these talents in his field of study. Plus as I got to know him better I realized he had a good sense of humor, was a hard worker—and he was tough.”

Anthony Spagnolo remembers Lewis’s class with great fondness. “One day, we were assigned to design a chair. So I went home and sketched up a few. There was one that Neville liked, but he must have made me draw it over 100 times, each time slightly different. He drove me nuts!”

Lewis says, “Sometimes I worried that I pushed him too hard, but when I see him today as a savvy executive it’s a great feeling.” Spagnolo agrees that Lewis’s style of teaching paid off. “Looking back, I think he knew that that chair could be better and that if I kept looking at it and drawing it over and over, it would develop into a good piece.”

Lewis’s influence went beyond the classroom; for instance, he introduced Spagnolo to industry contacts. One time, Lewis invited the design director at the global design, architecture and planning firm HOK to judge student thesis projects.

“It’s thanks to Neville,” Spagnolo says, “that I got a job at HOK. One of the juries for our senior thesis project was Rick Focke, design director at HOK. Rick liked my project and helped me land my first job at the company.”

VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

A look at the lasting influence of a longtime SVA faculty member.

Fast forward 17 years. Anthony Spagnolo is now a key player in HOK New York’s interior design practice. Lewis says that he’s not surprised by Spagnolo’s success. “He was good at design,” Lewis says, “but he also was organized, he could sell his ideas, and he was a risk taker, all qualities of a good manager. In fact, he was someone I would have liked to hire. Anthony had, I thought, management potential, which in our field is just as important as design abilities.” Lewis’s instincts were dead on. Anthony now is a “primary,” meaning he is the crucial link between the design team, the consultant team and the client. His role is to act as the nucleus of all interior design projects at HOK New York, the contact for all parties involved to make those projects come to life.

These days Spagnolo sometimes finds himself teaching lessons he learned from Lewis. “I push a lot of my co-workers the same way Neville pushed me,” Spagnolo says. “Young designers often look at things just one way and don’t look outside the box. They get caught up on something and cannot focus on the big picture. I learned early in my career that you can dream up the world, but if you don’t know how to build it, it’s never going to become reality. With interiors it’s the little details that make all the difference.”

Even though their classroom time together ended almost two decades ago, Spagnolo maintains a professional relationship with Lewis. “I make the time to see Neville at the SVA senior show each year,” Spagnolo says, “and I often see him at the Interior Design Hall of Fame dinner.” They also have lunch together every few months.

Another networking effort Lewis made back when he was Spagnolo’s teacher at SVA was to introduce Spagnolo to his sons, who have a construction business in New York City. Spagnolo says that he has done a lot of business with them over the years. “It’s great to see them together discussing business,” Lewis says, “I marvel how they have matured and changed. It’s one of the things that makes teaching so rewarding.”

Even today, as Spagnolo takes on huge projects like the 90,000-square-foot office in New York for global media and digital marketing organization Aegis Group, he admits that Lewis’s voice still pops into his head saying, “Never give up.”

When asked if there was something he’d want others to know about Lewis, Spagnolo says, “If you open up your creativity he will bring out a side of you that you may never have known existed.” ∞

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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Anthony Spagnolo, Guy Carpenter lobby, 2010; Meredith Corporation test kitchen, 2011; Neville Lewis, Arco reception area, 1980s; Arco executive dining room, 1980s.

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Portfolio

BY DAN HALM

Sharon Harper For centuries, human beings have been fascinated and intrigued by the cosmos, and ordinary people as well as scientists have spent countless hours looking up at the sky and speculating about the celestial bodies they see. Photographer Sharon Harper (MFA 1997 Photography, Video and Related Media) has, over the past 12 years, created images that examine the sky as a site for perceptions and images that we can see or are perceived through the camera, but are unable to be seen with the human eye. “I think I’ve been drawn to working this way,” Harper says, “because even though I was trained as a documentary photographer, when I got to SVA I became interested in how I could photograph against my training and expectations and what photography could show me that I didn’t know it could do. I was seeing things that happened through the camera or in the darkroom or in the process of photographing that I wasn’t able to see with my eye.”

When Harper began her photographic explorations, she was interested in the relationship between human beings and the natural world. “In photography there are always these things that happen that influence your images and are present in them that you didn’t plan for,” she says. “For me, that creates a perfect metaphor for our situation in the world. There’s always this back and forth influence, even though we can’t see it or name it, we’re always interacting with things in different ways that sometimes we are aware of and sometimes not.” So with long exposures of the night sky, the elements, heavenly bodies and with the natural motion of the earth, these areas became fertile grounds for Harper to explore. She is also interested in things that represent “deep time”—time beyond the human scale—which can often be found in her images.

Also helping Harper create new and interesting work of the same subject matter is her use of different types of equipment. “For each body of work I’ve done, I’ve picked up a different camera,” she says. “I’m always interested in the unknown and what I can’t know and what I am not sure I’ll find.

So it really helps to have different tools to mix all that up and to shift my perspective and my understanding.” It is through this type of exploration that she finds some answers, but the VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

OPPOSITE: Sharon Harper, One Month, Weather Permitting, Night Sky over Banff, Alberta, September 12 – October 10, 2007, 5 October 6 October, 2009, Ultrachrome print on Harman fiber-base paper mounted to archival museum rag board.

process always uncovers new questions—questions that in turn lead to a new body of work.

“There’s a certain curiosity about the exploration part of an art project and the exploration and curiosity that drives a science inquiry,” says Harper. “It’s more that photography can be used through science to verify what we can see and what we can know, and yet photography can make images that are metaphors for what we don’t know.” It is by embracing both photography and science—and meshing the two together—that she is able to make images that resonate with an enigmatic allure and move beyond textbook images of the sky.

Another factor in both her photography and video work is the examination of time and what she calls “duration.”

“This interest in time led me to the intersection of still and motion, and looking at duration,” she says. “There are certain things I was doing technically at the edge of what film could handle in terms of darkness, duration and overexposure.” She often likes to push herself to the edge of both still photography and video to see how the equipment she’s using will be able to deal with what she’s attempting to capture and to see what sorts of issues will arise because of the nature of her exploration.

It is in that very nature of exploring the world above us that has given Harper a never-ending well of subject matter. In her pursuit for answers, she has unlocked more questions for us to contemplate—the sky has never been so personal, yet so mysterious. We are fortunate that she was brave enough to look up and investigate.

Harper’s work has been exhibited in many solo and group exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad and is part of the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, and The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, among other institutions. A book highlighting her work, From Above and Below, with essays by Jimena Canales and Phillip Prodger, was released this fall by Radius Books. To view more of her work, visit www.sharonharper.org.

24 OPPOSITE: Sharon Harper, One Month, Weather Permitting, Night Sky over Banff, Alberta, September 12 – October 10, 2007, 12 September 13 September, 2009, Ultrachrome print on Harman fiber-base paper mounted to archival museum rag board.

LEFT: Sharon Harper, Sun/ Moon (Trying to See through a Telescope), 2010 May 27 10:48:35 AM – 2010 May 27 11:08:34 AM, 2010, Ultrachrome print on Epson Enhanced Matte Paper.

RIGHT: Sharon Harper, Sun/ Moon (Trying to See through a Telescope), 2010 May 27 10:48:35 AM – 2010 May 27 11:08:34 AM, 2010 Jun 19 8:16:30 PM – 2010 Jun 19 8:23:40 PM, No. 1, 2010, Ultrachrome print on Epson Enhanced Matte Paper.

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TOP: Sharon Harper, Sun/Moon (Trying to See through a Telescope), 2010 2010 Jul 6 10:23:10 AM – 2010 Jul 6 10:23:38 AM, 2010, Ultrachrome print on Epson Enhanced Matte Paper.

BOTTOM: Sharon Harper, Sun/ Moon (Trying to See through a Telescope), 2010 June 2 3:30:43 AM – 2010 Jun 2 3:31:05 AM, 2010, Ultrachrome print on Epson Enhanced Matte Paper.

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29 OPPOSITE: Sharon Harper, Moon Studies and Star Scratches, No. 19, March 28 – 29, 2007, Fairbanks, Alaska, 1 hour exposure; 30, 15, 25, 30, 20 minutes exposures, 2007, Luminage print mounted on dibond.

BELOW: Sharon Harper, One Month, Weather Permitting, Night Sky over Banff, Alberta, September 12 – October 10, 2007, 25 September, 2009, Ultrachrome print on Harman fiber-base paper mounted to archival museum rag board.

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Color Commentary

BY MARSHALL ARISMAN

The Book Show For more than 20 years, the School of Visual Arts has mounted an annual exhibition titled “The Book Show,” which features work done by MFA Illustration as Visual Essay students in a course called Critique. The show has become a tradition and is now visited by editors, art directors and publishers as well as students, friends and faculty.

“The Book Show” was first organized by Robert Weaver, a distinguished SVA faculty member from 1984 to 1994.

As he once said: “To put illustrators to work doing the thing they do best—showing us what the world looks like—perhaps all that is necessary is to give them enough space to move around in.

Instead of defining the page as a display wall, I suggest that the pages of a book constitute a single, if discontinuous, surface.

The fixed point of view gives way to a temporal as well as spatial composition. Just as blue paint mimics sky, so a succession of pages replicates the obliteration of the previous moment by the present moment.”

My experience, in 47 years at SVA, is that if you ask a student to make a portfolio, they freeze. If you ask them to make a book about something they really care about, they flourish.

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Critique is a one-semester requirement for first-year MFA Illustration as Visual Essay students. The rules are simple.

Executing the book is much harder. It can take any form, from a children’s book to a graphic novel. It can be with or without text. The content should reflect an obsession, opinion or personal story.

Turning a page in a book introduces the element of time; it allows the artist to make an exploration of both time and content. The results are often surprising. For many of our graduate students this book is their first real portfolio that reflects themselves.

The class is co-taught by Carl Nicholas Titolo, with help from our friends Wes Bedrosian (bookbinding) and Rodrigo Corral (typography), as well as faculty member Michele Zackheim (Advanced Creative Writing).

It has been said that the world is made up of stories, not atoms. Amen.

Sarah Klinger The emotional toils of an agoraphobic lion or a tapir who is ashamed of the size of its nose are anything but simple. The collection of vignettes in Animal Agony Column: Tales of Faux Paws, Hooves in Mouths, Egg on Faces and Other Maladroit Missteps is aimed at exposing a slice of the everyday drama behind the resilient hides and nonchalant countenances of some of the world’s flora and fauna.

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Dave Casey In honor of my Irish heritage, The Dim Kingdom is an illustrated collection of creatures and spirits from Celtic mythology.

I borrowed the title from a line of William Butler Yeats.

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Yue Wang In Baby Seed a tiny seed is ripped from a dead flower by a gust of wind and blown into the sky, away from its brothers and sisters. On his lonely adventure Baby Seed meets Mr. Hedgehog, a swarm of busy ants, an old black crow, and many others. After a time—and some difficulty—Baby Seed becomes a beautiful flower. This book of self-growth and discovery aims at building a child’s feeling of power and confidence.

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Maëlle Doliveux Arctic Explorer – Louise Arner Boyd is the tale of a socialite, heiress to a gold fortune, skilled photographer, expert hunter and arctic explorer. Born in 1887, Boyd lived through enormous world changes. Her life is inspiring not only because she was a woman in a field assumed to belong to men but also because she was a person who strove hard to break free of social expectations.

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Federico Infante Absent Without Leave is a metaphorical combination of images. Colors and textures change as time passes, temperature and lighting shift, day becomes night—and a soldier disappears into an immense landscape.

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Andrea Tsurumi I wanted to draw monsters and I miss my friends, so I created Night on the Ice.

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Che Min Hsiao Hoop Memoir is dedicated to the memory of the college basketball games I played in Taiwan, where I grew up. It is for both my teammates and my hometown. We played with mountains and rivers in the background; here in New York we play surrounded by chain-link fencing.

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BY ANGELA RIECHERS

What’s the Stitch?

Elektra KB, Medical Memories in Insurgency, 2010, fabric, felt, thread, pigment prints on canvas.

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RIGHT: Elektra KB, This Is Not a Game We Are at War, 2012, fabric, felt, thread, pigment prints on canvas.

OPPOSITE: Autumn-Grace Dougherty, Denim Log Cabin, 2012, assorted sewn and fused fabrics.

Not all that long ago, the fiber arts were inexplicably considered a lesser cousin to the fine arts—given little critical attention and generally underrepresented in museums, except for craft-centered shows. During the 1970s, many artists looked at the medium from a feminist perspective and questioned its validity (despite work by people like Judy Chicago, who deliberately confronted and subverted expectations) because it involves techniques and methods traditionally assigned to women. Thankfully, the notion of fiber art as a “secondary medium” has now been laid to rest, pushed aside as the discipline experiences a vigorous resurgence. For instance, after years of limited recognition, Sheila Hicks, a classically trained modernist who expanded the role of textiles as a primary medium, had a 50-year retrospective of her work in 2011 at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia. And the gender issue, once a hot-button topic, has been reframed and neutralized as artists of all genders consider craft as just another means of expression.

Breaking free of the image of earthy craftspeople performing their labors with time-honored hand tools, fiber artists now incorporate technology into their output by employing digital embroidery, laser cutting, and 3-D printing and milling. (It might be said, of course, that the tech evolution for the fiber arts really began in 1801 with the invention of the Jacquard loom, which used punch cards to program a loom to automatically weave complex patterns in brocade, damask VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

and matelassé.) Today, Knitter Stream—a data visualization installation that filters the Twitter stream for all posts tagged #knitterstream and then sends them to a robot that weaves them into a continuous piece of fabric—is just one example of the increasing fusion between fiber art and technological processes. Contemporary materials such as vinyl, plastics and rubber have also helped change the fiber landscape; even taxidermy has been used to stunning effect by artists such as Petah Coyne. Mixed-media artist Dave Cole creates teddy bears knitted out of Fiberglass insulation—and even one fashioned from fibers of welded lead.

At the SVA Fine Arts studio space at 335 West 16th Street, a panoramic realm of tools and possibilities unfolds, ready for whatever a student can dream up. Among the offerings is a surprisingly petite Juki industrial sewing machine able to sew through almost anything. Studio manager Kari Lorenson (MFA 2010 Fine Arts), who is teaching a new undergraduate class in soft sculpture this fall, says, “Students are inspired to see what they can throw at it—they take a look and say, ‘Wow, how much fabric can I move through this thing?’” (No one has broken it yet.) Six heavy-duty Singer sewing machines are also available, along with 3-D scanners that scan an object to create a “skin” that will lie flat like a pattern.

The lab is now expanding to nine workstations, including a needle-felting machine that uses 12 barbed-wirelike needles to create felt from woolen fabrics. There is also a surfer that cuts fabric and finishes the edges at the same time.

Two new heavy-duty digital embroidery machines will join the more delicate Husqvarna machine, allowing for wider experimentation with untraditional materials. Bags of raw unprocessed sheep’s wool rich with lanolin are displayed on tables alongside Radical Lace, Subversive Knitters and other books showing examples of everything from artist Louis Bourgeois’s

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Autumn-Grace Dougherty, A Collection (detail), 2012, assorted sewn fabrics.

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LEFT: Hyun Soon Kim, Time and Space (detail), 2011, watercolor on translucent paper, thread, wood, fluorescent and neon light.

OPPOSITE: Hyun Soon Kim, Time and Space, 2011, watercolor on translucent paper, thread, wood, fluorescent and neon light.

fabric works to soft-sculpture environments by Ernesto Neto.

On a nearby wall, what appear to be Hermès scarves are actually silk swatches printed with colorful images of bacterial slides photographed using a digital microscope, then printed at Spoonflower.com. Lorenson says, “We encourage the students not only to create their own fabrics, but to push it even further by laser cutting or digitally embroidering the resulting material.”

Pinned on another wall are two doilies from Melissa Skiadas’s (BFA 2012 Fine Arts) senior thesis project, The Invisible Hand. The doilies are machine-embroidered with phrases such as “I See All My Flaws.” Skiadas uses fiber art to explore the mash-up between handcraft and technology, working in the liminal space between the nature of the human hand and the digital “hand.” The digital embroidery process allows Skiadas to distill human elements like diary entries through the computer and incorporate them directly into her work.

Skiadas says, “In the past, needlepoint, crocheting and knitting were communal events at which women could get together and gossip and interact independent of men. So I decided to use these forms of expression to create a confessional or internal landscape and put it on display, much like doilies would be placed on furniture. I embroidered what the women might have been thinking, but were unable to say.” A larger, three-dimensional piece gathers individual doilies together into a skirt stretched around horizontal hoops that hold up by the top half of a headless, legless female form. The dummy’s hands pull back the edges of the skirt to reveal the empty space inside the hoop armature.

Skiadas’s approach to her material is similar to that of mixed-media artist Miriam Schaer, whose project Baby Not on Board uses tiny dresses embroidered with thoughtlessly uttered comments (for example, “Childless Women are Lacking an Essential Humanity”) to shine a spotlight on society’s harsh view of the childless.

Elektra KB (BFA 2012 Visual and Critical Studies) uses fiber art as just one medium in an artistic practice that also encompasses photography, sculpture, video and works on paper. In her mythological world, weak human beings exist as machines at the mercy of a worldwide fascistic empire, with a resistance uprising led by Insurgent Women. The work displays a coherent visual narrative across all media, but the fabric pieces in particular achieve a provocative disconnect, a contradiction between the feminine/pretty and jarring/scary.

The visual contrast between delicate stitching and calico fabric—traditional “women’s media”—and disturbing imagery reinforces the message in a powerful way. Elektra says that when she began incorporating fiber into her work, it felt alien to her.

“Growing up, I was never encouraged to work with fabrics or to sew,” she says. “It was something that I saw as old-fashioned FALL 2012

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RIGHT: Melissa Skiadas, I Have Been Living a Lie, 2011, hand crochet, yarn, digital embroidery.

OPPOSITE: Melissa Skiadas, Never Learned to Speak (detail), 2011, yarn, digital embroidery.

and ‘antique’ because my grandmothers used those materials and techniques. So I felt quite radical doing it for the first time.”

Elektra likes the slow contemplative act of constructing a piece using fabrics and fibers, though she admits to growing impatient with the repetitiveness of stitching together a composition—an unavoidable occupational hazard for many fiber artists.

Autumn-Grace Dougherty, currently enrolled in the SVA Master’s Program in Fine Arts, came to fiber art naturally.

She grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, where there is a long tradition of artists and craftspeople working as quilters and weavers, and her mother enjoyed sewing.

While Dougherty feels drawn not only to the tactile quality of fabric and considers it to be an important part of her heritage, she also sees herself as one of the feminist artists who are reclaiming fiber techniques to make relevant contemporary work.

Dougherty’s collage-process work is inspired by textile artists ranging from the early-20th-century artist Sonia Delaunay to the Gee’s Bend quilters of Alabama. In her newest series, translucent white cotton is layered over assorted shapes cut and pieced together from used clothing as a way of preserving memories hidden in the fabrics, even while the stories behind the cloth remain untold.

Hyun Soon Kim (MFA 2012 Fine Arts) also draws on personally meaningful tradition in her work, in this case the ancient heritage of handcrafted textiles in her native Korea.

Her pieces are anything but traditional, however; the hanging installation “Vivid Recollection” (2010) uses thread, watercolor, laboratory glass culture tubes, yarn and porcelain suspended in a configuration that causes it to clink gently like a wind chime as visitors pass. Other recent works involve small, mysteriously wrapped textile packages that were scattered haphazardly on VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

a beach for an installation piece or lined up in neat rows on gallery walls. Kim exploits the tactile, sensual nature of fiber arts, incorporating both sound and touch in unexpected ways.

One project consists of large, overlapping geometric shapes cut from vinyl and neatly arranged on the floor; the element of surprise is that the vinyl is slightly sticky and the pieces lift up at random when they are stepped on.

As the art world continues its fervent embrace of craftsmanship, fiber arts continue to grow in importance as a powerful tool, and not just for those who consider themselves exclusively fiber artists. Kari Lorenson has recently been experimenting with weaving large-diameter (quarter-inch) black rubber tubing, treating it just like a fiber and working it on a circular hoop almost like a round knitting needle. Then she decided to make a larger hoop, which would allow her to create an even bigger tube of fabric—one that’s about six feet long and 30 inches in diameter. Once she’s satisfied with the results, she has the option of moving on to the laser cutter or digital embroidery machines to see what other transformation the piece can undergo.

Whether you weld it, weave it, laser cut it, 3-D print it, roll it out, digitally embroider it, or just wash and dry it, one thing is clear: it’s a great time to work with fiber. ∞

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Social (Action) Media

BY KEN SWITZER

While the Internet has given us the ability to share images of adorable animals and embarrassing public mishaps instantaneously with just about anyone in the world, it has provided more constructive opportunities, too. More and more people are turning to the digital landscape to build communities, share creative ideas and bring about positive social change, and two SVA students and two alumni are among the head of this pack.

Current BFA Photography student Grace Brown is using the power of words and images to help survivors of sexual abuse heal. After growing increasingly frustrated over the number of people she knew who had been sexually assaulted, she launched Project Unbreakable, an online platform at which victims could share their stories and foster a community of support. In October 2011, Brown started posting photos she had taken of friends who were survivors of sexual abuse, each holding placards with actual quotes from their attackers, such as, “No One Is Going To Believe You Anyway.” Within just two weeks, she began receiving emails from strangers wanting to be part of the project. Since then, Project Unbreakable has grown into a highly active site featuring hundreds of images.

Time magazine recently ranked it as one of “30 Must-See Tumblr Blogs,” calling it a “shocking and sad look at sexual assault and how it affects victims.”

Project Unbreakable is visually and emotionally arresting. “I don’t want anyone to forget the words on the posters,” says Brown, “because the survivors certainly won’t forget what was said to them. As allies, we can help them bear that weight.”

But the project is also empowering, allowing survivors to reclaim the words that were used against them by their attackers, something Brown says most participants have really appreciated. “Survivors often feel like they finally have a voice. For the first time, there is a way to show the horror and reality of sexual abuse.”

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Being able to easily connect with survivors from all over the world is an important element of Project Unbreakable, so for Brown it made sense to have it take the form of a blog.

“The whole point of the project is to reach as many people as possible,” she says. “The Internet makes that easy.” But Brown is not an online purist by any means. “Interacting online is much less personal than meeting in person,” she says. “I love meeting people in person. I’m a naturally shy person, so the exchange between me and the people I shoot is rather quiet, but I often get emails thanking me after photographing them. It’s really fulfilling to be able to put a name and a face behind a photograph.

I think both elements are important, but if I had it my way, I’d really like to photograph everyone who has ever submitted.”

Current MFA Design student Leen Sadder also has an online project that deals with sensitive sexual issues. She named it Beinetna (beinetna means “between us” in Arabic).

After discovering some poignant graffiti messages on the wall of a bathroom stall at a university during a visit to Beirut a few years ago, Sadder realized that female students were using this “media” as a way to ask each other personal questions and to discuss issues such as premarital sex, abortion and other topics that are considered taboo in Lebanon. “I grew up in Beirut, so I knew it was a problem,” she says, “but the graffiti showed me just how serious it was and how much these girls needed a space to talk, vent and get information.”

Since its launch in May, hundreds of women have joined the online forum. Members gain access to the site by obtaining a password from a private group on Facebook, and can then join the conversation by either posting a question or answering a question related to women’s health and sexuality. Unlike Project Unbreakable, anonymity is crucial to the success of Beinetna. “From the beginning I knew that in order to get girls to actually use the platform, their identities had to be protected,” says Sadder. Because of the close-knit nature of Lebanese society and the importance of family reputations, girls are leery of talking about issues pertaining to sexuality.

Making sure the site didn’t have a sign-up process that would ask girls for personal information ensured that their contributions and questions would be completely anonymous. Much like the bathroom stalls, Beinetna gives women a space to voice their concerns and opinions while protecting their identities.

The conversations on Beinetna range from the role of religion in marriage to birth control methods to more specific inquiries about sexual experiences. Although the project will always have an online presence, Sadder would like to eventually expand it into the “real world.” She says: “I hope to take this conversation back on the ground in the form of youth clubs at

ABOVE AND OPPOSITE: Grace Brown, images from Project Unbreakable.

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THIS PAGE: Leen Sadder, website captures from the Beinetna project.

OPPOSITE: Irina Lee, images from First Person American.

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different universities, conferences, seminars and workshops that both educate and give girls a place to talk about these issues.”

One SVA alumnus who has had success taking her online project into the classroom is Irina Lee (MFA 2010 Design), who turned her SVA thesis project, First Person American, into a thriving initiative that encourages immigrants to share their experiences of coming to the United States. After winning an Ideas That Matter grant from Sappi Fine Papers North America in 2010, First Person American teamed up with communitybuilding organizations Active Voice and Shelbyville Multimedia to present Welcoming Stories, a series of five pilot episodes that featured immigrants telling their tales about the people who helped them settle in when they first arrived in the U.S. The videos were developed alongside a documentary called Welcome to Shelbyville, which premiered nationwide on PBS in 2011. At the end of the documentary, viewers were prompted to submit their own videos, photos and written stories to the Welcoming Stories blog, which can be found at welcomingstories.tumblr.

Connecting to a community of like-minded and interested individuals is sought after by artists of any age. com. “I want people to walk in the storytellers’ shoes,” says Lee, “and experience a small epiphany about how one individual can make a huge difference in another person’s life.”

More recently, Lee received a grant from an organization called Facing History and Ourselves to take Welcoming Stories to the Human Rights class at Newcomers High School, a 100 percent immigrant high school in Long Island City, New York. “To help students capture and share their own personal stories, the workshop integrated design-based critical thinking and hands-on learning,” Lee says. “Through the workshop’s curriculum, the students learned about storytelling, journalism and video production, and gained a deeper understanding of immigrant integration.” The students also participated in the production of video interviews of their peers, which were screened at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum and the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York City this past summer. Lee was also invited to work with the YMCA Global Teens leadership development and service learning program over the VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

summer, where she was able to engage teenagers from all over the world in the Welcoming Stories workshop. Having immigrated to the U.S. from the former Soviet Union makes the work Lee does that much more important to her. “As an immigrant who grew up with the duality of becoming American while maintaining my own cultural identity,” she says, “I hope to allow other immigrants to reflect on their process and degree of assimilation, helping them bridge the division between old and new cultures.”

SVA alumnus Lillian Lee (MFA 2011 Design) is also interested in sharing stories and building bridges. Her project, The Grand Assembly, is an online community that allows creative professionals 60 years of age or older to showcase their work and extend their knowledge to a new generation. “The Grand Assembly wants to make it easier to find and follow the work of those who have been mastering a particular craft over several decades,” says Lee. “We hope that intergenerational connections can be made, and members can eventually sell their work, be commissioned or teach their craft.”

The site features short video profiles of all of its members, allowing the artists to talk about their lives and work in their own words in hopes of forging new creative partnerships. “Connecting to a community of like-minded and interested individuals is sought after by artists of any age,” says Lee, “and technology has erased many generational and geographic boundaries in so doing. But age has been a real, if unintentional, barrier. Those at The Grand Assembly are open to embracing new technologies, however communities have not yet been built involving the older generation to the extent where both younger and older creatives can develop a rapport online and collaborate together. It is that element of dynamic interconnectivity that The Grand Assembly provides to older creatives and the community as a whole.”

Lee also hopes that The Grand Assembly will help spread her belief that we can all age more gracefully. “Staying creative throughout the years can deter how quickly our minds deteriorate,” she says. “The next step is to continue to grow the community and document additional artists, while looking for others who might be interested in involving themselves in this platform, because they see the value of promoting the work of the masters who are alive and making work today.” ∞

OPPOSITE: Lillian Lee, images from The Grand Assembly.

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Q+A: Vashtie Kola

BY DAN HALM

VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

There’s hardly ever a dull moment when you’re Vashtie Kola (BFA 2004 Film), who wears numerous hats as part of her everyday life—filmmaker, artist, fashion maven, designer and party promoter. This stylish New Yorker, a fixture on the downtown scene, straddles each of her worlds effortlessly and has been dubbed “Downtown’s Sweetheart,” a nickname that she lives up to by keeping a levelheadedness, sweet disposition, friendly demeanor and real approach to everything she does, whether it’s directing music videos for the likes of Kid Cudi, Justin Bieber and Solange Knowles to being the first woman asked to design an Air Jordan or launching and running her own fashion label. Her friends say that there is nothing Kola can’t do once she sets her mind to it.

Vashtie Kola watches the crew on the set of the Solange music video T.O.N.Y.

I know you attended SVA for film and directing specifically, so how did you end up directing music videos? Was that a conscious decision on your part or something that was a natural extension of what you were involved in?

I grew up when MTV was still playing music videos and I was obsessed with them. I went through a period in junior high of being bullied and depressed, and so decided, ‘I’m just going to be at home. I’m just going to be in my own world watching TV and movies.’ And I got really immersed in movies and stumbled on independent films, which really opened up my world. That period of depression actually helped me, because I just immersed myself in art, magazines, music and film.

And then I immersed myself even more into music videos. I really loved the idea of a form of film that also incorporated music, because both of those worlds were so important to me. Now, not all music videos are created equal, but there were a lot of amazing ones that were coming out at that time that really inspired me. So I had my mind set, I was going to direct music videos. And, you know, at SVA, all the film teachers are really legit filmmakers. I remember mentioning my desire to direct music videos to one of my instructors, and he said, ‘Um, that is not art.’ Not in a mean way, but coming from a good place. You know, being a disciplined filmmaker was an important skill to have, and I think that has impacted me in the way I approach things.

Do you approach music videos more like a filmmaker, as opposed to someone who’s just putting images together?

I try to. It’s hard, because it’s commercial art and there are so many people involved; there’s the label, the artist, the manager—so many people coming together trying to make one piece of art. And it’s hard because a lot of times there’s product placement or a certain dance routine that needs to be shown. But I definitely try to approach it in the way a trained filmmaker would.

Can you speak a little bit about your hands-on approach to directing?

I kind of owe that to SVA, because everything was just so hands-on. After taking cinematography courses, I had a full tool belt and tools. I could light a set and break it down. Studying that at SVA and understanding lighting and editing, as well as acting, just so that as a filmmaker you understand all of the worlds that are involved in making something on film. There are a lot of directors that are that hands-on and then others that aren’t so hands-on. I think it’s just whatever your process is. One is not better than the other, but it works for me. It’s just that I’m so used to do-it-yourself.

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Could you talk about how you approach filmmaking and if there’s any advice you would give a young female filmmaker who’s going out there and trying to pursue a film project— music video, documentary or whatever?

Well, I think my gender has always been an afterthought, at least for me. That’s probably because I just grew up around boys, and even though you would think that would make you more aware of being a girl, which in some ways it does, it’s allowed me to know how to hang with and know how to kind of conduct myself with boys. So it’s always been an afterthought.

And I think that that kind of helps when you realize that when you come to work, it’s not about a woman coming to work.

But for me, what I’ve learned is the most important thing is just being kind. I know that doesn’t really say anything specific about filmmaking, but being kind to everyone on the set is good, because everyone’s actually really important. To get anything done in film is a group effort. I’ve been on sets where either I’m watching someone else direct or I’m on the other end of the camera, and seeing how detrimental egos can be on a set is mind-blowing. I also think walking onto a set without an ego is important; you never know what the day is going to end up being like and what you’re going to have to do to get the job done. So I think it’s important to just be kind.

And I think for girls who want to get into this, I would say anything a guy can do, you can do. Anything’s possible and I think that other female directors have shown that anything’s possible. I would say that it might be a hard road here and there, especially in music videos, there’s a lot of stereotyping being a girl. But I always say this: Being a girl in certain moments of life is hard, but being anyone is hard. Everyone has problems and hardships; it’s just a matter of working through it and not feeling sorry for yourself and being as strong as you can be.

Video setup for Joey Bada$$ music video Waves.

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Being a girl in certain moments of life is hard, but being anyone is hard.

OPPOSITE: Air Jordans designed by Vashtie Kola.

Can you explain how your fashion label Violette came about?

Growing up I was really into fashion, and I loved the idea of making my own pieces: one, because I couldn’t afford anything cool; and two, because I would have to make things in order to satisfy whatever the trends were that I wanted to fulfill. So I learned how to make things, either by sewing by hand or just cutting up shirts or whatever. That led me to sketching ideas of clothing and designing pieces for runways. I felt like I wanted to always do a clothing line, but at the time it was, you know, obviously you need to make a decision. You can’t do everything all at once. So I kind of put it on the back burner. I knew that I would want to pick it up at another point in my life.

Tell me about being the first woman asked to design an Air Jordan?

It’s weird, because it sounds like such a cliché for someone who’s done something like I guess record-changing, but it’s still sounds weird when I hear it. I’m like, ‘Wow! That’s crazy.’ It’s such a huge honor as someone who went from not being able to afford Jordans to now spending her adult life like obsessing over them, and then be able to design one is pretty crazy. I’m very thankful.

So how did all that come about? It was just from you being involved in the scene?

I’ve just always been a girl who wore Jordans. I loved sneakers, but I really loved Jordans and you know on set I’m wearing them, going to parties, living everyday life I’m wearing them. So I kind of got known for wearing them all the time. And then a couple years ago, I was having a birthday party and my friends got me a giant cake of my favorite sneaker, the Jordan3.

So a couple months later, I ran into a friend of mine from Nike and while we were catching up, I told him about my cake. He was kind of amazed by that, and informed me he was working at Women’s Jordan and would love to have me design one. And then literally the next day, he and his colleague called me and I was on my way to design a Jordan. The process took a year and I had to keep it under wraps. I was convinced that it wouldn’t happen, just being a pessimist, just kind of like, ‘This will never happen, so I’ll just pretend like it’s not happening.’ And then they shipped before I even knew they were going to, and Twitter and the blogs got the news, and the rest was pretty crazy.

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Talk a little bit about your party-promoting.

It’s weird. I always say I’m an antisocial socialite. Anyway, it’s just something I stumbled into. And I think that’s just the life of a New Yorker, and I feel like people who live in New York understand that you’re doing like eight jobs at once, and either it’s for fun, your hobby, but it’s also, you know, a way to pay the bills.

So I feel like stumbling into it was again a natural process.

I started a party called 1992 with my friend Oscar. At the time we kept going to parties, and we hated the idea of going to a party and never feeling cool enough. We’d go to like street wear parties, album release or fashion parties, and even if we knew the people that were putting on the events, it was always like everyone was too cool. And we hated that. It was like, ‘Why do we have to be so cool?’

So the idea of starting this party was really kind of more the idea of curating a space where people could meet, enjoy the same music that we enjoyed, which happened to be music from the late ’80s and early ’90s, and have this fun playground—just a really fun way to flex our authority on what music we wanted to hear. I’ve been in it for so long, it almost feels not right if I’m not doing it.

So what’s next for you?

I would just really love to continue doing what I’m doing. I’d love to take all of the things that I do and focus it into a creative agency, which is something that I’m working on now because in 15 years, I’m not going to be ‘Downtown’s Sweetheart,’ you know? I’m going to be someone’s mom, probably—hopefully.

So I’d love to ride the wave of being someone people want to work with. After years of being in the business, if there’s a world that I can create that’s going to help me bring my artistic friends to the next level, I want to do that. It’s a real honor, and it’s a really good moment in my life, so I want to impact it as much as possible. ∞

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Family Affairs

Almost all institutions of higher learning have a tradition of legacy admissions, showing favor to the children of alumni.

In many cases the family name alone is enough to give an applicant a leg up on the competition, if not a guaranteed spot as an incoming freshman. The certainty of acceptance is a little different for art schools like SVA, because no matter who you are, if your portfolio is lacking, your chances of getting in are slim. But children of SVA grads raised in a home environment where the arts are just a natural part of life usually have a decided advantage, because such an upbringing allows creative talent to blossom, beginning at an early age.

BY ANGELA RIECHERS

Brittany Neff, still from Treasured Adventures, 2012, film.

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Fran and Brittany Neff

Brittany Neff, still from Roots of Love, 2009, film.

For Fran Neff (BFA 1980 Media Arts), a freelance movie producer, encouraging her daughter Brittany (BFA 2012 Film) to attend SVA was a no-brainer—but very different from her own situation growing up. Although her family was loving and close, her traditional and conservative parents didn’t quite understand their daughter’s choice of clothing or career (Fran describes her mother back then as “the Jackie Kennedy type, with the pillbox hat and the white gloves” and herself as “different wild colors, the hippie generation, I felt like I lived on my own planet”).

Fran remembers her mother once stage-whispering to a friend, “She’s an artist. She’s a little . . . different.” No harm was intended, but Fran became determined to provide a more artistfriendly home atmosphere for her own kids. Brittany recalls attending art classes beginning at age 6, and going to museums with her mother to sketch together from statues and still lifes on display. Fran now hires her daughter to work with her on film productions as a sound engineer, and says, “I’m just so proud of Brittany. It’s really refreshing to work as a team.”

Brittany Neff, still from Mission: Earth Rock, 2011, film.

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Kay and Kurt Ritta, VJ Krunch, 2012, multimedia projections and performance.

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Kay and Kurt Ritta, BMW Magazine, 2011, magazine.

Kay and Kurt Ritta Kay Ritta and her son Kurt (BFA 1986 Media Arts) share a similar story of early exposure to the arts in Kurt’s life—his father is a photographer, and tripods, darkrooms and the smell of photo fixer are among Kurt’s earliest memories. Kay began her professional career as an artist’s representative in New York City, and then became an illustrator after attending continuing-ed courses at SVA. A small ad partnership she founded with a neighbor in the mid-1970s soon grew into the Ritta Agency, a boutique firm dedicated to luxury brands like BMW. When he was in his teens, Kurt began helping out at Ritta doing logo design, pasteups and mechanicals. After graduating from SVA, he worked as a magazine illustrator and fine artist for a number of years, and in 2005, he started a new department at the firm to meet the growing demand for client website videos. Kay, who recently retired, and her son agree that they took pains to avoid any hint of nepotism; Kurt never reported to her directly. Kay says, “It’s a lucky way to earn a living. I believe in following your heart.”

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Victor Kerlow, Cheeseburger, 2012, ink and watercolor.

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Isaac Kerlow, still from Genesis, 2012, digital animation.

Isaac and Victor Kerlow Isaac Kerlow (BFA 1981 Media Arts) is the founding dean and full professor in the School of Art, Design and Media at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore; he was also founding chairman of the Department of Computer Graphics and Interactive Media at Pratt Institute. He worked at Disney in Los Angeles from 1995 to 2004, experimenting with new media. This richly varied professional background allowed him to provide his son, Victor (BFA 2008 Cartooning), with a clear-eyed assessment of the challenges that come with a career in the arts—along with genuine enthusiasm. Victor is now an editorial illustrator whose clients include the New York Times, where his drawings enliven the paper’s “Metropolitan Diary” section every week. Despite the miles that separate them between Singapore and New York, father and son occasionally work together; Victor says, “Our personalities are very different but highly compatible and we have great respect and affection for each other.” They’ve collaborated on character development for an animated feature and storyboard design for computer games, and are discussing ways to pool their talents on an upcoming animated short.

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Steve Phillips, Folio, 1973, magazine.

Marilyn Levine Phillips and Steve Phillips

VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

Kate and Joe Burrascano, Mothership, 2010, animation.

Kate and Joe Burrascano

Kate Burrascano (BFA 2004 Animation) met her husband, Joe (BFA 2002 Computer Art), during freshman orientation week when, Kate says, Joe gallantly carried her Bed, Bath & Beyond purchases—including a giant orange beanbag chair—back to her dorm room. The pair immediately bonded over a shared dream of opening an animation studio, and were married in 2006. Today, they are partners in Nathan Love, a New York City-based animation company that produces commercials and shorts for Nickelodeon, Michelin, Baskin-Robbins, and other clients. Their story would be sweet enough on its own, but there’s a kicker: Kate’s parents Marilyn Levine Phillips, who studied at SVA for just one year, and Steve Phillips (Graphic Design 1966) also met—in a drawing class—during their first week at SVA. Steve had been asked to sit in for the model who was late and when, from his perch at the front of the class, he spied Marilyn sketching him in a corner of the classroom he knew he was looking at his future wife. Though Marilyn left SVA to pursue a career in modeling, within three months of their first meeting they were engaged, and they got married one week after Steve graduated. The couple are now closing in on their 50th wedding anniversary.

Second-generation SVA students are privileged in a way that has nothing to do with their family names. As they begin their art school education—and are suddenly surrounded by hundreds of other extremely talented individuals—they will be far better prepared than many of the others. Having grown up in the sort of surroundings and culture that has prepared them for the experience. Passing on the family legacy of a career in the arts bestows parental bragging rights, of course, but also puts the parents in a position to offer the kind of help with homework that other students can only dream about. ∞ FALL 2012

connect share create Connect with over 30,000 fellow SVA alumni and the SVA community through these online resources: The SVA Online Alumni Community to update your contact information

alumni.sva.edu Facebook

facebook.com/schoolofvisualartsalumni LinkedIn

alumni.sva.edu/networking and click on the LinkedIn icon Twitter

twitter.com/sva_news

As an SVA alumnus a variety of valuable programs and benefits are available to you, including: • Educational, networking and social programming: alumni.sva.edu/events • Monthly alumni newsletter and special departmental invitations via email • Discounted Continuing Education courses • Discounted dental plan and health, auto, home and renter’s insurance • Discounted merchandise at CAVA, the SVA computer store • Discounts to performing arts venues, arts organizations and at retailers • Career Development services, including workshops and the online job board • Membership in the SVA Behance network • Weekly model drawing sessions • Access to the Visual Arts Library • A subscription to Visual Arts Journal For complete details on your alumni benefits go to: alumni.sva.edu/benefits Comments? Questions? Contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at 212.592.2300 or alumni@sva.edu.

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Alumni Affairs One day I was in the College’s art supply store, and as I was leaving I spotted Andy Warhol at the copy machine by the front door. Next to him, hunched over the machine, was a somewhat overweight woman; she had pulled up her leather jacket and pressed her exposed breasts down on the glass. Andy fed quarters into the machine, taking picture after picture of the breasts.

I stared at Andy, Andy stared at me. Then I left, a somehow changed young man.

–John Milton Heisch (1970 Design/Illustration)

An Alumni Community Made Up of Stories

BY CARRIE LINCOURT

At the core of what we in alumni affairs do is listen.

Every day in the Office of Alumni Affairs we are in touch with SVA graduates—they visit the office or email or call with updates on their careers and their lives or give us feedback regarding their alumni benefits. We read comments on the SVA alumni Facebook page and see discussions of career strategies on the SVA alumni LinkedIn group. We track success stories in the news.

We are always glad to hear from everyone, see you interacting with one another, and receiving recognition for the great work that you do. It’s the stories from and about SVA graduates that make up the fabric of the SVA alumni community. Here are three recent ones.

My first drawing class at SVA was truly mind-blowing. I had gone to a conservative, boys-only Roman Catholic high school, so being in a classroom that looked like an art studio and with female classmates amazed me. Then entered a stunning female—who immediately got undressed. A nude model. After a few poses, she turned and faced in my direction. With a shaky hand I began to draw. When I got to the lower regions of her body I noticed a thin stream of blood running down one leg.

We were both wide-eyed in shock. Realizing what was happening, she quickly put on her clothes and left the room. Being a stupid and naive kid, I was late figuring out that she was not injured, but that her period had unexpectedly, and embarrassingly, begun.

–John Dessereau (BFA 2006 Illustration)

Peter Gee, an Englishman, taught Color at SVA. Peter had formerly been at the London School of Design and was known for bringing the Dayglo art movement to New York. He was intent on making sure we didn’t mix colors experimentally directly on our paintings by swishing the brush around; instead he wanted us to rely on our brain to make the decisions. He had us make giant 24-inch-square palettes on which we mixed in advance all the colors we needed for a painting. To this day I prefer this method, which gives me clear insight into my intent and prevents the muddy-paint look.

Using a Coloraid swatch book, Peter would have us spend countless hours applying one color over another until we understood what would happen. The emphasis would be on making colors “pop.” As the Dayglo movement gained popularity using phosphorescent paints, Peter taught us how to achieve this look with regular paint. My art today still reflects this. Peter and I remained friends over the years and several years before he died he visited my studio and gave me an original silkscreen print from that era.

–Shelli Lipton (1967 Media Arts)

Please send us a vivid or fond memory of your time at SVA— write to alumni@sva.edu. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Donors List The Alumni Society gratefully acknowledges these SVA alumni who gave to the society from January 1 to June 30, 2012.

(E) denotes an evening program student.

Diane Bell

(G) denotes a graduate of the certificate program.

Benefit Management Solutions Neil Berman The Arun I & Asmita Bhatia Family Foundation BOCA Group

Jeff D. Hoppa MFA 2004 Fine Arts Dionisios Kavvadias BFA 1997 Computer Art Christine C. Keefe BFA 1985 Fine Arts

LDI / Color ToolBox Michelle Lestrud Richard E. Lincourt William Locher

We also thank these parents and friends of SVA who supported The Alumni Society.

Roseann and Joseph LoSchiavo Matthews Development Company Inc.

A&A Maintenance Enterprise, Inc.

David Mazzucchelli

Adobe Systems, Inc.

MG Engineering, P.C.

Bank of America

Jennifer Mills

Behance

S. A. Modenstein

Michelle Bonime

Modern Office Systems, Inc.

Leslie A. Borghi-Hassler

Patricia and Patrick Morahan

Michael Campbell

Morgan Stanley

Cassidy Turley

Morrison Cohen LLP

CBRE Group, Inc.

Heidi Paxton

Century Elevator

Prime Mechanical

Margene Milling Rubin BFA 1987 Media Arts

Charles Cestaro

Quality Letter Service, Inc. Quest Builders Group Inc.

Spencer Cook BFA 1985 Film and Video

Romaine B. Orthwein MFA 2003 Photography and Related Media

Gail Chernosky-Hyde Colony Pest Management

Mary C. Quinlan

George Courides (alumnus) and Teresa Courides BFA 1981 Media Arts

Concessi Engineering, P.C.

Debra A. Raisley

Andy Outis MFA 2006 Design

Gregory A. Crane

Random House, Inc.

Michael Purfield BFA 1996 Film and Video

Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.

Reniss, Inc.

DaVinci Artist Supply

Abby Robinson

Lisa E. Rettig-Falcone BFA 1983 Media Arts

Louis and M. Donna DiLillo

Lawrence and Linda Rodman

Vincent D’Oria

SCS Agency

Barbara Rietschel BFA 1976 Media Arts

Marcia Doyle

Ginny Seeley

John Dye

Servco Industries

Educational Housing Services, Inc.

Jeanne Siegel

Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation

Robert Sylvor

William Abranowicz BFA 1980 Photography Ralph Appelbaum BFA 1978 Film and Video Cynthia Bittenfield MFA 2009 Photography, Video and Related Media Allen R. Brand E 1974 Joseph and Kate Burrascano BFA 2002 Computer Art BFA 2004 Animation Frederick Chandler G 1969 Film and Video

Carmen V. Cruz BFA 2002 Illustration Charles Curcio BFA 1983 Media Arts Vincent De Vito E 1968 Vincent A. DiFabritus BFA 1985 Media Arts Priscilla Eisenoff G 1971 Advertising Greg Faillace BFA 1996 Illustration John Ferry MFA 1994 Illustration as Visual Essay Diane Fienemann BFA 1984 Photography Catherine Gilmore-Barnes BFA 1986 Media Arts Cheryl Gloss BFA 1989 Media Arts Dustin Grella MFA 2009 Computer Art David Haas E 1974 Jin Young Han BFA 2005 Photography Joseph Herzfeld BFA 1991 Fine Arts VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

John Lefteratos BFA 1988 Media Arts Estate of Lila Eva Lewental BFA 1977 Media Arts Gregory J. Lofthouse BFA 2011 Fine Arts Missy A. Longo-Lewis BFA 1984 Media Arts Jennifer Makaw BFA 2001 Photography Gary Messina G 1969 Advertising

Timothy W. Rollins BFA 1977 Fine Arts Shepard Rosenthal BFA 1975 Media Arts Michael Ruffo BFA 1991 Fine Arts

Jane Smith

EvensonBest

The TelCar Group

Linda Saccoccio MFA 1991 Fine Arts

First American Equipment Finance

Albert Thomas

Mary and William Flowers

Thornton Tomasetti, Inc.

Jean A. Schapowal BFA 1987 Media Arts

Allen B. Frame

Turn 2 Foundation, Inc.

Ganer, Grossbach & Ganer

Waldner’s Business Environments

Joe Sinnott BFA 1988 Photography

Noreen Gillespie

Lynton Wells

Eugene J. Thompson G 1957 Illustration

Golden Touch Transportation

Caroline Wilson

Claudia and David Tung BFA 1985 Media Arts

Bernard Hodes Group

Joanne S. Ungar BFA 1984 Fine Arts Susan Vlamis E 1968 Photography

Grubb & Ellis JRM Construction Management, LLC Alan Kessler King Freeze Mechanical Services

Satoru T. Watanabe BFA 1989 Fine Arts

Manfred Kirchheimer

Arlin G. Yegir BFA 1999 Photography

Laurence G. Jones Architects, PLLC

Ye-Hsuan and Ming-Dai Kuo

Donations to The Alumni Society of the School of Visual Arts provide scholarships and awards to SVA students in all majors. If you have any questions about the fund-raising initiatives of The Alumni Society, please contact us at alumni@sva.edu or 212.592.2300.

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Scholarship Recipients

Elektra KB, Liberation, 2012, fabric, felt, thread, pigment prints on canvas.

Roger Generazzo, Bags on Pumpkin Patch Channel, Brooklyn, NY, 2011, photograph.

Elektra KB Alumni Scholarship Award

Roger Generazzo Thomas Reiss Memorial Award

The conceptually driven work of recent graduate Elektra KB (BFA 2012 Visual and Critical Studies) earned her a 2012 Alumni Scholarship Award in support of her thesis project, The Theocratic Republic of Gaia. Working with an array of media—photography, painting, collage, fiber, video and installation—Elektra brings to realization a robust figurative world centered on the fictitious Republic of Gaia, a civilization where the citizenry has been brainwashed and manipulated by a deceitful government.

In this world, media and consumerism have replaced traditional forms of doctrine and government has been elevated to a godlike state.

Born in Odessa, Ukraine, and raised in Colombia, Elektra is a self-described feminist whose artwork, in part, reflects her own experience. “Both my parents are doctors,” she says, “so I spent my early childhood in a hospital in a rural part of Colombia. The place fascinated me.” Elektra also plays heavily with symbolism and iconography, drawing on a variety of influences, including radical political thought; Colonial art from the 1400s and 1500s; as well as imagery that references female attire—nurses’ uniforms, nuns’ habits and burkas. She emphasizes that, for her, such imagery is not intended to have a religious connotation, but rather has been selected for its aesthetic value. “These are my own creations and they are in a world I constructed,” she says. “I am interested in how people perceive them, symbolically and ritualistically.”

Winning an Alumni Scholarship Award played a key part in Elektra’s ability to complete both her thesis and her final exhibition. “In my open studio I created an environment with a wealth of ambitious multidisciplinary work thanks to the Alumni Society,” she says. Elektra’s work has recently been on view at It’s All In Your Head, Volta Art Fair and Art on the Edge. For additional information about The Theocratic Republic of Gaia and Elektra KB, visit elektrakb.com. [Jane Nuzzo]

Recent graduate Roger Generazzo (MFA 2012 Photography, Video and Related Media) received the 2012 Thomas Reiss Memorial Award in support of his thesis project, The Waterways of New York, a photographic survey of the land around more than 70 major and minor waterways of New York City.

Waterways was inspired by a passion for the outdoors, developed during childhood summers spent at Monmouth Beach, New Jersey, where his mother would take him fishing, and by stories he overheard about illegal dumping and water contamination from his father, who was the head of a large waste landfill company. Generazzo says, “Both experiences taught me early on that we have to take responsibility for the land and water and take care of them before we permanently destroy them.” Generazzo did research to guide his site selection after seeing garbage exposed by the movement of tides and the discovery that a number of New York City beaches were former dump sites.

Many of the areas he photographed could not be reached without an automobile, and Generazzo says, “The award not only encouraged me to continue the project but also allowed me to gas up my car and go out and continue photographing.” Generazzo’s work was selected to be shown at the New York Photo Festival 2012; he is currently at work turning the Waterways project into a book and has his eye on other landscape projects. For additional information about The Waterways of New York and Roger Generazzo, visit rgworkshop.com. [Jane Nuzzo]

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Alumni Notes 1959 Paul Davis (G Illustration) was commissioned by the San Francisco Film Festival to create a poster for its presentation of the 1927 Abel Gance film Napoleon.

1960 Carol Caputo (G Graphic Design) produced the film iRUBNY, which screened at the eighth annual NYC Downtown Short Film Festival, NYC, 1/13/12.

Noel DeGaetano’s (E) painting Big Pink was recently acquired by the Harwood Museum of Art, University of New Mexico, Taos, NM. 1966 Donald Fedynak (G Film and Video) screened his 1974 film, A Touch of Royalty, at the Orange County Regional History Center, Orlando, FL, 2/19/12. The film was narrated by Academy Award-winner José Ferrer and documents the life and career of baseball great Roberto Clemente, who was killed in a plane crash in 1972.

1969 Michael Esbin (E) is represented by the Kouros Gallery, NYC, and Galerie am Lindenplatz AG, Liechtenstein.

Alumni Scholarship Award recipient Nina Frenkel, Shall We Dance, 2012, silkscreen.

GROUP EFFORTS

Susie Hong and Bokyeong Kim (both BFA 2011 Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects) were nominated for a Visual Effects Society award in the Outstanding Effects in a Student Project category for their project Aquatic Bloom, Los Angeles, 1/9/12.

BFA Illustration Department alums Adrien Dacquel (2011), Rebecca GenneBacon (2011), Amanda Lanzone (2011), Yuri Leonov (2011), Joyce Li (2011), James Lipnickas (2011), Ryan Mauskopf (2011), Matthew Panuska (2011), Jonathan Ruzzo (2012), Andrew Ryan (2011), Anna Santaguida (2011), Kayla Skogh (2011) and Aldo Van Enck (2011) were awarded with inclusion in the group exhibition “2012 Student Scholarship Competition,” Society of Illustrators, NYC, 5/9–6/1/12. Joseph Perrotto’s (BFA 2011 Illustration) illustration 1927/1947 won the $2,500 Nancy Lee Rhodes Roberts Scholarship Award and Kyle Stecker’s (BFA 2011 Illustration) illustration Basketball Ink was awarded a $500 prize In Memory of Frances Means, 2012 Society of Illustrators student scholarship competition, NYC, 3/24/12.

Daniel De Lorenzo and Benjamin Stumpf (both BFA 2008 Film and Video) were nominated for a Webby award for their short film The Man Without a Facebook in the Best Comedy: Individual Short or Episode category.

Alexander Heilner (MFA 1998 Photography and Related Media), Geraldine LauO’Shea (MFA 1997 Fine Arts) and Sylvan Lionni (BFA 1994 Fine Arts) are among the more than 70 artists commissioned by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to create more than 500 works of art for a new Johns Hopkins Hospital building in Baltimore that opened in May 2012.

SVA alumni Casey Espinoza, Eleni Georgeou, Bona Jeong, Bo Mi Jo, Jamie Kakleas, Jungho Katie Lee and Dahee Song (all BFA 2011 Advertising) were named winners of the Graphis New Talent Annual Gold Award; the award provides industrywide exposure with a spot in the Graphis New Talent Annual 2012.

TO SUBMIT INFORMATION AND TO VIEW A COMPLETE LIST OF ALUMNI NOTES AND EXHIBITIONS GO TO:

alumni.sva.edu VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

1971 David Vine (Photography) conducted a webinar titled “Find & Legally Use Free Multimedia Content on Internet,” 1/17/12.

1975 Richard Krieger’s (E) latest drawings from the The Bomb Shelters Will Save Us series, along with several short films, are available on YouTube at RK2012ART’S channel.

Margaret McCarthy’s (BFA Fine Arts) photographs were featured in the online exhibition, “Margaret McCarthy: 2!

4! 6! 8! The Art of Protest,” on aCurator, an online photography magazine.

1977 Domonic Paris (BFA Film and Video) wrote the animated feature Sammy’s Adventures 2, which was screened at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and released in Europe in August.

1978 Susan Newman (BFA Media Arts) is offering consulting services to help entrepreneurs and creative people be more business-, marketing-, social media- and web tech-savvy. Learn more at her site broadcastlouder.com.

1979 Steven Pullara (BFA Fine Arts) won a Grammy award in the Best Children’s Album category for the release “All About Bullies . . . Big and Small,” 54th Annual Grammy Awards, Los Angeles, 2/12/12.

1980 Michael Lovaglio (BFA Fine Arts) wrote the script for The Night Never Sleeps; the film was selected to screen during the SoHo International Film Festival, NYC, 4/13–4/19/12.

Kevin Reece (BFA Photography) launched a new website showcasing his work: kwrphotography.net.

1981 Robin Antar (BFA Fine Arts) is represented by POP International Gallery, NYC. 1982 Ernesto Bazan’s (BFA Photography) book Al Campo was featured in “Camaraderie in Cuba: Ernesto Bazan’s Self-Publishing Philosophy,” Time magazine’s LightBox blog, 2/22/12.

Daniel Riba (BFA Media Arts) was nominated for an Annie award in the Directing in a Television Production category for his work on Ben 10 Ultimate Alien by the International Animated Film Society, Burbank, CA, 12/5/11.

1984 Glenn Garver’s (BFA Fine Arts) “Recent Paintings” exhibition at Hamilton Square Condominiums was featured in an article in the Jersey Journal, 5/10/12.

1985 Frank Caruso (BFA Media Arts) collaborated with the rock band Wilco on a video for “Dawned on Me,” a project that was featured in several publications, including The New York Times ArtsBeat, 1/27/12, and RollingStone. com, 1/26/12.

Mark Hriciga’s (BFA Media Arts) team received a Wanna Play? award for Credit Fail, a television commercial for freecreditscore.com, from the National Association of Music Merchants, Anaheim, CA, 1/23/12.

Paula Wehde (BFA Film and Video) is the station director at WOA-TV, Windsor, VT. 1986 Thomas Merrick (BFA Communication Arts) was appointed executive creative director at Eric Mower + Associates, Syracuse, NY. 1988 Sheila Higginson’s (BFA Communication Arts) book You’re Getting a Baby Sister was featured in a review in Publishers Weekly, 12/12/11.

1989 Katherine Criss’s (BFA Photography) photo No War was accepted in the Long Island Biennial, 4/28–8/12/12.

Suzanne McClelland’s (MFA Fine Arts) exhibition at Sue Scott Gallery was featured in “Goings on About Town: Art: Suzanne McClelland,” The New Yorker, 12/8/11; “Suzanne McClelland,” BOMB, winter 2012; and “The Lookout: A Weekly Guide to Shows You Won’t Want to Miss,” Art in America News & Opinion blog, 12/8/11.

Penelope Umbrico’s (MFA Fine Arts) work was featured on the March 2012 cover of Art in America.

73 1990 Michael Giacchino (BFA Film and Video) composed the original score for the film John Carter, released by Disney, 3/9/12.

1991 Alfred Accettura (BFA Media Arts) joined The Art of Brooklyn, a nonprofit dedicated to the art and culture of the borough of Brooklyn.

Kevin Romond (BFA Fine Arts) won an Annie Award in the Animated Effects in an Animated Production category for the movie Tintin by the International Animated Film Society, Burbank, CA, 2/4/12.

1992 Gerald Cyrus (MFA Photography and Related Media) participated in the i3: Images, Ideas, Inspiration lecture series, SVA, NYC, 4/16/12.

1993 Carlos Saldanha (MFA Computer Art) was nominated for an Annie award in the Directing in a Feature Production category for the film Rio by the International Animated Film Society, Burbank, CA, 12/5/11.

1994 Chris Prynoski (BFA Animation) was featured in an article, “Past and Future Collide in Disney’s Motorcity,” Wired magazine GeekDad blog, 4/10/12.

1996 Chiun-Kai Shih (BFA Photography) partnered with the iPhone app Hipstamatic for New York Fashion Week, resulting in a curated fashion showcase called Top of the Garden, NYC, 2/16/12.

Graig Weich (BFA Illustration) appeared as a special guest on Comic Book Men, Season 1, Episode 2, AMC. 1997 Carrie Snyder (BFA Photography) joined SBLM Architects in New York as marketing director in charge of the firm’s in-house graphic design and photography department.

Asya Geisberg (MFA Fine Arts) gave an artist talk as part of the monthly salon “Muse Fuse,” NURTUREart, NYC, 1/18/12.

2000 Gustave Blache’s (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) portrait of New Orleans chef Leah Chase was added to the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC. Matthew Hoyt (BFA Fine Arts) was featured in a review, “Matt Hoyt,” Art in America, 3/9/12.

Lauren Redniss (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) received a 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship for her project “Thunder and lightning: weather past, present, future,” NYC, 4/12/12.

Herbert Tam (MFA Fine Arts) was appointed curator and director of exhibitions at the Museum of Chinese in America, NYC, 5/31/11.

2001 Jeremiah Dickey and Biljana Labovic (both BFA 2001 Animation) are directing the production team for the TED-ED, an online platform where the TED-ED team works with educators to create video lessons aimed at schoolaged children.

Peter Rad (MFA Photography and Related Media) did the photography and assisted with the concept for the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s 150th anniversary campaign developed by advertising agency mcgarrybowen.

The ads appeared in NYC throughout fall 2011 and spring 2012.

Andrew Semans’s (BFA Film and Video) film Nancy, Please made its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival, NYC, 4/18–4/29/12, and was featured in an article, “Breakout hits, stars at the Tribeca Film Festival,” AM New York, 4/25/12.

2002 ON Megumi [Megumi Akiyoshi] (MFA Fine Arts) was featured in a Brooklyn Independent Television/BRIC Arts Media video discussing her multimedia creative practice.

Jenai Chin (BFA Illustration) provides educational seminars for makeup professionals in the beauty industry at the cosmetic company Make Up For Ever.

2003 Kirk Bauer (MFA Photography and Related Media) was commissioned to create a large-scale mural and four additional works of art for the ESPN Magazine offices in Bristol, CT, 6/1/11.

Dai San Jen (BFA Graphic Design) was recently named partner at the design firm Pentagram.

Anna Musso’s (BFA Film and Video) short film L Train screened at the Sundance Film Festival, Park City, UT, 1/19–1/29/12.

2004 John Brennick (BFA Computer Art) worked on the visual effects team that was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Visual Effects category for the film Real Steel.

Victoria Colotta (BFA Fine Arts) recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of her company, VMC Art & Design, which offers graphic design solutions for artists, photographers, authors, publishers and small businesses.

Kira Greene (MFA Fine Arts) participated in a panel discussion, Transnationalism and Women Artists in Diaspora, Brooklyn Museum, NYC, 3/31/12.

Peter Normandia (BFA Film and Video) received the Best Short Comedy award for his film Single Status at the 2012 NY International Independent Film Festival, Los Angeles, 4/28/12.

Michelle Palumbo (BFA Animation) was featured in “Astoria Characters: The ComiX Creator,” Huffington Post, 5/1/12.

2005 Scott Ballum (BFA Graphic Design) has been named creative director at Yoxi.tv, a media strategy organization focused on social innovation.

Ali Banisadr’s (BFA Illustration) painting Interrogation has been acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC. Nitant Karnik (BFA Computer Art) worked on the visual effects team that was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Visual Effects category for Transformers 3.

David Spaltro’s (BFA Film and Video) film Things I Don’t Understand won Best Feature at the Indie Spirit Film Festival, Colorado Springs, CO, 4/19–4/22/12.

2006 John Dessereau (BFA Illustration) received a monetary award in addition to a Brooklyn billboard that showed his artwork as the winner of “100 Proof,” a contest collaboration between Southern Comfort and The L Magazine, NYC, 1/19/12.

Barry Johnson (BFA Illustration) was nominated for an Annie award in the Storyboarding in a Television Production category for his work on Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice by the International Animated Film Society, Burbank, CA, 12/5/11.

Christine Sun Kim (MFA 2006 Fine Arts) performed Feedback Nonstop (1 of 6), Recess Activities, Inc. in conjunction with Performa 11, NYC, 10/31–11/4/11.

Sarah Sze (MFA Fine Arts) was featured in ”A Million Little Pieces,” The New Yorker, 5/14/12.

1998 Matthew Akers (BFA Fine Arts) directed Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present, which screened at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT, and was released in theaters in summer 2012.

Benjamin Beshaw’s (BFA Illustration) work is included in the book Strange Daze, published by Beautiful/Decay, 4/24/12.

Alexander Heilner (MFA Photography and Related Media) was awarded the Mary Sawyers Baker Prize, an award of the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, Baltimore, 5/11/12. The award includes an exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 9/5–10/7/12.

1999 Meiling Chen (BFA Graphic Design) participated in the AsianInNY curated program for New York Fashion Week, Bennett Media Studio, NYC, 2/11/12.

Alumni Scholarship Award recipient Haejeon Lee, Harold on Fire, 2011, mixed media.

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Alumni Scholarship Award recipient Sangchul Shin, 49MINUTES, 2012, film.

Michael Rizzo (BFA Film and Video), along with his production company Rocket & The Rizz, recently wrote, directed and produced videos for bands Paul and the Tall Trees and August.

Charles Sabba (BFA Fine Arts) delivered a lecture titled The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist, Salmagundi Club, NYC, 5/18/12.

Jeongmee Yoon’s (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) photo The Pink Project 2: Lauren and Carolyn and Their Pink and Purple Things was awarded the Sovereign Asian Art Prize, The Four Seasons, Hong Kong, 2/17/12.

2007 Marguerite Dabaie (BFA Cartooning) created a comic in collaboration with cartoonist Jennifer Camper for World War III Illustrated, Issue #42.

Adriana Teresa Letorney (BFA Photography) launched a blog as part of the Huffington Post’s Style section, where she will interview leaders in art, fashion and design.

2008 Rachel Barrett (MFA 2008 Photography, Video and Related Media) received the 2011 Tracey Baran Award, a $5,000 grant that honors the memory SVA alumnus Tracey Baran (BFA 1997 Photograpy).

novel Nature of the Beast, released by Soft Skull Press, 3/6/12.

Tiffany Seal (BFA Photography) directed and produced a show of music and dance called Turn Into, Soft House, Baltimore, 2/25/12.

Thomas Weinrich (MFA Fine Arts) was featured in an article headed “Next Stop Bushwick,” The New York Times, 3/7/12.

2009 Vanessa Bahmani (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) received a Top 110 Finalist award in the Exposure 2011 photography competition, NYC, 2/1/12.

2011 Alison Eng (BFA Advertising) cofounded Citizens for Optimism, a collective of 17 up-and-coming designers who strive to use their individual styles to inspire happiness through design. To learn more, visit citizensforoptimism.com.

Dustin Grella (MFA Computer Art) series Animation Hotline Project screened at the Cannes Film Festival, Cannes, France, 5/18/12.

Daniel Fishel (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) painted one of the walls of the Highline Stages at a launch party for the Lands’ End clothing brand’s spring/summer 2012 Canvas collection, NYC, 11/9/12.

Joanna Neborsky (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) was interviewed in “Asked & Answered / Joanna Neborsky,” The New York Times Style Magazine, 1/12/12.

Yue Liu’s (MFA Computer Art) short animated film Shinobi Blues was nominated for a Student Academy Award in the Animation category, Beverly Hills, CA, 5/2/12.

Rebecca Sugar (BFA Animation) was nominated for an Annie award in the Individual Achievement category of Storyboarding in a Television Production for her work on Adventure Time by the International Animated Film Society, Burbank, CA, 12/5/11.

Jungyeon Roh (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) was featured in an article, “The unhealthy life of drawing,” Salon, 5/1/12.

Sarah Ferguson (MFA Fine Arts) was recently interviewed in an article, “Why Artist Sarah Ferguson Painted Hillary Clinton Nude And As Marilyn Monroe,” Huffington Post, 4/13/12.

2010 Miho Aikawa’s (MPS Digital Photography) photo series Dinner in NY was featured in an article, “Dinner at the Family Table (and Couch and Bed and Laptop...),” on Life Lift, the Oprah blog, 2/7/12.

Allison Kaufman (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) was profiled on Art/Trek NYC, a documentary TV series that showcases emerging New York City artists, NYC TV, 1/16/12.

Matthew Gossett (BFA Film and Video) received the Amazon Studios grand prize award for his script Origin of Species, 12/1/11.

Matthew Rota (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) collaborated with Adam Mansbach and Douglas McGowan to color the illustrations for their graphic

Benjamin Martin (BFA Photography) was featured in an article, “Art Basel: Two Artists Pair to Paint a New Look for the Miami City Ballet,” SunPost Weekly, 12/1/11.

VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

Angela Riechers (MFA Design Criticism) recently launched a project, Sites of Memory, a map-based website that tells stories of NYC’s forgotten past. To learn more, visit sitesofmemory.com.

Hanzhng Shen’s (MFA Social Documentary) film Why Am I Still Alive was nominated for a Student Academy Award in the Documentary category, Beverly Hills, CA, 5/2/12.

2012 Ina Jang (MPS Fashion Photography) was featured in an article, “Works on Paper by Ina Jang,” Time magazine’s LightBox blog, 3/20/12.

Grzegorz Opalinski (BFA Illustration) was one of 12 illustrators published in the annual L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume 28, released by Galaxy Press, 6/17/12.

In Memoriam Annette C. Compton Fiertz (MFA 1995 Illustration as Visual Essay) passed away on May 11, 2012. Fiertz, who lived in Woodstock, Vermont, received the Paula Rhodes Award for exceptional work when she was at SVA. She owned her own design and illustration studio, ComptonArt, and was the author and illustrator of Drawing from the Mind, Painting from the Heart, published in 2002.

She also illustrated God’s Paintbrush, an award-winning children’s book that appeared in two languages and is now in its 11th printing. Fiertz is survived by her husband, Alden Fiertz; her mother, Trish Compton; and many friends. Donations in her memory can be made to the North Universalist Chapel Society, 7 Church Street, Woodstock, VT, 05091.

Eileen McClash passed away on February 28, 2012. McClash worked at SVA from the late 1960s until 1983, first in the Admissions Department and then in the Placement Office (now Career Development) where, in 1973, she became director.

In 1982, Eileen was given a Special Recognition Award by the Alumni Association for her years of dedication to the students and alumni of SVA in her role as director of placement. After SVA, Eileen followed her personal passion and joined the Food Network, at its inception.

From the network’s early beginnings until her retirement in 2010, Eileen held the position of food editor. Her son, John McClash, predeceased her. She is survived by her daughter, Elena McClash, and many friends.

Donations in her memory can be made at the James Beard Foundation website, www.jamesbeard.org, where the Eileen McClash Scholarship Fund is listed.

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Alumni Exhibitions GROUP EFFORTS

The group exhibition “Campaign,” C24, NYC, 1/12–2/25/12, featured work by SVA alumni Nida Abidi (MFA 2011 Fine Arts), Hrafnhildur Arnardottir (MFA 1996 Fine Arts), Katie Cercone (MFA 2011 Fine Arts), Kate Gilmore (MFA 2002 Fine Arts), Lisa Kirk (BFA 1991 Fine Arts), Mika Rottenberg (BFA 2001 Fine Arts), Elif Uras (BFA 2001 Fine Arts) and Amy Wilson (BFA 1995 Fine Arts).

Suzanne McClelland (MFA 1989 Fine Arts) and Elizabeth Peyton (BFA 1987 Fine Arts) were included in the group exhibition “2012 Invitational Exhibition of Visual Arts,” American Academy of Arts and Letters, NYC, 3/8–4/15/12.

SVA alumni Alina Bliumis (BFA 1999 Computer Art), Melanie Crean (MFA 1998 Computer Art), Arthur Jones (BFA 1974 Media Arts) and Tim Rollins (BFA 1977 Fine Arts) were included in the group exhibition “No Longer Empty Presents: This Side of Paradise,” Andrew Freedman Home, NYC, 4/4–6/5/12.

Kristen Terrana (BFA 2005 Illustration) curated the group exhibition “Spirit Animal,” Anagnorisis Fine Arts, NYC, 11/1–12/31/11. The exhibition included work

by SVA alumni Zofia Bogusz (BFA 2006 Illustration), Charlotte Doglio (MFA 2007 Fine Arts) and Daniel O’Brien (BFA 2006 Illustration).

Naoko Ito (MFA 2010 Fine Arts) and Allyson Ross (MFA 2010 Photography, Video and Related Media) participated in the group exhibition “Matchmaker,” SOHO20, NYC, 1/31–2/25/12.

SVA alumni Ann Lepore (MFA 2003 Computer Art), Margaret Murphy (BFA 1983 Film and Video) and Irys Schenker (MFA 1999 Fine Arts) were featured in the group exhibition “Through You Into Action,” Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, NJ, 4/16–6/9/12, and Gallery Aferro, Newark, NJ, 5/4–6/1/12.

Alana Bograd (BFA 2004 Fine Arts) curated the group exhibition “PEEP: a Curious Look Into Painting,” Little Berlin, Philadelphia, 5/4–5/23/12. The exhibition included work by Selma Hafizovic (BFA 2004 Fine Arts).

Alina Bliumis (BFA 1999 Computer Art) and Irina Danilova (MFA 1996 Fine Arts) participated in the group exhibition “Foreign Bodies,” Barbur, Jerusalem, 5/10–6/1/12.

Steven Cavallo (BFA 1979 Media Arts) and Arin Yoon (MFA 2009 Photography, Video and Related Media) participated in the group exhibition “Come From the Shadows,” Harriet and Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center and Archives, Queensborough Community College, NYC, 8/15–10/30/12.

1967 Carole Feuerman (G Fine Arts). Installation, “Survival of Serena,” Petrosino Square, NYC, 5/21–9/23/12.

Anna Walter (G Fine Arts). Group exhibition, “[ ] Is My Currency,” Grand Assembly in partnership with Gallery 307 and the Carter Burden Center, NYC, 3/13–3/30/12.

1968 Billy Sullivan (Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “Billy Sullivan,” Nicole Klagsbrun, NYC, 5/8–6/16/12.

1970 Anthony Cowels (G). Solo exhibition, “The Work of Anthony Cowels,” Rio Penthouse Gallery, NYC, 4/15– 5/15/12.

1971 Terry Berkowitz (G Fine Arts). Group exhibition, “Resonance: Looking for Mr. McLuhan,” Pratt Manhattan Gallery, NYC, October 2011.

1976 A. Lucky Checkley (BFA Photography). Group exhibition, “Exposure,” Ceres Gallery, NYC, 11/29–12/31/11.

Willie Cole (BFA Media Arts). Solo exhibition, “Willie Cole: Deep Impressions,” Rowan University Art Gallery, Glassboro, NJ, 1/16–3/10/12.

Shelley Jordon (BFA Media Arts).

Group exhibition, “Publicly Private,” New Media Gallery, Oranim College, Oranim, Israel, 5/7–6/11/12.

Tod Wizon (BFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “Tod Wizon: Paintings,” WG Gallery, NYC, 5/5–5/20/12.

1978 Richard Deon (BFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “Richard Deon: Paradox and Conformity,” Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy, NY, 10/28–12/23/11.

Aaron Rezny (Photography). Solo exhibition, “Eating Delancey,” Foto Care, NYC, 4/24–5/10/12.

Daniel Rosenbaum (BFA Fine Arts).

Group exhibition, “Mad About Art + Design: Juried Art Exhibition,” McNeill Art Group Tribeca Project Space, NYC, 4/26–9/4/12.

1979 Manuela Filiaci (BFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “Poems That I Cannot Write and Wish I Could,” Art101, NYC, 3/23–4/23/12.

Keith Haring (BFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “Keith Haring: 1978–1982,” Brooklyn Museum, NYC, 3/16–7/8/12.

Sharon Woolums (E Fine Arts). Group exhibition, “Visual Diaries: Seeing Beyond,” Creative Center at University Settlement, NYC, 12/15/11–2/29/12.

1980 Patricia Bellucci (BFA Fine Arts).

Curatorial project, “Taking Offense: When Art and the Sacred Collide,” Pope Auditorium at Fordham University, Lincoln Center Campus, NYC, 4/25/12.

Alumni Scholarship Award recipient Jenny Santos, Everything’s Okay, 2012, sandbags.

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Wendel White (BFA Photography).

Solo exhibition, “Schools for the Colored,” Carriage House Gallery, Mid-Atlantic Center for Arts and Humanities, Cape May, NJ, 1/3–4/15/12.

1981 Peter Hristoff (BFA Fine Arts). Group exhibition, “Black and White,” C.A.M. Gallery, Istanbul, 5/17–6/17/12.

1983 Joseph Cavalieri (BFA Media Arts).

Group exhibition, “The Fool’s Journey,” Curious Matter, NYC, 4/1–5/20/12.

Albert Geiger (BFA Media Arts). Group exhibition, “Words Become Air,” Holiday Inn and Space Realty Group Gallery, NYC, 12/28/11–4/17/12.

Steven Petruccio (BFA Media Arts).

Group exhibition, “Rendering Reality,” Marist College Art Gallery, Poughkeepsie, NY, 9/22–10/15/11.

Barbra Sandler-Dallas (BFA Fine Arts).

Solo exhibition, “Straight on Till Morning,” Pavel Zoubok, NYC, 1/6–2/4/12.

1984 Glenn Garver (BFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “Glenn Garver: Recent Paintings,” Hamilton Square Condominiums, Jersey City, NJ, 5/10–8/31/12.

Lydia Panas (BFA Photography). Solo exhibition, “The Mark of Abel,” Athens House of Photography, Athens, Greece 4/19–5/27/12.

1985 Karleen Loughran Kubat (MFA Fine Arts). Group exhibition, “Two Artists: Karleen Loughran and Lisa Hess Hesselgrave,” River Street Gallery, New Haven, CT, 3/31–5/25/12.

1986 Robert Gilmer (BFA Photography).

Solo exhibition, “The Gardener of Eden,” RNG Gallery, Council Bluffs, IA, 1/13–2/5/12.

1987 Aleathia Brown (BFA Media Arts). Solo exhibition, “One Way Journey,” Berkeley College, NYC, 1/9–2/29/12.

1988 Jeffrey Muhs (BFA Media Arts). Solo exhibition, “The New Modern,” Melissa Morgan Fine Art, Palm Desert, CA, 3/1–4/3/12.

Mary Salvante (BFA Media Arts). Curatorial project, “High/Low Density,” Rowan University Art Gallery, Glassboro, NJ, 3/26–5/12/12.

Lisa Zilker (BFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “Whole Megillah,” CBSRZ Main Street Gallery, Chester, CT, 1/25–4/22/12.

1992 Lili Almog (BFA Photography). Group exhibition, “Darmstadt Days of Photography: Visual Traces in the Restless Present,” Darmstadtium, Darmstadt, Germany, 4/20–4/22/12.

Viktor Koen (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay). Solo exhibition, “Metamorphabets,” Type Directors Club, NYC, 3/22–4/30/12.

Christopher Martin (BFA Fine Arts).

Group exhibition, “Abstraction: What is Real,” Edelman Arts, NYC, 3/1–4/25/12.

Aleksandra Mir (BFA Media Arts).

Solo exhibition, “Seduction of Galileo Galilei,” Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, 10/29/11–2/19/12.

1993 Jake Lee (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay). Group exhibition, “MoNoScaPe,” Yegam Art Space, NYC, 2/11–3/11/12.

Doug Magnuson (MFA Fine Arts).

Group exhibition, “The Peripheterists,” Apexart, NYC, 6/1–7/30/11.

Daisuke Takeya (BFA Illustration).

Installation, “God Loves Japan,” Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, 2/4–4/2/12.

1994 Mary Carter Taub (MFA Fine Arts). Installation, “Flare (or 8,000 feet of duct tape),” 92Y Tribeca, NYC, 4/5–4/30/12.

John Ferry (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay). Group exhibition, “Small Works: 35th Harper College National Art Exhibition Featuring Small Works,” Harper College, Palatine, IL, 3/26–4/19/12.

1995 Michael De Feo (BFA Graphic Design).

Group exhibition, “Lightbombs Contemporary,” Art East Island, Hong Kong, 5/17–5/20/12.

Lori Earley (BFA Illustration). Group exhibition, “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me,” Copro Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, 4/21–5/12/12.

Dalia Haber (BFA Fine Arts). Group exhibition, Ogilvy Art, NYC, 4/27/12.

Amy Wilson (BFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “We Dream of Starfish and Geodesic Domes,” BravinLee, NYC, 2/10–3/24/12.

Edie Winograde (MFA Photography and Related Media). Solo exhibition, “Appropriated: The Chronicled West,” Robischon Gallery, Denver, 3/29–5/5/12.

1996 Michael Combs (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay). Solo exhibition, “Game Room,” Jonathan Ferrara, New Orleans, 3/28–5/19/12.

Brian Donnelly (BFA Illustration). Solo exhibition, “Focus: KAWS,” Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX, 12/11/11–2/19/12.

Molly Herman (MFA Fine Arts). Group exhibition, “mic:check (The: human mic) 489 artists,” Sideshow Gallery, NYC, 1/7–2/26/12.

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Alumni Scholarship Award recipient Suyeon Ihm, Untitled, 2011, acrylic ink on acetate.

2002 Soledad Arias (MFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “On Air,” RH Gallery, NYC, 5/1–6/22/12.

George Boorujy (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay). Solo exhibition, “Blood Memory,” P.P.O.W., NYC, 3/15–4/14/12.

Alumni Scholarship Award recipient M. Benjamin Herndon, Brown Studies, No. 4, 2011, silkscreen and oxidization on steel.

Jeffrey Smith (MFA 1996 Illustration as Visual Essay). Solo exhibition, “Shadow Nights,” Society of Illustrators, NYC, 1/3–1/26/12.

So Takahashi (BFA Graphic Design).

Solo exhibition, “So & Co,” Relative Space, as part of Noho Design District ICFF Week, NYC, 5/17–5/24/12.

Marianne Vitale (BFA Film and Video).

Solo exhibition, “What I Need to Do is Lighten the Fuck Up About a Lot of Shit,” Zach Feuer, NYC, 1/19–2/25/12.

1997 Raúl Manzaro (BFA Illustration).

Curatorial project, “The Art of Teaching: An Exhibition by Educators of the Arts,” SUNY Empire State College, Metropolitan Center, Livingston Gallery, NYC, 5/3–8/30/12.

1999 Janelle Lynch (MFA Photography and Related Media). Solo exhibition, “Los Jardines de México,” Photographic Resource Center, Boston, 11/29–2/5/12.

Aaron Ribeiro (BFA Fine Arts). Group exhibition, “A Votre Décharge,” Château de Servières, Marseille, France, 2/11–3/16/12.

2000 Esao Andrews (BFA Illustration). Group exhibition, “Art on the Edge,” Vered Contemporary, NYC, 5/26–6/18/12.

Eric Rhein (MFA Fine Arts). Group exhibition, “Abstraction: What is Real,” Edelman Arts, NYC, 3/1–4/25/12.

Stephen Sollins (MFA Photography and Related Media). Solo exhibition, “Piecework,” Smack Mellon, NYC, 1/21–3/4/12.

2001 Matthew Duquette (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay). Solo exhibition, “Vessels,” Castellani Art Museum, Niagara University, Lewiston, NY, 10/2/11–1/15/12.

Dylan Stone (MFA Fine Arts) performed Dylan Stone is Making Shirts Like He Did When He was Seventeen, Putney School, Putney, VT, 4/10–4/12/12.

April Hannah (MFA Fine Arts). Group exhibition, “Mad About Art + Design,” McNeill Art Group Tribeca Project Space, NYC, 4/26–9/4/12.

Sarah Sze (MFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “Infinite Line,” Asia Society Museum, NYC, 12/13/11–3/25/12.

Daina Higgins (BFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “Daina Higgins: New Paintings,” Elizabeth Harris, NYC, 1/5–2/4/12.

1998 Janice Handleman (MFA Fine Arts).

Group exhibition, “Social Photography II: A Benefit Exhibition of Cell Phone Photography,” Carriage Trade, NYC, 12/6–12/20/11.

VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

Mika Rottenberg (BFA Fine Arts).

Installation, “Alona Harpaz & Mika Rottenberg: Infinite Earth, 2012,” Petach Tikva Museum of Art, Petach Tikva, Israel, 5/26–9/22/12.

Jerelyn Hanrahan (MFA Computer Art). Group exhibition, “Bling,” Jim Kempner Fine Arts, NYC, 2/9–3/17/12.

Diana Shpungin (MFA Fine Arts).

Group exhibition, “Salon Zürcher,” Zürcher Studio, NYC, 3/6–3/11/12.

Emma Wilcox (BFA Photography). Solo exhibition, “Where It Falls,” The Print Center, Philadelphia, 4/13–7/28/12.

2003 Kevin Amato (BFA Photography). Solo exhibition, “F*ck the Golden Years,” Casa de Costa, NYC, 3/8–3/31/12.

Fawad Khan (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay). Group exhibition, “The Exquisite Corpse Project,” Essex Street Market, NYC, 2/9/12.

Adam Lister (BFA Fine Arts). Curatorial project, “Forever Young,” Adam Lister Gallery, Fairfax, VA, 4/13–4/30/12.

Nicolas Touron (MFA Fine Arts). Group exhibition, “I See the Moon,” Milavec Hakimi Gallery, NYC, 1/12–2/19/12.

2004 Rosson Crow (BFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “Ballyhoo Hullabaloo Haboob,” Honor Fraser, Los Angeles, 2/25–3/31/12.

Matthew Pillsbury (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media). Solo exhibition, “City Stages,” Bonni Benrubi, NYC, 2/23–4/28/12.

2005 Ali Banisadr (BFA Illustration). Group exhibition, “Contemporary Iranian Art from the Permanent Collection,” Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, 3/6–9/3/12.

Dae Hyun Chang (BFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “The Consilience Series,” EMOA Space, NYC, 4/11–4/21/12

Karen Gibbons (MPS Art Therapy).

Solo exhibition, “A Cup of Air,” 440 Gallery, NYC, 2/23–4/8/12.

Max Greis (BFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “Allegory & Fantasy in Nature,” Edward Hopper House Art Center, Nyack, NY, 3/31–5/13/12.

Molly Landreth (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media). Group exhibition, “Under the Rainbow: Images By and About Gay Men and Women,” Greg Kucera, Seattle, 4/5–6/2/12.

Laurie Munn (MFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “Watergate,” Watergate Gallery, Washington, DC, 6/16–7/7/12.

2006 Michael Bilsborough (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay). Solo exhibition, “Austerity Measures,” Invisible-Exports, NYC, 5/11–6/17/12.

Joseph Grazi (BFA Animation). Solo exhibition, “The Fountain of Youth,” (Art) Amalgamated, NYC, 2/29–3/17/12.

Wei Shen (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media). Solo exhibition,”Chinese Sentiment,” epSITE Gallery, Shanghai, 4/29–5/27/12.

2007 Anita Cruz-Eberhard (BFA Photography). Group exhibition, “Behind the Curtain – The Aesthetics of the Photobooth,” Musée de L’Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2/17–5/20/12.

Amy Elkins (BFA Photography). Group exhibition, “Cruel and Unusual: Prison Photography,” Noorderlicht Gallery, Groningen, Netherlands, 2/18–4/1/12.

2008 Catherine Del Buono (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media). Solo exhibition, “Vanity Unfair,” 6th Street Container, Miami, 1/20–2/12/12.

Stan Narten (MFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “The Three Pound Universe,” Kravets/Wehby, NYC, 1/12–2/18/12.

Joanna Wezyk (MFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “In Wonderland,” Pinnacle Gallery, Savannah, GA, 1/6–2/12/12.

79 2009 Vanessa Bahmani (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media). Group exhibition, “Foto Fest Biennial,” Station Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston, 3/17–5/3/12.

Dustin Grella (MFA Computer Art).

Solo exhibition, “Notes to Self,” AC Institute Satellite Space, NYC, 3/29–4/28/12.

Joshua Kirsch (BFA Fine Arts). Installation, “Sympathetic Resonance,” Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ, 3/11/12.

2011 James Bascara (BFA Illustration). Solo exhibition, “The Violet Hour,” Brooklyn College Library, NYC, 1/30–4/30/12.

TO SUBMIT INFORMATION AND TO VIEW A COMPLETE LIST

John Cox (BFA Advertising). Group exhibition, “Mad About Art + Design: Juried Art exhibition,” McNeill Art Group Tribeca Project Space, NYC, 4/26–9/4/12.

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Ryan Peltier (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay). Group exhibition, “Art/&/of/ (heart)/vs./or/Design,” SET Gallery, NYC, 2/26–3/24/12.

Nu Ryu (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay). Group exhibition, “Emerging Artists 2012,” Limner, NYC, 4/18–5/19/12.

Gudmundur Thoroddsen (MFA Fine Arts). Solo exhibition, “Father’s Fathers,” Asya Geisberg, NYC, 1/12–2/18/12.

Edwin Vazquez (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay). Group exhibition, “Sonic Generation,” Brave New World Comics, Newhall, CA, 12/3/11.

Anthony Toscani (MFA Fine Arts).

Group exhibition, “New Directions 2012,” Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY, 1/21–3/9/12.

2010 Natan Dvir (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media). Group exhibition, “A Work in Progress,” Museum of the City of New York and South Street Seaport Museum, NYC, 1/25/12.

Emily Tweedy (MPS Art Therapy).

Group exhibition, “Visual Arts Program Alumni,” Maurine N. Flecker Memorial Gallery, Suffolk County Community College, Selden, NY, 12/8/11–1/8/12.

Naoko Ito (MFA Fine Arts). Group exhibition, “Making Landscapes Speak,” Ise Cultural Foundation, NYC, 3/9–5/3/12.

Jason Yarmosky (BFA Illustration).

Solo exhibition, “Elder Kinder,” Lyons Weir, NYC, 5/3–6/2/12.

OF ALUMNI NOTES AND EXHIBITIONS GO TO:

2012 Amelia Miller (MFA 2012 Fine Arts).

Group exhibition, “Working Space,” SVA Westside Gallery, NYC, 5/29–6/16/12.

Heidi Zito (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media). Solo exhibition, “Short Long Time,” HERE Arts Center, NYC, 5/23–6/30/12.

Alumni Scholarship Award recipient Steven Cartoccio, still from Concrete Jungle (detail), 2012, stop motion animation.

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From the SVA Archives The School of Visual Arts Archives serves as the repository for the historical records of the College; collections include posters, announcements, departmental and student publications, and other printed ephemera and artifacts dating back to SVA’s founding in 1947. To learn more visit svaarchives.org.

1988 As the School of Visual Arts embarked upon its 41st year, the College established a new annual honor: the SVA Masters Series. The press release for the event said, “Each year, an individual who has created and contributed a significant body of work within the graphic design, advertising or illustration fields will be recognized with a comprehensive one-man retrospective exhibition.” Designer Paul Rand, widely acclaimed for his logo designs for IBM, UPS and Westinghouse, was named the first recipient of this honor and the “Paul Rand Retrospective” was on view at the Visual Arts Museum for the entire month of October 1988.

Over the years since, the Masters Series has recognized the achievements of more than 20 groundbreaking designers, illustrators, photographers and others who are known to and lauded by their colleagues, but whose names often go unrecognized by the general public. Masters laureates have included Marshall Arisman, Saul Bass, Ivan Chermayeff, Seymour Chwast, Paul Davis, Lou Dorfsman, Heinz Edelmann, Jules Feiffer, Shigeo Fukuda, Milton Glaser, April Greiman, Steven Heller, George Lois, Mary Ellen Mark, Ed McCabe, Duane Michals, Tony Palladino, Paula Scher, Edward Sorel, Deborah Sussman, George Tscherny and Massimo Vignelli.

Artist and author James McMullan has been selected by past laureates as the 2012 Masters Series honoree. A survey of McMullan’s work will be on view from November 21 through December 15 at the SVA Gallery, 209 East 23 Street, New York City. [S.A. Modenstein]

VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

Image from Leen Sadder’s Beinetna online project.

See “Social (Action) Media,” page 48.

Office of External Relations 209 East 23 Street, New York, NY 10010-3994 www.sva.edu