Products and services by SVA artists and entrepreneurs
CREATIVE LIFE | 20
SVA Career Development’s Fulbright assistance program
PORTFOLIO:
JAMES (JAMIE) NARES | 22
The artist and alumnus captures and recalibrates motion
SPOTLIGHT:
PHILADELPHIA | 34
Four alumni living and working in Pennsylvania’s largest city
CHAPTER AND VERSE | 40
The SVA alumni of synth-pop’s Book of Love look back
CLOTHES READING | 48
How a late alumnus’s collection of fashion ephemera became an institution
A RARE BIRD | 54
The alumni-founded Titmouse animation studio
Q+A: MICHELE WASHINGTON | 60
The alumnus and design multihyphenate on her new podcast
FROM THE ARCHIVES | 64 Designers NY
ALUMNI AFFAIRS | 66
For Your Benefit
A Message From the Director SVA Alumni Society Awards Donors
Alumni Notes and Exhibitions In Memoriam
CHAPTER AND VERSE “Music
held such a sacred place in my life.”
22
PORTFOLIO
CLOTHES READING
“The space was filled with books and magazines and paper.”
“It’s like a little trace, or something.”
VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL
Spring/Summer 2022
Volume 30, Number 1
EDITORIAL STAFF
Joyce Rutter Kaye, editorial director
Greg Herbowy, editor
Tricia Tisak, copy editor
VISUAL ARTS PRESS, LTD
Anthony P. Rhodes, executive creative director
Gail Anderson, creative director
Brian E. Smith, design director
Mark Maltais, art director
Jennifer Liang, assistant director
COVER
FRONT Cannaday Chapman, I’ll Be Drawing You, 2022, pen and ink, digital color.
BACK James Nares, Tetragram, 1999, oil on linen, 109 x 92 in. Courtesy of the artist and Kasmin Gallery. INSIDE James Nares, brushes, varying years, materials and dimensions. Courtesy of the artist.
TO READ THE VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL ONLINE, VISIT: ISSUU.COM/SVAVISUALARTSJOURNAL
AFROM THE PRESIDENT
little more than a month after this issue’s publication, SVA will end the 2021 – 2022 academic year with our first in-person commencement exercises since the COVID-19 pandemic began. A few weeks later, the College will hold a second ceremony, to celebrate its classes of 2020 and 2021. This will conclude our first full year of (mostly) in-person instruction since 2018 – 2019 and usher in our 75th anniversary, which will start in earnest this fall.
Seeing the campus fill again with students, faculty and staff these past months has been heartening, to say the least. It has not been quite like old times: The winter’s Omicron surge necessitated a brief return to remote learning in January, and our mask, vaccine and booster mandates, as of late February, remain in effect. But as we approach the most significant milestone in our still-young institution’s existence, I believe we are heading in the right direction.
I hope you enjoy this issue of the Visual Arts Journal.
president school
of visual arts
BY
PHOTO
NIR ARIELI
MYSVA
Cannaday Chapman
BFA 2008 Illustration cannadaychapman.com
For this issue’s MySVA assignment, Visual Arts Journal turned over its cover to illustrator Cannaday Chapman. His piece, titled I’ll Be Drawing You, captures a subway scene that just about every New Yorker has encountered at one time or another: an artist on the train, sketching portraits of her fellow riders. (His other cover ideas, all centered on the theme of SVA in the spring, can be seen in the rough sketches at the top right of this page.)
Chapman—whose clients include Airbnb, Google, The New York Times, The New Yorker, O: The Oprah Magazine
and Rolling Stone—grew up in Rochester, New York, and for the past two years has made his home in Berlin, fulfilling a longtime dream to live and work abroad. But his most formative years as an artist were spent in Cleveland, where he worked for seven years at American Greetings, illustrating cards in all types of styles, for all sorts of holidays and occasions. (Halloween was his favorite.)
“The city was very good to me, and its art scene was very good to me,” he says. In late 2019, just before he left, local nonprofit Hingetown Culture Works hired him to paint a 107-foot-long mural— Chapman’s first such work—on the side of a downtown building.
Earlier this year, Chapman illustrated a multipart series on the U.S. and France’s exploitative history with Haiti for The New York Times. His art can also be seen in All Star: How Larry Doby Smashed the Color Barrier in Baseball, published in January by Clarion Books, and Feed Your Mind: A Story of August Wilson, published in 2019 by Abrams Books for Young Readers.
Portrait photograph by BRITTANY MARIEL HUDAK.
In the fall, SVA will honor acclaimed photographer Lynsey Addario with its 32nd annual Master Series Award and Exhibition. Established in 1988 by the College’s founder, Silas Rhodes, the Masters Series honors groundbreaking visual communicators whose diverse and multidisciplinary works are widely recognized and celebrated, but whose names are less well-known by the general public. Addario’s show, originally planned for the fall of 2020, has been delayed for the past two years by COVID-19.
Born and raised in Connecticut, Lynsey Addario moved to Argentina after graduating from college in the 1990s, beginning her photojournalism career, despite having no prior experience, at the Buenos Aires Herald. Her work has since taken her all over the world, often to places riven by armed conflict, natural disaster and other humanitarian crises. She has photographed the fall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq; asylum-seeking Syrian refugees; wildfires in California; flooding in South Sudan; English funeral homes during the coronavirus pandemic; Afghanistan before and during America’s 20-year war in the country; and, most recently, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Her work often centers on women’s welfare, shining a light on the borderless
CLOSE UP Bearing Witness
scourges of gender-based violence, rape as a weapon of war and maternal mortality.
Addario’s photography and writing have appeared in publications such as The Christian Science Monitor, National Geographic, The New York Times and Time, and in the books Of Love & War (2018) and It’s What I Do: A Photographer’s Life of Love and War (2015), her best-selling memoir. Her many distinctions include a MacArthur Fellowship and a Pulitzer Prize, and honorary doctorates from the University of Wisconsin–Madison (her alma mater), Bates College and University of York in the United Kingdom. In January of this year, the National Geographic Society awarded her its Eliza Scidmore Award for Outstanding Storytelling.
“The Masters Series: Lynsey Addario” will open the fall 2022 exhibition schedule at the SVA Chelsea Gallery, 601 West 26th Street, 15th floor. The dates and times for the exhibition, the reception and awards ceremony, and an artist’s talk will be announced at a later date. For more information, visit sva.edu/ events. [Maeri Ferguson and Greg Herbowy]
CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT Over the course of her decorated photojournalism career, 2022 SVA Masters Series honoree Lynsey Addario has covered the Afghanistan War, wildfires in California, refugee crises, flooding in South Sudan, the Iraq War and gender-based violence in eastern Congo. Images courtesy of
ABOVE Photographer and 2022 SVA Masters Series honoree Lynsey Addario. Portrait by Sam Taylor Johnson, courtesy of Lynsey Addario.
Lynsey Addario.
News and events from around the College
An Authorial Voice
The renowned and best-selling writer Roxane Gay will be the keynote speaker at SVA’s 47th annual commencement exercises, to be held Sunday, May 22, 1:00pm, at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan. This will be the College’s first in-person graduation ceremony since 2019. The 2020 and 2021 events were held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic; a special ceremony celebrating those classes will be held on Monday, June 27, 1:00pm, also at Radio City.
Gay’s writing traverses genres and forms. Her books include her debut short-story collection, Ayiti (2011); the novel An Untamed State (2014); essay collections Bad Feminist (2014) and Di cult Women (2017); and Hunger (2017), a memoir. Her work has appeared in the Best American Mystery Stories, Best American Short Stories and Best Sex Writing anthologies, and in literary publications such as McSweeney’s, Tin House, Oxford American and Virginia Quarterly Review She is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times; primary writer of the Marvel comic-book series World of Wakanda (2017); writer and editor of The Audacity, an e-newsletter on the Substack platform; and is currently developing several book, television and film projects.
In addition to her printed work, Gay hosts a podcast, The Roxane Gay
Agenda, in which she discusses topics like feminism, sexuality, race, culture, politics and food with an array of guests, and is currently teaching at Occidental College in Los Angeles as the institution’s inaugural presidential professor.
Though her own chosen medium is language, “visual art is a big part of my life,” Gay says. “I find it to be incredibly inspiring and very useful to my creative practice because I love seeing the risks that artists are willing to take.” (Participating in SVA’s commencement also holds a personal significance for her: Her wife, Debbie Millman, chairs the College’s MPS Branding program.)
“I think it’s always exciting to talk to younger people and to people who are about to embark on another exciting journey,” Gay says of addressing the class of 2022. “I think that college graduation is a beginning.”
The 2022 commencement will celebrate the achievements of some 1,130 bachelor’s and master’s degree candidates enrolled in the College’s 30 degree programs. The exercises will also stream live online, and be archived thereafter, at sva.edu/commencement. [MF]
Openings Day I
n March, SVA Career Development held its second virtual career fair for graduate students and fourth-year undergraduates.
Operated via the Symplicity and Zoom platforms, the online fair was adopted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It maintains the typical career-fair setup— candidates meet one-on-one with recruiters for interviews and portfolio reviews—with two di erences: Employers don’t need to be in New York to participate and can host info sessions during the event.
Ahead of this year’s fair, Career Development o ered virtual workshops on résumé basics, interview prep and platform walk-throughs. Although 2022 numbers were not available by press time, attendance for the 2021 fair was strong, with 196 students and 40 employers— including Penguin Random House, Dreamworks Animation, Fantasma Toys, FuseFX, Hornet Animation and Nickelodeon—participating.
To learn more about SVA Career Development resources, visit sva.edu/career. [GH]
Writer and 2022 SVA Commencement speaker Roxane Gay. Photo courtesy of Roxane Gay.
Cold Com fort
Last fall, Kalani Van Meter, a second-year BFA Animation student and president of the College’s Indigenous Student Union, proposed an SVA “community fridge”—a free resource providing healthy food for students in need—to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Student Affairs offices. With the offices’ support and the backing of the Visual Arts Foundation, the College’s nonprofit foundation, Van Meter’s idea became reality in late November, shortly after Thanksgiving.
Located in the SVA Student Center, the community fridge and pantry are available to students whenever the center is open, and offer fruits, vegetables, eggs, bread, rice, pasta and granola bars, as well as boxed salads, sandwiches and wraps donated from the local Trader Joe’s.
The fridge stock is maintained with a “take what you need, leave what you can” approach, and funded primarily through donations to the Visual Arts Foundation.
“I’ve seen a lot of struggle,” Van Meter says.
“By opening a community fridge and providing
accessible healthy food options to SVA students, I hope to lift some of the burdens of being a working student in the city, so that someone won’t have to worry about where their next meal will come from again.”
To learn more about the community fridge, follow it on Instagram, @svacommunityfridge. To contribute, visit visualartsfoundation.org; type “community fridge” in the comment box of the donate screen to ensure that funds will be properly allocated.
[Rodrigo Perez]
BFA Animation student Kalani Van Meter (top), fellow students and Student Affairs Director Bill Martino stock the College’s new community fridge. Logo by Van Meter.
NOTABLE QUOTES FROM COLLEGE EVENTS
VA
S
HEARD AT
“Community design—done by the community, for the community— is actually about relocating the power and the decisionmaking away from the individual.”
Sloan Leo (faculty, MFA Design for Social Innovation and MFA Products of Design), founder and CEO, Flox Studio. From “Our House: Claiming ‘Home’ Through Art and Design,” hosted by SVA Continuing Education.
“Yes, there is enough work for all of us. Yes, you can support somebody else and that’s not going to take away from you at all. That’s some of the work I’m most proud of.”
Polly Irungu, journalist, photographer and founder of Black Women Photographers. From a talk hosted by MPS Digital Photography.
News and events from around the College
SVA Milton Glaser
(PART 2)
As mentioned in the previous Visual Arts Journal, SVA has dedicated its 2021 – 2022 academic year to celebrating the life and work of the late designer, longtime faculty member and former acting chairman of the College’s board, Milton Glaser, who died in 2020.
Last December, “SVA Milton: The Legacy of Milton Glaser,” an exhibition covering the designer’s upbringing and career, opened at the SVA Gramercy Gallery. The show was created by 3D Design Chair Kevin O’Callaghan (BFA 1980 Graphic Design), who incorporated Glaser’s typefaces, 3D displays and the extensive holdings of the Milton Glaser Design Study Center and Archives, which is housed in the SVA Library. Concurrently, an exhibition of videos and wall texts of Glaser quotes was on view at the SVA Flatiron Windows and SVA Flatiron Project Space, designed by Matthew Iacovelli (BFA 2019 Design), assistant to the chair, BFA Advertising and BFA Design. The exhibitions’ other organizers included Gail Anderson (BFA 1984 Graphic Design), chair of BFA Advertising and BFA Design and creative director of the Visual Arts Press, SVA’s inhouse design studio; Beth Kleber, the College’s head archivist; and Brian E. Smith (MFA 2006 Design), BFA Design and Art History faculty member and design director of the Visual Arts Press.
The second issue of the Glaser Gazette, a limited publication produced by the Visual Arts Press—dedicated to chronicling Glaser’s achievements, influence and idiosyncrasies—was distributed on campus at the start of the spring 2022 semester; two more issues are due later this year. (PDFs of the Glaser Gazette are also available on sva. edu.) And the “SVA Milton” banner unveiled last September, featuring a portrait of Glaser by photographer Michael Somoroff, will hang outside the College’s 209 East 23rd Street building through the summer. [GH]
“SVA Milton” installation photographs by Fana Feng (MFA 2017 Photography, Video and Related Media).
Peter’s Gabriel
Artist Peter Hristo (BFA 1981 Fine Arts)—a longtime SVA faculty member who teaches in the BFA Design, BFA Fine Arts and BFA Visual & Critical Studies departments, as well as the Continuing Education division—created the first 2022 poster in SVA’s long-running “subway series,” an advertising campaign created for display in New York City’s subway stations. Hristo ’s contribution could be seen on platforms throughout the boroughs starting in February; a summer 2022 poster, by BFA Illustration faculty member Marcos Chin, is set to begin its run in June.
The Hristo poster’s image—the silhouette of a man holding a bouquet of tulips like a megaphone or horn, announcing the news
of spring—comes from one of his online drawing classes from last year. Hristo often gives imaginative prompts and props to the figure models he works with, and will
occasionally draw alongside his students to engage and encourage them.
“The silhouette is something I’ve worked with for years, and tulips are also a
SVA’s winter/ spring 2022 poster, by faculty member and alumnus Peter Hristoff.
favorite subject of mine,” he says. “Tulip mania”—an irrational runup and subsequent crash in tulip-bulb prices in 17th-century Europe—“was like an early version of cryptocurrency speculation.”
Working with Peter Kruty Editions in Brooklyn, Hristo created a series of five letterpress images based on the model-drawing session, choosing the pose for the poster for its “heraldic” and joyful quality, emphasized by the flowers’ transition from black to red—an e ect achieved in the printmaking process, rather than digitally altered after the fact.
In March, Hristo presented “Memento Istanbul,” an autobiographical exhibition about his Bulgarian family’s history and migration to Turkey in the early 20th century, at the Yapi Kredi Cultural Center in Istanbul. And in May, C.A.M. Gallery, Istanbul, will present “Flower Passage,” a solo show of new work. [GH]
News and events from around the College
Brain Trust
In February, SVA and the Visual Arts Foundation, the nonprofit that provides SVA student scholarships, announced a partnership with the studio Braintreehouse, creator of the Sketchboard Pro iPad stand, to o er a new
scholarship for MFA Visual Narrative students. The Sketchboard Pro scholarship, which will be awarded to two students each year in support of their thesis projects, comprises $2,500, an iPad Pro, a package of Braintreehouse artist’s
HEARD AT SVA
Coming Attractions
For more information on SVA events, visit sva.edu/events.
“How can we imagine institutions as not monolithic, but potentially infrastructure that we could leverage in service of social movements?”
Beka Economopoulos, co-founder and director, Not an Alternative/ The Natural History Museum. From a talk hosted by MA Curatorial Practice.
“You have to have doses of encouragement. You’re going to be slammed down most of the time, but you have to have the confidence to get through those and have islands of encouragement that you swim to, to get you through the dark times.”
tools, including the Sketchboard Pro, and access to professional mentors.
The first scholarship recipients are Laura Brown and Oret Peña, who are both in their final year of the threeyear, low-residency MFA program. [MF]
Alexis Rockman (BFA 1985 Fine Arts), artist. From a talk hosted by SVA Career Development and MFA Fine Arts.
SVA Shows 2022
Screenings and exhibitions featuring work by graduating students in various disciplines. Online and various locations through September. Full schedule at sva.edu/ svashows.
Practice Lecture Series
MFA Art Practice hosts online talks by arts professionals. Tuesdays, June 21 through July 26, 12:30pm ET. Full schedule at artpractice. sva.edu.
Summer Residency Programs Open Studios
Featuring work by artists in SVA Continuing Education’s summer residencies. Wednesday, June 29 and August 3, 6:00 – 9:00pm. 133/141 West 21st Street.
Juried Exhibitions
Two themed exhibitions of SVA student work, selected from the annual SVA Galleries call for entries. Thursday, August 4, through Monday, August 22. SVA Flatiron Gallery, 133/141 West 21st Street, and SVA Gramercy Gallery, 209 East 23rd Street.
After School Special 2022
Screenings and talks with SVA alumni working in animation, film and television. Week of September 19. SVA Theatre, 333 West 23rd Street.
Art by MFA Visual Narrative students and new scholarship recipients Oret Peña (top left, below, bottom left) and Laura Brown (middle left, bottom right).
T Special Appearances
hree noteworthy projects featuring work by SVA alumni have been recent bright spots at the city’s arts institutions and gathering spaces, as New York’s cultural and public life continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
FROM TOP Fiorucci Walls (1983), by Angel Ortiz and SVA alumnus
Keith Haring, on view at New York City Center; banners by SVA alumnus Chemin Hsiao for the Noguchi Museum; mural by SVA alumnus and faculty member Yuko Shimizu for The Hugh. Courtesy of Paula Lobo, Chemin Hsiao and Eric Vitale/The Hugh.
Audiences at dance performances held during the New York City Center’s 2021 – 2022 season have been treated to a viewing of Fiorucci Walls (1983), a collaborative work by artists Angel Ortiz (a.k.a. LA II) and the late Keith Haring (1979 Fine Arts) on display in the Manhattan venue’s Shuman Lounge. Originally created as part of an installation for fashion designer Elio Fiorucci’s store in Milan, the painting is now held by a contemporary art museum in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The City Center opened viewing to the general public for four days last fall.
Also last fall: The Hugh, a 30,000-squarefoot public space and food hall in the midtown
skyscraper formerly known as the Citigroup building, opened its doors. The Hugh was designed by Bentel & Bentel, the architecture firm of BFA Interior Design Chair Dr. Carol Bentel, and features a permanent mural by BFA Illustration faculty member Yuko Shimizu (MFA 2003 Illustration as Visual Essay). (Additionally, for its opening weeks, The Hugh hosted two exhibitions of SVA student work, both of them curated by 3D Design Chair and BFA 1980 Graphic Design alumnus Kevin O’Callaghan.)
And in November, the Noguchi Museum in Queens, dedicated to preserving and celebrating the work of artist Isamu Noguchi, unveiled a series of outdoor banners, titled “Dandelions Know,” by Chemin Hsiao (MFA 2013 Illustration as Visual Essay). Hsiao’s work, aimed at raising awareness of the pandemic-fueled rise in anti-Asian racism, was chosen in an open-call competition and will be on view outside the museum through the spring.
[GH]
WHAT’S IN STORE
Putting Green
MINI-GOLF
Adults, $5 – $10 Children and seniors, $2 – $5 River Street and North 1st Street, Brooklyn puttinggreenbk.org
A new attraction opened last summer along the north Brooklyn waterfront. Putting Green, a climate change–themed mini-golf course created by real-estate development company Two Trees, offers 18 holes designed by environmental advocacy organizations, city agencies, local schools, community groups and, notably, two SVA alumni and one department chair.
Paul Amenta (MFA 2000 Fine Arts), founder of SiTE:LAB, an organization that executes temporary public-art projects and site-specific installations with an emphasis on reviving vacant urban spaces, was invited to collaborate with fellow artist Blane De St. Croix on two designs. “Ice Melt,” at the ninth hole, sends putters through a treacherous path of cracking “ice” made from repurposed plastic bottles, evoking fast-melting Arctic glaciers. At the 10th hole, “Forest Fires” players move from a lush green to parched earth and finally into a forest fire, accompanied by a soundtrack of crackling flames.
Marina Zurkow (BFA 1985 Fine Arts), co-founder of the Dear Climate collective, collaborated with fellow collective member Una Chaudhuri, artist Taryn Urushido and architect Blake Global on “Whale Fall Feast” at the second hole, creating a whale carcass out of used plastic bags and industrial fishing garbage (nets, buoys, traps) to raise awareness about ocean biodiversity decline. “We thought a whale carcass would make an excellent mini-golf hole: It’s big; it’s vivid; it’s sculptural,” Zurkow says. “A whale that dies and falls to the bottom of the ocean floor becomes a feast for myriad creatures.”
MFA Fine Arts Chair Mark Tribe, not a mini-golf fan, first dismissed the proposal when approached by Two Trees. But the idea of using something so seemingly anodyne “as a way to make the imminent danger of climate change viscerally palpable,” he says, lingered in his mind. His “Higher Ground,” at the fourth hole, presents a near-future Manhattan that has succumbed to rising sea levels. Players putt from Washington Heights down to Wall Street, surrounded by submerged city landmarks. “You can’t play it without seeing what will be underwater by the end of the century if we don’t decarbonize now,” he says.
The Putting Green mini-golf course is open from spring through fall. For more information, visit puttinggreenbk.org. [Maeri Ferguson]
New Kid: We Fit Together
JIGSAW PUZZLE
$16.99
Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed
As fans of the best-selling New Kid and Class Act graphic novels by Jerry Craft (BFA 1984 Cartooning) wait for the third installment in the series—which follows teens confronting issues of race, class and coming of age at an exclusive New York City private school— they can while away some time with this 450-piece puzzle. The design features new art by Craft and a box that doubles as storage for keepsakes. [Greg Herbowy]
Brooklyn’s Putting Green features work by SVA MFA Fine Arts Chair Mark Tribe (below left, foreground) and the Dear Climate collective, cofounded by alumnus Marina Zurkow (below right). Courtesy of Two Trees Management.
WHAT’S IN STORE
Alberta’s Pizza
PIZZA TRUCK
Personal pies, $9 – $15
Various locations, Pittsburgh albertaspizzapgh.com
As a college student and then young graduate living in New York, Beau Mitall (BFA 2000 Fine Arts) fell in love with the city’s world-class pizza culture. When he and his wife moved to Cape Town, South Africa, to open a café in the early 2000s, he found himself missing the ready availability of a Neapolitan-style pie. So he began making his own for family and friends, continuing the practice even after returning to New York a few years later. In 2015, Mitall moved back to his hometown of Pittsburgh with his family. He opened his own pizza truck a year later, naming it after his late mother, Alberta.
Alberta’s menu changes daily, o ering everything from a classic margherita to more inventive options like “Electric Banana,” named after the Pittsburgh punk-rock club and topped with gorgonzola and banana peppers. To date, Mitall has made each pizza himself—though he may need help soon: He hopes to open a storefront location in the near future. [Michelle Mackin]
Compottery Terra Blocks
COMPOSTER–PLANTERS
Two pots and coco coir, $260 compottery.com
red worms on her website.) The resulting compost, when mixed with more coco coir, makes for a nutrient-rich potting soil.
ABOVE
Compottery’s terracotta pots can be used both indoors and outside; stack them to fit in small living spaces or arrange them side by side to make a garden. [MM] RIGHT
When used individually, Compottery Terra Blocks, created by Jessica Panicola (MFA 2019 Design for Social Innovation), make for stylish planters. Stacked two or higher, they become a composting system compact enough for even tiny-apartment dwellers to recycle their kitchen scraps with ease.
Fruit and vegetable trimmings, co ee grounds and more are added to the bottom pot and covered with the provided coco coir—the fiber from coconut shells—to keep away flies and prevent foul smells as the food scraps undergo the natural process of vermicomposting, through which red worms break down organic matter. (Panicola provides information about where to buy
Compottery Terra Block photos courtesy of Compottery.
Alberta’s Pizza photos courtesy of Beau Mitall.
Light Phone II UNLOCKED 4G LTE SMARTPHONE
$299 thelightphone.com
When the Visual Arts Journal first covered the Light Phone, in spring 2017, the minimalist device, created by designers Joe Hollier (BFA 2012 Graphic Design) and Kaiwei Tang as an antidote to our collective screen addiction, could only make and receive calls and store up to seven saved numbers.
The Light Phone II, rolled out two years later, offers more functionality while keeping a pared-down approach. Users can now text, listen to music and podcasts and set an alarm, for example, all on custom applications, and the phone is designed to accommodate additional, optional tools as they are released by the company—the most recent, a navigation app, became available last fall. They can also get $30 or $70 monthly service plans, supported by the AT&T network. But they will never be able to use the Light Phone’s matte display to check social media or email, stream videos or browse the Internet.
“We always encourage less is more, whenever possible,” Hollier says, “and everything we do is about intentionality and maintaining user privacy.” [GH]
Skinn Design
BIODEGRADABLE PILLOW COVERS AND INSERTS
$175 – $300 skinndesign.com
Merging her degree in socially minded design with her lifelong “obsession” with bedding, Danielle Skinn (MFA 2020 Design for Social Innovation) has developed a line of luxurious, fully biodegradable pillow covers, trimmed
with swooping designs in vibrant colors and made with wool, wooden buttons and natural dyes. Each cover comes with an (also biodegradable) pillow insert made of down feathers and all-cotton fabric. [MM]
LEFT Light Phone II photos courtesy of Light.
BELOW Skinn Design pillow photos courtesy of Skinn Design.
WHAT’S IN STORE
Deep Green PODCAST metropolismag.com/ deep-green-podcast
Avinash Rajagopal (MFA 2011 Design Criticism), editor in chief of design magazine Metropolis, hosts this podcast, on how the architecture, infrastructure and activities of the cities and towns in which we live affect the environment, for good and bad. [GH]
United Shapes of America
LETTERPRESS PRINTS
$24 each noplan.press
Jesse Kirsch (BFA 2008 Graphic Design), proprietor of No Plan Press, a letterpress and design studio in Takoma Park, Maryland, is creating a series of geometric interpretations of the United States (and the District of Columbia), called “United Shapes of
America.” Each work gets three passes through Kirsch’s 19thcentury press: one to print the shape in a solid hue; one to print the state’s name, in black; and one to emboss information about the state, as well as the studio’s seal. Kirsch has created designs for New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C., so far. No Plan Press also offers cards, stickers and other prints, and Kirsch recently contributed a sculpture for the 2021 National Cherry Blossom Festival, which is permanently on view in D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood. [GH]
BOTTOM Avinash Rajagopal photo by Mark Wickens; courtesy of Sandow Design Group. RIGHT Images courtesy of No Plan Press.
Screen time with SVA alumni and faculty
Watch List
The Northman
Cinematographer Jarin Blaschke (BFA 2000 Film and Video) earned an Academy Award nomination for his work on Robert Eggers’s The Lighthouse (2019), and now he is back for the director’s latest, a Viking-era thriller starring Ethan Hawke, Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgård, due in theaters this spring.
Convergence: Courage in a Crisis
Netflix’s COVID-19 documentary, which presents stories on the pandemic from around the world, includes a segment on the 2020 lockdown in Tehran that was co-directed by Sara Khaki (MFA 2012 Social Documentary Film) and Mohammad Reza Eyni. An earlier version of Khaki and Eyni’s film originally streamed on the website of the British newspaper The Guardian
The Fall of the House of Usher
Composer Philip Glass’s 1988 opera, based on the short story by Edgar Allan Poe, has been reimagined as an animated film about an immigrant child detained at the U.S.–Mexico border.The production features a screenplay by Raúl Santos (MFA 2011 Social Documentary Film) and is available to stream on the Boston Lyric Opera company’s operabox.tv platform.
Procession
Released late last year on Netflix, this documentary— produced by Bennett Elliott and shot by Robert Kolodny (both BFA 2010 Film and Video)—follows six men who as children were sexually abused by Catholic priests, and who collaborate on an film based on their experiences as a way to process their lingering trauma.
The Fungies!
This lighthearted Cartoon Network/HBO Max show, about a society of mushroom people living in a prehistoric world, began its third and final season last December. Sonja von Marensdorff (BFA 2018 Animation) was a storyboard artist for the series; she is now working on storyboards forNickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants spinoff, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years
The Chosen
Jonathan Roumie (BFA 1996 Film and Video) stars in this streaming series about the life of Jesus, now in its second season and available to watch for free via its own app or at thechosen.tv. Though produced and distributed independently, The Chosen has won a large audience and high-profile press; a Christmas special screened in theaters late last year.
WHAT’S IN STORE Shelf Liners
Books by SVA alumni and faculty
ART/PHOTOGRAPHY
A Certain Logic of Expectations
Arturo Soto (MFA 2008 Photography, Video and Related Media)
The Eriskay Connection Hardcover, €28
A Glint in the Kindling
Michael Bailey-Gates (BFA 2015 Photography) Pinch Publishing Hardcover, €45
Book They Might Be Giants
(John Flansburgh and John Linnell); designed by Paul Sahre (faculty, BFA Design); photographs by Brian Karlsson Limited-edition hardcover with CD/digital album, $49
The Stick
Justine Kurland (BFA 1996 Photography) and Bruce Kurland; poems by Lisa Jarnot TIS books Softbound, $50
Still Here: Moments in Isolation
Edited by Mafalda Millies and Roya Sachs; contributors include Katherine Bernhardt
(MFA 2000 Fine Arts), Elizabeth Peyton (BFA 1987 Fine Arts) and Christine Sun Kim (MFA 2006 Fine Arts) Distanz Hardcover, €44
The Street Becomes
Jaime Permuth (faculty, MPS Digital Photography; MPS 2009 Digital Photography; MFA 1994 Photography and Related Media)
Meteoro Editions Hardcover/with signed archival print/with two signed archival prints, €35/€125/€250
Twin Sisters
Melanie Hausberger and Stephanie Hausberger (both BFA 2016 Fine Arts) Spotz Hardcover, $60
The Best Spot to Pee, New York Hyesu Lee (faculty, MFA
Illustration as Visual Essay; MFA 2011 Illustration as Visual Essay) Who’s Got My Tail Hardcover, $13
Dad Bakes
Katie Yamasaki (MFA 2003
Illustration as Visual Essay) Norton Young Readers Hardcover, $17.95
The Froggies Do NOT Want to Sleep
Adam Gustavson (MFA 1999 Illustration as Visual Essay)
Charlesbridge Hardcover/e-book, $16.99/$9.99
Horizontal Parenting: How to Entertain Your Kids While Lying Down
Michelle Woo; illustrated by Dasha Tolstikova (MFA 2012
Illustration as Visual Essay)
Chronicle Books Hardcover/e-book, $14.95/$8.99
On Eagles’ Wings
Ellen Javernick; illustrated by Jill Alexander (MFA 2006 Fine Arts)
Paulist Press Hardcover, $16.95
The Paper Bird
Lisa Anchin (MFA 2011 Illustration as Visual Essay) Dial Books Hardcover/e-book, $17.99/$10.99
Spectacular Sisters: Amazing Stories of Sisters from Around the World
Aura Lewis (MFA 2017 Illustration as Visual Essay) Quill Tree Books Hardcover/e-book/audio, $16.99/$9.99/$15.99
COMICS/GRAPHIC NOVELS
Epically Earnest
Molly Horan (faculty, Humanities and Sciences)
Clarion Books Hardcover/e-book, $18.99/$9.99
Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Dracula Koren Shadmi (faculty, BFA Illustration; BFA 2006 Illustration) Life Drawn Softcover, $24.99
NONFICTION
Burnt Toast and Other Disasters: A Book of Heroic Hacks, Fabulous Fixes, and Secret Sauces
Cal Peternell (BFA 1987 Fine Arts)
William Morrow Cookbooks Hardcover/e-book, $25.99/$12.99
Draw Like a Child: Take Chances, Make Mistakes, and Find Your Artistic Style
Haleigh Mun (BFA 2018 Illustration)
Abrams Books Paperback, $15.99
Edible Flowers: How, Why, and When We Eat Flowers
Monica Nelson (MA 2019 Design Research, Writing and Criticism)
Monacelli Press Hardcover, $35
Savage Love from A to Z: Advice on Sex and Relationships, Dating and Mating, Exes and Extras
Dan Savage; illustrated by Joe Newton (faculty, BFA Design)
Sasquatch Books Hardcover, $19.95
CREATIVE LIFE
Apply Yourself
For SVA students and recent graduates looking to study or teach abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, the College’s Career Development office is here to help. by vanessa machir
Established by the U.S. government in 1946, the prestigious Fulbright international exchange program gives people from diverse disciplines and backgrounds the opportunity to travel abroad and pursue their academic, creative and professional passions. It awards grants for projects and research lasting anywhere from a few months to a full year in more than 160 countries.
Due to their renown and the rare opportunity they provide, Fulbright awards are highly competitive. Fortunately, SVA students and recent alumni have a boost: Since 2017, SVA Career Development has offered assistance to those applying to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, which awards one-year grants for research, study or teaching around the world to U.S.-citizen undergraduates
(who must complete their degree by the time the grant begins), graduate students and young professionals with up to seven years of experience. Patricia Romeu, associate director of Career Development, currently serves as the office’s Fulbright program advisor, helping to guide applicants through the yearlong process, edit and shape their application materials and serve as a sponsor for their candidacy.
Career Development’s Fulbright initiative has achieved notable success to date. Two SVA-supported applicants have been awarded grants, and nine other applicants have made it to the semi-finalist stage. Last year, The Chronicle of Higher Education named SVA a top Fulbright-producing institution for the second year in a row.
Navigating the great wide world of work
To get an insider’s perspective on what’s most important when applying, we spoke with Romeu and SVA Fulbright recipients Julia Volonts (MPS 2017 Art Therapy), who traveled to Latvia’s Rīga Stradiņš University to research art therapy practices in 2019 and 2020, and Tyler Glenn (BFA 2020 Fine Arts), who won a Fulbright grant to teach English in Mongolia. (Glenn was unable to make her trip due to the pandemic, but is still considered a program alumnus.)
Plan Ahead
From application opening to finalist notification, the full process takes about a year. Romeu begins consulting prospective applicants in early spring; the deadline to submit all materials is in early fall; semi-finalists are notified in mid-winter; and the finalists are chosen throughout the spring.
“Definitely prepare as early as possible. . . . You need a lot of materials,” Volonts says. These materials include biographical data, a personal statement, a statement of grant purpose, three letters of recommendation, transcripts and an affiliation letter (from the institution abroad where the applicant would be based), as well as other supplemental materials, depending on which Fulbright grant you’ve chosen.
Make the application “a big priority in your life if you really want it,” Glenn says; gathering and preparing all of the materials is time-consuming.
Choose Your Grant
Before you commit to applying, first decide which type of U.S. Student Program grant is right for you and your project. The first option is Open Study/Research, which is the grant Volonts received. With an Open Study/ Research grant, you can undertake an art or research project in one country or enroll in a graduate degree program abroad, with Fulbright typically covering the cost of one year. You’re required to find an educational institution or other sponsor to be officially affiliated with, so they can indicate to Fulbright that they’re willing to work with you and your project is feasible.
The second option is an English Teaching Assistantship, for which an official affiliation is not needed to apply. This is the grant that Glenn received. Fulbright awardees with an English Teaching Assistantship are placed in classrooms in their chosen country to work alongside a certified teacher, and an additional community-engagement component is required.
Focus on Writing
“It’s hard to overstate how important the essays are to the Fulbright application, and how much work applicants should be prepared to devote to them,” Romeu says.
At maximum, the personal statement, which provides a picture of yourself as an individual, is one page long and the statement of grant purpose, which defines what you plan to do, is two pages, so every word counts. The writing must be concise and polished, with a clear and compelling rationale to support the proposal. Here, working with Career Development and the Fulbright program advisor can make all the difference.
“They were extremely helpful,” Volonts says. In her earliest essay drafts, she says, she catered to what she thought Fulbright wanted, highlighting the cultural-exchange aspect of her
Apply via SVA to the 2023–24 Fulbright U.S. Student Program: What to Do and When
1. Spring 2022
Submit your Fulbright Intent to Apply form. If you haven’t already, compile and review the required application materials as outlined on the Fulbright site.
2. Summer 2022
Meet with the SVA Fulbright program advisor and develop your personal statement and statement of grant purpose before the late-summer campus deadline, when all completed materials need to be submitted to Career Development. You are also required to meet with the Campus Review
proposed trip. “But when I went to SVA, they told me it was too general.” After explaining that she wanted to focus her studies on intergenerational trauma but thought the topic was too dark for the application, the advisor at the time, Anna Ogier-Bloomer (MPS 2017 Digital Photography), told her, “‘No—write from your heart,’” Volonts says. “I’m very passionate about what I do, and they brought that out in me.”
Glenn, who estimates she wrote 12 drafts of her personal statement and statement grant of purpose, went to Romeu’s office weekly to edit her writing line by line. “It made me a better writer in the end, and that makes it easier to get grants in the future,” she says.
Stay the Course
“It’s a very vulnerable process, to feel like you need to measure up,” says Volonts, who encourages applicants to be proactive about asking for guidance and support. Glenn agrees, admitting to struggles with impostor syndrome while applying.
Committee, so you can speak with panelists about your proposal and rationale.
3. Fall 2022
Submit your final application online to the Fulbright Program; the SVA Fulbright program advisor will also submit an application evaluation and official endorsement on your behalf.
4. Winter/Spring 2023
Semi-finalists are notified in the winter. Finalists are selected from that group—and grant offers are made—throughout the spring.
But it’s important to focus on the positive. “I’ve learned from this that passion gets you far,” Glenn says. “I know that I really put my all into it.” And if you’re not chosen in a given year, don’t give up: Fulbright strongly encourages you to re-apply in the next cycle.
“Moving to Latvia for Fulbright changed my life and really opened things up for me professionally,” Volonts says. Thanks to connections she made in the country during her time in the program, she is now working on a pilot program for ISSP Latvia—a contemporary photography platform offering educational programming, exhibitions and residencies—to research the benefits of art in treating anxiety and depression in adolescents and adults.
For more information about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, visit us.fulbrightonline.org. To learn more about SVA Career Development’s Fulbright assistance initiative, visit sva.edu/fulbright. ◆
Vanessa Machir (MPS 2016 Branding) is a regular contributor to the Visual Arts Journal. She lives in New York City.
PORTFOLIO
JAMES (JA M I E) NARES
BY GREG HERBOWY
I N 2011,
the artist James (Jamie) Nares (1975 Fine Arts), mounted an industrial high-speed camera into the back of an SUV and for the next several days rode through Manhattan, filming pedestrians doing pedestrian things—crossing avenues, sheltering themselves from the rain, hailing cabs—at 860 frames per second. The resulting footage, which was edited down, played back at 30 frames per second—about a 30-fold slowdown—and soundtracked with guitar by musician Thurston Moore, became Street, an hourlong video and arguably Nares’s best-known work to date.
Throughout her career, Nares has experimented with ways that motion can be documented; her 2019 retrospective at the Milwaukee Art Museum was called “Nares: Moves.” Nares’s methods can be low-tech and unfussy or near-scientific in their precision and sophistication. She has presented abraded sheets of sandpaper as art, and she has created multiple-exposure photographs of pendulums swinging and dancers performing. She makes large-scale gestural paintings with homemade brushes whose filaments and feathers have been chosen for their unique mark-making qualities, and with a brutish machine that was built for laying road lines on asphalt. She has filmed a concrete ball rolling down a West Side Highway off-ramp, struggling to keep up as she runs behind it with the camera, and she has made super-slo-mo, high-definition video portraits of peers and loved ones, in which even the slightest changes of expression unfold in microscopic detail.
In Street, the slow motion of the footage transforms seconds-long shots of New York City’s hectic street-level bustle into dreamy, dense tapestries of what Nares calls “mini-narratives,” subject to all kinds of interpretation. The rare people who notice the camera serve as “the Greek chorus,” she says, periodically breaking the movie’s odd spell to regard the audience as the camera passes by. The late writer Glenn O’Brien, a longtime Nares friend and admirer, described Street in an essay as “an ‘angel’s eye view’ of humanity.”
Despite this quality of reverie, the film can also be seen as a straight anthropological study of a specific time and place. “Street revealed a certain thing about how people self-choreographed in crowded streets,” says critic Amy Taubin (faculty, MFA Photography, Video and Related Media), another longtime supporter of Nares’s work. Seen now, just a decade later, with our brains and behavior rewired after two years of pandemic life, “it’s become a historic artifact,” she says. “The choreography of the street is totally different now.”
Born and raised in England, Nares moved to New York in the early 1970s to attend the School of Visual Arts, having read that several artists she admired, like Vito Acconci, Mel Bochner and Joseph Kosuth, taught at the College. As it turned out, she would never study with any of them. Not realizing she needed to register for courses in advance, Nares showed up for the first day with nothing on her schedule and had to sign up for what few options were left.
PREVIOUS James
ABOVE
OPPOSITE
Nares, What’s Not Obvious , 2010, iridescent pigment and wax on linen, 37 x 144 in. Courtesy of the artist and Kasmin Gallery.
James Nares, Hit the Road, 2013, thermoplastic on linen, 120 x 96 in. Courtesy of the artist and Kasmin Gallery.
James Nares, Burn Rubber, 2013, thermoplastic on linen, 120 x 96 in. Courtesy of the artist and Kasmin Gallery.
“THERE
This didn’t matter much, in the end. Known then as James (Nares went public as transgender three years ago, and continues to use her birth name professionally), she arrived at SVA “pretty much knowing what I wanted to do,” she says, and already making accomplished work. One day, she and a friend surprised their sculpture class by staging Nares’s Shelf (1974), for which they laid on diagonal platforms Nares had mounted on opposite walls of the studio and silently stared at each other. (The instructor, artist Richard Van Buren—“a real beatnik type,” Nares says—was apparently delighted.) Within a year, she would be an integral member of the thriving arts community that lived and worked in the Tribeca neighborhood of lower Manhattan.
“There was an incredible cross-pollination of disciplines happening,” Nares says. In between odd jobs like sandblasting and plumbing (an early call was to fix composer Philip Glass’s toilet),
she not only pursued her own multifaceted practice but collaborated freely with others in what came to be known as the No Wave movement, so-called for its “feigned indifference to just about everything,” she says. She operated the camera for nobudget films by director Eric Mitchell and artist and musician John Lurie; played an onscreen role in G Man (1978), co-directed by former classmate Beth B (faculty, BFA Fine Arts; BFA 1976 Fine Arts); and directed her own feature, the farcical Rome ’78, a No Wave touchstone and favorite of then-Village Voice critic J. Hoberman. She was an early member of the Colab artist collective and co-founded New Cinema, a theater that showed Super-8 and 16mm films that had been transferred to video for screening. And she played in two foundational No Wave bands: as the original guitarist for James Chance and the Contortions, and drummer for the Del-Byzanteens, which also featured filmmaker Jim Jarmusch on keyboards and sound artist Phil Kline on guitar. Though the latter act was “not much more than a lark,” she says, they had a hardworking manager and played often enough that Nares supported herself “for a year or so” on income from their shows.
WAS AN INCREDIBLE CROSSPOLLINATION OF DISCIPLINES HAPPENING.”
“There was a lawlessness back then,” says B, who recalls driving a car into the East River, with no fear of repercussions, for one of her films. Even in a scene crowded with underground legends-to-be, Nares, she says, stood out for her “extraordinary, ethereal” charisma and an ability to channel the “insanity” of the time through conceptual films like Pendulum (1976), in which a large sphere hung from a catwalk swings with seemingly dangerous abandon on an empty street.
“It so vividly reflected this kind of disturbance, this feeling of being unmoored from one’s beginnings in life and one’s family,”
ABOVE James Nares, Half of Life , 2008, oil on linen, 90 x 33 in.; “Nares: Moves” at Milwaukee Art Museum, 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Kasmin Gallery.
OPPOSITE James Nares, Asleep on a Slope , 2021, oil on linen, 58 x 78 in. Courtesy of the artist and Kasmin Gallery.
B says. “And it was also emblematic of New York City as a playground and canvas. I think Jamie was able to have real freedom. There were no rules.”
In 1975 Nares began creating— and filming herself creating—what she calls Giotto Circles , works for which she rotates either her arm or a self-made etching tool, inscribing a remarkably precise circle on a wall. The pieces are named for the preRenaissance artist, who was reputed to have drawn a perfect circle freehand, and what is remarkable about Giotto Circles is less the symmetry of the produced shape, and more that something so seemingly exact could be made with the simple action of windmilling one’s arm.
ABOVE James Nares, Untitled, 1976, blackand-white photograph. Courtesy of the artist and Kasmin Gallery.
As objects of formal beauty that double as records of performances, these circles would be a forebear of what has become Nares’s signature artistic project, an ongoing series of works, begun in the 1990s, known as brushstroke paintings. Consisting of a single gesture made with one continuous movement on a grand scale, these strip the act of painting down to its most basic building block, and invite viewers to consider the limitless possibilities for expression contained in that element alone. A Nares brushstroke can be spattering and wild like a wave; it can swirl and zigzag like a mop on a floor; or it can flutter like fabric in the wind (a phenomenon that Nares has explored in her video work).
While they impress the viewer as unmediated and spontaneous compositions, brushstroke paintings are more often the painstaking result of a repeatedly rehearsed movement that Nares executes as she travels the length of the canvas, which can measure up to 25 feet wide, sweeping and twisting the brush as she goes. She begins each with an intention or gesture in mind, and will make however many passes at the canvas are necessary to get it right—a process that can sometimes take a full day or more.
“The extraordinary thing about the brushstroke works is how Jamie incorporates the elements of performance art—the stamina and the acrobatics—into the paintings,” Taubin says. “It really is a physical dance extended onto the canvas.”
To make all of this possible takes considerable engineering. So that she can make quick and successive attempts at a painting without breaking focus, Nares and her assistants essentially varnish the canvas, giving it a smooth surface that can be squeegeed clean again and again. The paint is mixed with mineral spirits and wax, giving it a motor oil-like consistency. To keep the paint from dripping and running, the canvas lies flat while Nares works from above. For a while, she painted on canvases laid on the floor while suspended in a harness on a pulley. These days, the canvases are placed on a long table with a trough beneath a drainhole at the far end. This collects the paint from unsatisfactory takes, so that it can be reused.
OPPOSITE, TOP James Nares, Shelf 1974, black-and-white photograph. Nares staged this work, and took this photograph, in the sculpture studio at SVA. Courtesy of the artist.
OPPOSITE, BOTTOM James Nares, Giotto Circle (Tooled), 1975, Super 8 transferred to 16mm film and digital video. Courtesy of the artist and Kasmin Gallery.
The brushes Nares uses are their own works of art. She has constructed, by her estimate, hundreds of them, all with a specific scale and mark-making quality in mind, and is well acquainted with the properties of different bristles and feathers, and the pros and cons of different handle types. A section of her Long Island City studio is dedicated to brush building, with drawers full of parts, and dozens of finished models—“all characters in my drama,” she says—hang near her painting table in irregular rows.
The success of Street has encouraged Nares in recent years to “revisit my old art-making process of doing whatever came to mind,” she says. “I’d always been doing different things but not showing them, because I was concentrating on painting.”
In 2013, Nares debuted her “Road Paint” paintings, a series of black-andwhite works created with a road-line painter that she had found and bought online, having long been fascinated with the machines. The paint, actually a melted thermoplastic, is thick on the canvas, and dusted before it dries with tiny glass beads made to reflect headlights in the dark. From certain angles, the works glitter. “There’s a toughness to the road paintings,” Taubin says, an uncompromising solidity that provides ballast to Nares’s often weightless brushstrokes and the similarly floating Street.
Continuing in this vein, in 2019 Nares began making “Monuments,” a series of wax rubbings of 19th-century sidewalk stones in downtown Manhattan that are then gilded with 22-karat gold leaf. Cut from granite, with grooves hand-chiseled into them to keep pedestrians from slipping, and worn soft over time, the blocks offer the works a variety of textures and patterns.
“Monuments” is obliquely political—a tribute to the “anonymous immigrant laborers who built the city,” Nares says, made by an immigrant herself at a time of heightened nativist actions and rhetoric. The gilded pieces (commemorating Gilded Age construction, as Nares points out) recast those laborers’ humble work as an inscrutable, awesome achievement from a long-ago civilization. They’re another record of movement in the artist’s catalog, enshrining a form of communication, however obscure, from an increasingly distant past. In making their marks, the workers “inevitably fell into patternmaking,” Nares says, “because that’s what people do.
“There’s something very intimate about that. It’s like a little trace, or something.”
James (Jamie) Nares is represented by the Kasmin Gallery in New York. For more information, visit kasmingallery.com. ◆
“THE EXTRAORDINARY THING . . . IS HOW JAMIE INCORPORATES THE ELEMENTS OF PERFORMANCE ART INTO THE PAINTINGS.”
ABOVE James Nares, Untitled, 1990, oil on paper, 20 x 16 in. Courtesy of the artist.
OPPOSITE James Nares, Laight I, 2018, 22-karat gold leaf on Evolon, 129 x 77 x 2 1/2 in. Courtesy of the artist and Kasmin Gallery.
PREVIOUS James Nares, stills from Street , 2011, HD video, 61 minutes. Courtesy of the artist and Kasmin Gallery.
SPOTLIGHT PHILADELPHIA
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Recent projects produced by Fireball Printing, co-founded by SVA alumnus Catherine Dentino: Shane Confectionery x Wild Fox Provisions print, designed by As Cold As Earth; a pamphlet by artist Caitlin McCormack; and a comic by illustrator Marta Syrup.
William penn’s conceptual layout for Philadelphia, drawn in 1682, used the rectangular grid to organize plots of land around residences. It was among the first gridded cities in America, shaping the urban architecture in many burgeoning towns and cities across the country.
That grid is still palpable in present-day Philadelphia, embedded in its organic sprawl of cultural resources, deep-rooted communities and nonprofit initiatives. It’s a major metropolis with a smaller town feel, layered with history on every block.
“It’s a funny, fierce city with terrible roads and wonderful people,” says Andrea Tsurumi (MFA 2013 Illustration as Visual Essay), “and I’ll love it until I die.”
Here are four SVA alumni who have made Philly their home.
by Katheryn Brock
Portraits by Anuj Shrestha (MFA 2005 Illustration as Visual Essay)
Catherine Dentino
BFA 2005 Photography
Not long after graduating from SVA and beginning her master’s program in arts and cultural management at Pratt, Catherine Dentino met her now-husband, Paul, who lived in Philadelphia. Early in their relationship, the two began discussing the concept of an artist-run print shop that would make quality prints at a ordable rates. Dentino soon moved from New Jersey to join Paul, and developed a plan for the business as her graduate thesis. They opened Fireball Printing in 2008, and it has since grown from a lone photocopier to a thriving operation o ering digital, large format and o set printing, with a core sta of 13. Through many years of “12-plus hour days, living with very little pay and racking up debt,” she says, Fireball established its reputation and increased its clientele, creating art prints, booklets,
posters and other printed matter for artists and businesses alike. “When I went to SVA, my original goal was to be an artist,” she says. “I’ve realized over the years that being an artist and making art isn’t just about making an object. I’ve found so many different ways to be creative and to push myself through my role at Fireball.”
Dentino likes engaging with the intimacy of physical print, as well as its capability, to reach a wide audience of viewers. Through Fireball, she has been able to host Weirdo, a local arts, food, performance and book fair that gathers
“people and artists that might not normally be together in the same place and time,” she says. (Find out more at weirdo.pizza.) And recently, Fireball began curating a shop of prints with some of their favorite artists, along with other art objects; a selection of works will be up for sale on their website, fireballprinting.com, later this year.
✽ LOCAL RECOMMENDATION
“ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS IN PHILLY IS SEEING THINGS COME ABOUT THAT DON’T FEEL OVERLY MANUFACTURED— VENUES, EVENTS AND LITTLE MOMENTS THAT FEEL UNEXPECTED AND BEAUTIFUL IN AN ORGANIC WAY. SOME PLACES TO CHECK OUT: THE WAGNER FREE INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE, FIUME, BARTRAM’S GARDEN, FORT MIFFLIN, CONCERTS AT GERMANTOWN KITCHEN GARDEN, YOUNG AMERICAN CIDER, GREENSGROW, THE WOODLANDS.”
ABOVE Resident Aliens, a 2018 zine by illustrator, SVA alumnus and Philadelphia resident Anuj Shrestha, produced by Fireball Printing.
SPOTLIGHT PHILADELPHIA
Jason Prunty
MFA 2001 Photography and Related Media
Adept in many disciplines, Jason Prunty has worked in photography, industrial design, architecture and software. In each field, “creativity was really important to me,” he says. As chief experience o cer at Trucendent, an estate- and trust-planning online platform, Prunty and his team work to make what is often a complicated process more streamlined and accessible through user-centered approaches to software. Trucendent pairs financial advisors with attorneys through their web application, which will soon be available for mobile browsing, and provides software that advisors can use to walk clients through key decisions in the estate-planning process. Prunty is designing visualizations to give clients a clear overview of their estate plans, free of legal jargon.
Growing up south of Denver, Prunty felt disconnected from centers of culture. He moved east to study electrical engineering at the University of Rochester before enrolling at SVA. After graduating, he taught photography at Montclair State University in New Jersey, eventually returning to school for a master’s in architecture, to which he attributes his design “understanding of how pieces fit together, how parts come together to form a functioning whole.”
Prunty moved to Philadelphia when starting his family, a little over 10 years ago, and has become increasingly involved in the community. Around
✽ LOCAL RECOMMENDATION
“THE PUBLIC MURALS MAKE THE CITY SO SPECIAL. THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS WITH ARTISTS, SOMETIMES FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD, TO WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE MURALS REFLECTING THEIR EXPERIENCE. AND DEFINITELY CHECK OUT PENN KNOX ALONG THE DEL AWARE RIVER, WHERE THE FOOD AND BEER SCENES ARE UNIQUELY PHILLY.”
2018, his eldest daughter attended after-school classes at Fleisher Art Memorial, a local nonprofit that o ers free and a ordable art education for all ages. Impressed with the organization, Prunty took a painting class to refresh his own artistic practice, before joining their board at the start of last year. Prunty is now working to develop a Fleisher-owned lot, as part of its e orts to o er encounters with art to every neighborhood in the city, and helping to form the committee to hire a new executive director for the organization.
TOP AND ABOVE The 2021 Día de los Muertos celebration presented by La Calaca Flaca and Fleisher Art Memorial, for which SVA alumnus Jason Prunty serves as a board member. Photo by Joe Piette, courtesy Fleisher Art Memorial. RIGHT Screenshots of Trucendent, the online estate- and trust-planning platform for which Prunty is CXO.
Andrea Tsurumi
MFA 2013 Illustration as Visual Essay
In 2016, illustrator, author and cartoonist Andrea Tsurumi’s life underwent two big changes: Tsurumi’s first picture book, Accident!, sold to Houghton Mi in Harcourt, and Tsurumi and their partner, eager for a change from New York City, moved to Philadelphia.
After graduating from Harvard in 2007, Tsurumi made indie comics and zines while working in publishing in Manhattan. In 2009 they took a continuing education course at SVA taught by cartoonist Tom Hart.
“There was this transformative feeling that when you walked in, you belonged there,” Tsurumi says. “You were a cartoonist if you made comics, no matter what your level . . . no hierarchy, no posturing, just a room full of permission to be excited about making stories together.” Two years later, Tsurumi enrolled in the College’s MFA illustration program.
Tsurumi has published numerous children’s books, visual essays and comics, and taught comics and illustration in the summer illustration residency at SVA
FROM TOP Books written and/or illustrated by SVA alumnus and faculty member Andrea Tsurumi include I’m On It! (2021), an “Elephant & Piggie Like Reading!” book; Kondo & Kezumi Are Not Alone (2021), written by David Goodner; and Accident! (2017).
and the undergraduate illustration program at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Hand-drawn illustration and narrative storytelling allows them to communicate the intimacy of personal geographies and how experience intermingles with place and history. From a home studio with walls covered in sketches and a big red chair for their dog, Spatula, Tsurumi is now working on the illustrations for Life Log, an activity book written by maker and artist Lea Redmond due out this spring from Chronicle Books.
“As a newcomer to Philly, I’m aware of how much I do not know about here,” Tsurumi says. “My experience skates over the top of layers and layers of older associations I’m learning about while joining them.”
✽ LOCAL RECOMMENDATION “THE ASIAN ARTS INITIATIVE BRINGS TOGETHER ARTISTS AND OTHER FOLKS TO EXPLORE THE ASIAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL SITES HERE IS MOTHER BETHEL AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, THE OLDEST CHURCH IN THE U.S. TO BE CONTINUOUSLY OWNED BY AFRICAN AMERICANS. I ALSO LOVE UNCLE BOBBIE’S COFFEE AND BOOKS, BIG BLUE MARBLE BOOKSTORE, A NOVEL IDEA AND THE MÜTTER MUSEUM.”
SPOTLIGHT PHILADELPHIA
Mary Salvante
BFA 1988 Illustration
As director and chief curator of Rowan University Art Gallery in nearby Glassboro, New Jersey, Mary Salvante brings over 25 years of experience in arts administration, public arts and curatorship to the role—with 22 of them spent in the Philadelphia area, where her achievements include a citywide expansion of the annual Philadelphia Open Studio Tours event and founding the environmental arts program at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education.
Salvante found her first arts-advisory job, with Suzanne Randolph Fine Arts, not long after graduating from SVA, via a listing on the College’s Career
Development job board. She found the work compelling. Through her work, Salvante managed public art installations, such as the Korean War veterans monument in New York City’s Battery Park, and she began to curate, continuing to do so in Philadelphia, where she integrated her passion for socially engaged art with community programming in the 20th-anniversary exhibition for Mural Arts Philadelphia, the country’s largest public arts program.
Salvante joined Rowan in 2009, and in 2018 founded the university’s Center for Art and Social Engagement, which provides a venue for exploring social issues through art-based inquiry. “I’ve always been interested in activism in the art world and bringing attention to artists who are focused on giving voice to social issues,” she says.
At Rowan, she has curated and shown work by such internationally recognized artists as Mel Chin, Willie Cole (BFA 1976 Media Arts), Jeanne Jaffe, Ebony G. Patterson and Beverly Semmes; SVA MFA Fine Arts faculty member Dread Scott; and former SVA faculty Brandon Ballengée and Joyce Kozloff. This spring, the gallery will present a show by Syd Carpenter, a Philadelphia-based sculptor whose work deals with the history of African American farming, gardening and memory.
Collaboration is an increasingly common value among artists and arts professionals in the area, Salvante says. “Philadelphia’s art community is a supportive one. I sense that in a big way.” ◆
Katheryn Brock (MFA 2021 Art Writing) is a painter and writer living in Philadelphia.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Dread Scott (2016), Brandon Ballengée (2017) and Saya Woolfalk (2021) shows at Rowan University Art Gallery, curated by SVA alumnus Mary Salvante; Salvante with artists Colette Gaiter (left) and Ebony G. Patterson (right) at Patterson’s 2019 Rowan show; Salvante gives an interview for Rowan’s 2020 Federico Solmi show. Installation photos by Jack Ramsdale, courtesy of Rowan University Art Gallery.
✽ LOCAL RECOMMENDATION “PHILADELPHIA IS FULL OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR TALENTED ARTISTS, INCLUDING ARTISTRUN EXHIBITION SPACES AND ORGANIZATIONS, SUCH AS THE CENTER FOR EMERGING VISUAL ARTISTS, AS WELL AS SMALL GALLERIES AND MAJOR INSTITUTIONS.”
Chapter and Verse A History Book of L o v e of
By Maeri
Photograph by
David LaChapelle
of Book Love
universally and arrestingly, the fictions associated with gender. “It’s not my fault that I’m not a boy,” she protests.
members Ted Ottaviano, Lauren Roselli Johnson (both BFA 1983 Photography), Jade Lee and Susan Ottaviano (no relation to Ted) would have a regular Sunday rehearsal, after which Johnson and Ted would go out clubbing. The band—a synth-pop quartet whose propulsive, romantic songs would make them a dance-floor mainstay in the late 1980s—was still unknown, and New York City nightlife was at one of its storied zeniths. Legendary spots like Danceteria and Area were playgrounds for self-expression, and the post-punk and new wave scenes radiated with the energy of the new.
The music industry is famously capricious; even the most well-deserved success stories hinge on moments of good fortune or fate. Book of Love, by its members’ own account, has had several, and a big one happened on a Sunday night out at the Pyramid Club, a favorite haunt of theirs. Johnson had brought with her a demo of one of the band’s latest songs, “Boy,” a driving, minimalist number in which Susan, the band’s frontwoman, sings about being denied entry to a men’s-only bar and, more
Johnson gave the tape to the club’s DJ, Ivan Ivan, who had just begun scouting talent for music executive Seymour Stein, co-founder of the Warner Music Group label Sire Records, home to such acts as The Cure, Madonna, The Pretenders and Talking Heads. When Stein first heard “Boy,” the story goes, he agreed to release the song before it even got to the chorus. The single took off on the dance charts, and the band was signed to a deal and soon joined label mates Depeche Mode on tour. In little more than a year, Book of Love had gone from begging friends to come see them at a small club to opening for one of the era’s biggest bands in front of 20,000 people at the Palais Omnisport in Paris.
The early 1980s were “such a fertile time for New York,” Ted says. “I felt like I was a student by day and this creature of the night in these clubs. People wax poetic about that period because it really was unparalleled in many ways.”
Ted and Susan grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, where both of their families were part of the city’s large Italian American community. “It wasn’t clear whether we were related and how we were related,” Ted says. “It was always this weird thing”—an early bit of kismet. The two were high-school friends and connected through a shared love of music, occasionally jamming together on the Farfisa organ at Susan’s house. Ted’s big album, then and now, was David Bowie’s Low (1977), the first release in
the star’s so-called “Berlin trilogy,” and a radical departure from his earlier, more traditional pop and rock songwriting. At first Ted found Low’s strangeness off-putting—“I used to separate it and keep it in a different place than my other records,” he recalls—but in time it became his creative lodestar. “All roads lead to David Bowie,” he says.
After high school, Susan enrolled at the Philadelphia College of Art, while Ted joined another hometown friend, John Dugdale (BFA 1983 Photography), in applying to SVA, but the two Ottavianos’ musical collaboration continued long-distance: When Susan formed a post-punk band with her classmate Jade Lee, Ted contributed songwriting and the group’s “intentionally raunchy” name, Head Cheese. (“My father owned a deli,” he explains.)
Ted also wrote music on his own, occasionally bringing his musical efforts into his photo and art classes for critiques, where he found a receptive audience.
“They understood, in a weird way,” he says of his instructors and classmates. “Even though you had a major you were concentrating on, if you were going to exist in the current fabric, you had to be open to being ‘multimedia.’”
After graduating from PCA, Susan and Jade moved to New York City, starting Book of Love—named for the 1957 song by doo-wop group The Monotones—with Ted. He would become the group’s primary songwriter; he and Lee would play keyboards; Susan would sing. “I had this idea for a new sound,” he says—a more synth-based music, built with “simple and naïve” parts and lyrics that were “like nursery rhymes.” But it was not
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
8.
9.
until Johnson was added as a third keyboardist a few months later that the band fully gelled.
“We were looking for a fourth member and I remember saying, ‘Lauren’s perfect for the band,’” Ted says. He and Johnson had gotten friendly through seeing each other in class and the clubs, and she was always interested in hearing about his music. “I think we just hit it off,” he recalls. “Lauren just radiates, and we just had so much in common in so many different ways.” But he didn’t know if she even played an instrument when he asked her to join. As it turned out, she didn’t.
Johnson grew up in northern New Jersey, an artistic child in a supportive, academically inclined family. As a teenager she loved music—mainly classic rock and singer-songwriters like Jackson Browne, thanks to the influence of her older siblings and the prevailing local radio formats—but “never thought it was a possibility” that she would be a musician herself, she says. “Music held such a special and sacred place in my life.”
After enrolling at SVA and eventually moving to New York City, Johnson immersed herself in the local scene, digging through East Village record stores and going out dancing. “I was on my own for the first time with no curfew,” she says. “As long as I made it to my class the next day, there was nothing to keep me from staying out until two in the morning.”
For her early parts in Book of Love, “I was assigned easy-toplay parts, like bell lines and chord-pad parts,” she says, and the Casios the band played were “toy-like and fun to play with.” She
1. Singer Susan Ottaviano at the Grand Canyon.
Book of Love backstage, circa 1985.
Band portrait by Janette Beckman.
With producer Ivan Ivan in Paris.
Keyboardist Jade Lee, on Book of Love’s U.S. tour with Depeche Mode.
Sightseeing at Niagara Falls.
7. Keyboardist and SVA alumnus Lauren Roselli Johnson with Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs (1991).
Keyboardist and SVA alumnus Ted Ottaviano on tour in Texas.
“We all grew upwith I think that has always hymns and Christmas songwriting.” been in carols. c h u r c h
Ted’s
also sang backing vocals—that’s her whispering the song title on “Boy”—and in time would become skilled with the early Akai S900 sampler, which she would use to record sounds, like a toy cash register or xylophone, that the band would then incorporate into their music. Book of Love rehearsed in the basement of a former morgue on Mott Street, a “scary, dark and dank” location with “strangely good acoustics,” Johnson says, that was popular with underground acts at the time—pop-rock group Wygals, the thrashers in Helmet, and psychnoise outfit Butthole Surfers all made appearances in the space. (The building now houses luxury condominiums.)
“You could go down there at, like, two or three in the morning and just work,” Ted says. “Nobody knew where you were or could hear you because you were in this sub-basement.”
Oldham’s “Tubular Bells,” made famous as the theme for the seminal horror film The Exorcist
“Those bells are as responsible for our career as our whole play with gender,” Ted says.
“We all grew up with church hymns and Christmas carols,” Johnson says. “I think that has always been manifest in Ted’s songwriting and informs his way of hearing.”
Book of Love’s self-titled debut, released in 1986, was a “classic first album situation,” Ted says, “where we ended up having a few years to write and write.” The album sleeve features band portraits by Michael Halsband (BFA 1980 Photography), whom Johnson had come to know through the late SVA faculty member Walt Silver. Book of Love’s songs showcase Ted’s knack for folding evocative lyrics into danceable, melodic arrangements. The production, by Ivan Ivan, has a quintessentially 1980s sound—all echoing synth, pulsating beats and low, breathy vocals, ideal for sweating among strangers in a dark disco.
“I Touch Roses,” the album’s centerpiece and a gnomic ode to self-empowerment, has come to be the band’s trademark song and remains Ted’s proudest moment as a songwriter. “It’s our mini-masterpiece,” he says. (Johnson, though she has other favorites, too, agrees.) The springy “You Make Me Feel So Good” became a surprise hit on Texas radio, earning the group a sizable following in the state. And “Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)”—a hopeless-love song that later featured on the soundtracks of the zeitgeisty TV series Miami Vice and the John Candy–Steve Martin comedy Planes, Trains and Automobiles started another Book of Love motif of working art references into the band’s music and visual presentation.
“We ended up utilizing our art-school influences like crazy, and [Amedeo] Modigliani was an artist that we all loved,” Ted says. “Patti Smith, who we just idolized, wrote ‘Dancing Barefoot,’ which was inspired by Modigliani’s mistress, Jeanne Hébuterne. So we thought it would be great to write our own song about Modigliani, and the difference was it would be kind of a dance song.”
After another stretch of touring, Book of Love released their second album, Lullaby (1988), which they made with the British producer Flood, recording in New York and mixing at Berlin’s Hansa Studios, where David Bowie had finished Low two decades prior. Flood, who had worked with Depeche Mode, New Order and U2, brought a new level of technological sophistication to the band’s process, particularly, Ted says, in his FROM TOP ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT
1. “ Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes) ” 12" single, 1987.
2. The MMXVI 30th anniversary compilation, 2016.
3. All Girl Band EP, 2017.
4. Book of Love LP, 1986.
5. “ Boy ” 12" single, 1985.
6. Candy Carol LP, 1991.
7. “ You Make Me Feel So Good ” 12" single, 1986.
8. “ I Touch Roses ” 12" single, 1985.
9. Lovebubble LP, 1993.
10. “ Lullaby ” 12" single, 1989.
11. Lullaby album, 1988.
12. “ Witchcraft ” 12" single, 1989.
13. Candy Carol promo glossy, photography by Janette Beckman, 1991.
After about a year of diligent woodshedding, Book of Love recorded their demo for “Boy” at Noise New York, a rundown studio in midtown Manhattan. There, in another piece of good fortune, Ted unearthed a dusty old set of tubular bells, or chimes, an instrument that had long intrigued him both for its appearance in “I Could Be Happy,” a 1981 single by Scottish band Altered Images, and how the sound recalled the church music of his Catholic upbringing. Inspired, he played the chimes for the song’s hook, and their anachronistic, vaguely religious quality thereafter became integral to Book of Love’s work—the group would even go on to record a cover of Mike
All images courtesy of Book of Love/ Rhino Records.
of Love Book
understanding of how to best integrate their combination of digital and analog sounds. “I’d arrived in the studio feeling like all of the songs were fully realized, but he was able to open them up and take them into this technicolor place.”
The cover of Lullaby features a sepia-toned image of a cherubic child with white dove wings, created by Victorian-era photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. “I was basically going through my own personal exorcism in my first few years in New York,” Ted says, “so that album had a lot of religious themes.” The record opens with “Tubular Bells”; immortality and amulets abound on the rap-sung oddball track “Witchcraft”; and for “With a Little Bit of Love,” the band recorded a part on the organ at Manhattan’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
The album’s most enduring song, however, is the jittery “Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls,” in which Susan sings of forbidden, gender-agnostic desire and alludes to the AIDS crisis at a time when the disease was still heavily stigmatized:
Strangers in the night
Exchanging glances
But sex is dangerous I don’t take my chances
The track was catchy enough to be chosen as a single, but the band, who had experienced the loss of friends and loved ones to the disease, refused to sideline or soft-pedal its message. They declined an opportunity to license it for a soft-drink commercial and filmed a video for the song that ends on a screen reading “FIND A CURE.” While doing the promotional rounds, they made an appearance on Club MTV, an American Bandstand–type series. The production taped the guests for several days’ episodes in one block; Book of Love’s turn immediately followed one by The Ramones, who were heroes of theirs. (Lee and Ted got to meet frontman Joey Ramone, who was “such a sweetheart,” Ted says.) In a post-performance interview, Susan fields a question about the song’s meaning.
“We wanted to deal with the issue of AIDS,” she answers, earnest and halting. “We wanted to do what we could to show that we care.”
The group’s third album, Candy Carol (1991), was suffused with a growing sense of loss as the AIDS epidemic raged on, though superficially it was their brightest-sounding record yet, a collection of songs that paid homage to their shared love of 1960s pop, the sound of their childhoods. After what had been a rushed process to write Lullaby, Ted again took his time honing the material, and songs like “Alice Everyday” and the title track signaled a sonic turning point for Book of Love. But the times were changing as was, inevitably, the state of popular music. After a fourth album, 1993’s Lovebubble—an adventurous, eclectic range of material that includes a cover of Low’s “Sound and Vision” and the chilly, electronic “Salve My Soul”—Book of Love decided to go on an indefinite hiatus.
“We didn't realize how we were going to be identified with the ’80s until the ’90s hit,” Ted says now. “The way that music trends go is you need to push away the previous trends in order to forge forward.
“It wasn’t until the millennium that there was a new appreciation for what we had done.”
Sometime after Lullaby, Johnson was working a side job in the Metropolitan Museum of Art when she ran into acquaintances of hers, film director Jonathan Demme and his wife, artist Joanne Howard. The couple were new parents, and Johnson offered to babysit sometime, to give them an occasional night out. They took her up on the offer, and soon Demme—an avid music fan with a habit of putting friends and favorite artists in his projects—cast her in a small role in his next movie, The Silence of the Lambs, playing the friend of a serial killer’s victim who is interviewed by Jodie Foster’s character, FBI trainee Clarice Starling. (The film also features “Sunny Day,” one of the rare Ted-fronted Book of Love
songs, on its soundtrack.) Strange good fortune had struck once again.
In the waning days of Book of Love’s first run and after the band’s initial retirement, Johnson would go on to appear in Demme’s Philadelphia (1993), Beloved (1998) and 2004 remake of The Manchurian Candidate. She married, worked for fashion designer Daryl K and became a mother. Lee pursued graphic design. Susan went to culinary school and found work as a food stylist, recipe developer and visual artist. Ted continued in music, remixing songs by artists like Hole (“Malibu”), David Byrne (“Wicked Little Doll”) and Fleetwood Mac (“Landslide,” for which the arduous process of getting access to the original tracks was “like having the 10 Commandments sent to my house,” he says). He also taught and lectured on production at such institutions as Case Western Reserve University (in collaboration with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame), New York University and Long Island University. The four remained close, all staying in or around New York City.
I“It wasn’t until the millennium that there a new appreciation for what we had done.” was
n the early aughts, Book of Love released a best-of compilation, featuring three new tracks and new band photos by Ted and Johnson’s former classmate Frank Ockenfels 3 (BFA 1983 Photography), and its warm reception—Spin called it “crafty twee keyboard punk”; Time Out called it “irresistible”—heralded a revival of interest in their music. The group played some shows together, and a few years later Ted and Johnson began writing and recording together again as The Myrmidons, a side project created for a new era of synth and electronic pop.
“Lauren was good friends with Lori Lindsay, who was in this group The Prissteens, so she ended up being our vocalist for these tracks,” Ted says. As with Book of Love, The Myrmidons developed something of a cult following. They released a handful of singles, the covers of which, as with Book of Love’s
discography, were designed with particular care—a testament, Ted and Johnson say, to their experiences at SVA.
“You really had to know what you were trying to do, and how well you were reaching your goals,” Ted says. “I felt like all those skills that we learned, we were utilizing in the music business. It sounds strange, but we really were.”
By the turn of the last decade, Book of Love was performing live again with some frequency, though usually as either a duo, comprising Ted and Susan, or a trio, with Johnson joining in—Lee, though still involved in the band, was disinclined to resume steady touring. In 2016 the entire quartet embarked on a 30th anniversary tour and released MMXVI , another greatest-hits compilation, with two new tracks; an EP single, All Girl Band , followed in 2017.
Since then, Ted and Susan have continued to perform, with the entire group getting together for occasional reunion shows. A more comprehensive career survey, The Sire Years: 1985 –1993, came out in 2018. Live appearances have been on hold since the onset of the pandemic, but Ted hopes to get out on the road once more when the situation allows. “Our audience is so loyal to us,” he says. “The music has really been this sort of soundtrack for them.” And while the band’s present-day efforts are mostly toward tending to their unique legacy, he hints that Book of Love still has another chapter to write.
“We’re all still in touch and talk a lot, and I think we all agree that we’ve got one more big project left in us. But what that is or what shape that will take, I can’t say just yet.” ◆
Maeri Ferguson is the manager of media relations at the School of Visual Arts.
Book of Love performing in San Francisco in 2017 (left) and 2013 (center and right).
Photographs by Jason DeBord, courtesy of RockSubculture. com/Jason DeBord.
CLOTHES READING
THIS
and
PAGE Fashion publications
ephemera in the apartment of the late SVA alumnus Steven Mark Klein. Courtesy of the International Library of Fashion Research.
OPPOSITE, TOP Klein at home.
Photograph by Willy Busfield.
OPPOSITE, BELOW Aleph: A Collection of Daily Inspiration, Faena, 2014; Paul Smith postcards, 2020. Courtesy of the International Library of Fashion Research.
How a late alumnus and a wunderkind editor established a one-of-a-kind fashion archive
BY RAQUEL LANIERI
An invitation to Prada’s 2020 runway presentation. A 2006 shopping guide from the Financial Times. An outdated sneaker catalog. A collection of postcards picked up during a visit to a Yohji Yamamoto store in the 1980s. A plastic Bic lighter decorated with a photograph by Ryan McGinley.
To most people, these items have a fleeting charm, an expiration date. They’ll throw out the invitation once the show’s over, pitch the shopping guides and catalogs when the season changes. They’ll send the postcards. They’ll discard the lighter when it no longer works.
Not Steven Mark Klein (BFA 1974 Fine Arts). The brand consultant and “fashion gadfly,” per The New York Times, spent three decades collecting and preserving fashion ephemera: the kinds of disposable promotional materials that curators and institutions tend to ignore: press releases, lookbooks, magazines, fliers. By the time he died last October at the age of 70, he had amassed some 5,000 objects spanning from 1975 to 2020.
“I remember going to his apartment on East Broadway, in downtown Manhattan,” recalls Klein’s friend Elise By Olsen, a 22-year-old Norwegian magazine editor who has inherited his massive archive. “The whole space was just filled up with books and magazines and paper.” Yet he had a system, expertly navigating the towering piles of stu in his cramped home. “He was just living and breathing this collection that he had been working on for so many years,” she says.
Klein’s collection now forms the basis for the new International Library of Fashion Research, curated by Olsen, who
serves as its director. The library will open this fall inside the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, in Oslo. One floor will feature changing exhibitions, and another will be a study space where researchers, designers, students and anyone else with a love of fashion and design can browse the idiosyncratic archive.
“It’s an incredibly incredible thing to be entrusted with, but it’s also a huge responsibility,” Olsen says. “It was very important that the archive be something that can benefit more people beyond myself—something that people can access, because it’s historical.”
After graduating from SVA, Klein got a job handling limited-edition art books at The Strand and collected monographs by artists like Lawrence Weiner and Sol LeWitt (1953 Illustration). But a trip to France in 1982 changed everything for him.
While in Paris he accompanied his then-wife, dancer Molissa Fenley, to a fashion show by the Japanese label Comme des Garcons—featuring designer Rei Kawakubo’s now-legendary slashed dresses and frayed sweaters riddled with holes. The next day, he and Fenley visited the brand’s showroom and received a lookbook of that season’s ensembles.
“On closer inspection, I realized that Rei, or whoever was working with Rei, had some knowledge of conceptual art books,” Klein said in an interview for the International Library of Fashion Research’s website. “It was from there that the collecting began.”
Klein had some unorthodox gathering methods. He would walk into boutiques and ask for press booklets or catalogs they would have lying around, or request Fashion Week invitations from his vast circle of creative friends from the art and hospitality worlds. One of Klein’s accomplices told Olsen that Klein used to steal copies of T: The New York Times Style Magazine from his neighbors’ doorsteps.
“He had every T magazine since the beginning [2004]—there were no holes in that collection,” Olsen says. “I was wondering how that was even possible!”
Olsen first heard from Klein in 2015, when the older fashion enthusiast sent an email to the 15-year-old—who by then had her own fashion and youth culture magazine, Recens—asking, “Who are you?”
“It was a very strange email correspondence that felt a little like he was trolling me,” Olsen says. “But I was very intrigued, and we started emailing and then speaking on the phone and he ended up becoming a mentor to me.” She finally met him on her first trip to New York, at 17, where she accompanied him to the Gucci store to ask for catalogs and took a first look at his massive archive. He eventually bequeathed it to her in 2019—and the next year had two tons of material shipped to Oslo. (It is currently in storage.)
The collection includes some legendary Versace catalogs from the 1990s, photographed by Steven Meisel; a rare set of toy robots produced by the fashion publisher Visionaire in 2004; and several books and materials taken by the art photographer Nan Goldin, including a pack of Camel cigarettes that she designed in the 1990s featuring a buzz-cut punk at a pay phone.
While these items were made for commercial or promotional purposes, they often rise to the level of art, on par with the greatest shoots for Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar, according to photography critic and curator Vince Aletti.
FROM LEFT Limited-edition Nan Goldin pack of Camel cigarettes, 1999; Ryan McGinley Bic lighter, date unknown; Vogue Paris , May 2003; Philippe Starck with Virgin, Conscience CD, 1998; Capsule menswear catalog, fall/winter 2012; Zipper, August 1972; Blumarine catalog, with photography by Juergen Teller, spring/summer 1996.
BELOW Barneys New York catalog, 2020.
All images courtesy of the International Library of Fashion Research.
don’t include their commercial work in their books, so it’s especially important to preserve these equally groundbreaking images, which most people outside the fashion industry don’t even know exist.)
Plus, he adds, “for me, it’s all the stu related to fashion that makes it something besides fabric and clothes and gives it a historical context.”
“The materials that a lot of designers produce to promote their work are often done by really interesting photographers,” Aletti says, citing Meisel, Goldin, Cindy Sherman, Richard Avedon, Wolfgang Tillmans and others. “It’s a kind of history of contemporary photography, as well as a record of a particular designer’s work.” (He also mentions that many photographers
That is something Olsen believes as well. These materials “are so often overlooked in the intellectual fashion discourse,” she says. But “the commerciality is ultimately what sets fashion apart, it’s inherent to fashion, it’s what makes fashion, fashion. Most fashion museums are sort of like costume libraries.”
She has since doubled the size of Klein’s initial collection, with donations from magazines like The Gentlewoman and brands like Comme des Garçons, which will donate copies of its annual mailers done with artists like Ai Weiwei and René Burri. (She hopes to work out a deal with T, so she won’t have to resort to stealing them, like Klein.) She’s also working on broadening the geographic scope of the collection, which is now very “Europe-centered.”
It’s a mission that would make her late mentor proud. “I’m going to be striving to push his legacy forward and develop it in the best way possible,”she says.
For more information on the International Library of Fashion Research, visit fashionresearchlibrary.com. ◆
Raquel Laneri is a writer and editor based in Brooklyn. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, New York Post, The Daily Beast, Time and The New Inquiry, among other publications.
1. Comme des Garçons flyer, fall/ winter 2013.
2. Studio Voice , September 1994.
3. Helmut Lang postcard, fall/winter 2002 – 2003.
4. T: The New York Times Style Magazine , April 14, 2019.
5. Yves Saint Laurent posters, fall/ winter 2008 – 2009.
9. FT Weekend , February 2020. All images courtesy of the International Library of Fashion Research.
10. Tomorrowland catalog, fall/winter 2015. 11. Hermès tie catalog, 2008.
12. Invitation to a performance of The Times Are Racing (New York City Ballet), hosted by Humberto Leon and Carol Lim of Opening Ceremony, 2017.
13. V, July/August 2001.
14. Visionaire 23: The Emperor’s New Clothes , featuring photography by Karl Lagerfeld, 1997.
High Flies titmouse Animation Studio
BY
ALEXANDER GELFAND
When chris and shannon prynoski,
co-owners of the independent animation studio Titmouse, moved from New York City to Los Angeles in 2000, things were looking a bit uncertain. Shannon (BFA 1994 Film and Video) had quit her job as a photo editor; Downtown, the animated series that Chris (BFA 1994 Animation) had created for MTV, had been canceled; and their landlord had sold the house in Williamsburg where they had been living.
Things look a lot better now. Titmouse, the company that
In short, the Prynoskis have become moguls. And no one is more surprised about it than they are. “It’s very surreal. I don’t really believe it,” says Shannon, who is responsible for supervising everything from the studio’s COVID-19 protocols to the preparation of a new, 95,000-square-foot office space in Burbank.
In retrospect, the duo’s timing was impeccable. They arrived in Los Angeles at the beginning of an animation boom enabled by Flash, a software platform that greatly streamlined the production process, and just as the Cartoon Network cable channel was about to launch Adult Swim, its adult-oriented programming block. The result was a steady stream of projects for the pair, including such iconic series as Metalocalypse and The Venture Bros Shannon focused on production, while Chris concentrated on animation.
the couple originally established to sell their T-shirt designs online, is a thriving animation studio with 1,200 employees staffing offices in Los Angeles, New York and Vancouver. The studio partners with streaming powerhouses like Amazon, Apple, Disney and Netflix to produce series as varied as the raunchy coming-of-age comedy Big Mouth and Harriet the Spy, based on the classic children’s book by Louise Fitzhugh. And it provides content for an ever-growing list of films, music videos, commercials and video games.
As their workload grew, the Prynoskis reorganized their company, took on additional staff and built a reputation as a studio with a facility for left-of-center and adventurous material. In addition to Downtown, Chris (who has also taught animation at SVA) had previously worked on MTV’s Daria and Beavis and ButtHead; an early Titmouse calling card was their animated sequence for comedian Tom Green’s directorial debut Freddy Got Fingered (2001), an initial critical and commercial flop that has since acquired a cult following.
More recently, the explosive growth of digital streaming platforms has driven a massive increase in demand for animation. “They all want content, and they want it fast,” Shannon says.
“We have something like 20 series in production,” Chris says. “Twenty years ago, that would have been almost the whole animation industry.”
For many years, Titmouse handled everything from editing to sound recording in-house. But the increase in volume has led to more collaboration and outsourcing. Disney, for example, might handle pre-production on a project that will ultimately be animated at Titmouse’s Vancouver operation, while the studio’s Hollywood office might handle pre-production on a project before handing it off to animators in South Korea. Last year, the studio worked with 80 artists in 10 countries to produce a series of animated videos for the electronic music duo AREA21.
As the number of projects has increased, so too has the variety of roles that Titmouse plays in the development and production process.
“Sometimes they come with hardly anything, and sometimes they come with a lot,” Chris says of the clients who hire Titmouse to turn their ideas into reality. (These clients often get help from SVA alumni, dozens of whom work, or have worked, for the studio—no doubt in part because the company’s sole recruiter, BFA 2013 Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects alumnus Ellen Su, also teaches at the College.)
Sometimes Titmouse produces projects for animator–creators such as Pendleton Ward (The Midnight Gospel, on Netflix) or Brad Neely (The Harper House, on Paramount+), who bring their own concepts and distinct visual styles.
“Then we have a lighter touch; we’re the facilitators of their vision,” Chris says.
The studio’s growth has had other consequences as well. “I feel like I’m way less connected to the creative than I used to be,” Chris says. “I end up getting pulled into the projects that have problems or issues, as opposed to just getting invited to the fun stuff.”
All the same, the Prynoskis strive to maintain a fun-loving and supportive workplace environment. Early on, Shannon established an annual “5-Second Animation Day” at the studio, providing employees the time and resources to create their own short, personal animated projects. The resulting work has been screened for several years at
the SVA Theatre and elsewhere, and has become as indicative of the studio’s collected talents, imaginations and sensibilities as its official résumé. (And they still sell T-shirts: Check out titmousestuff.com.)
Having a child—the two have a son, Conan, who is now nine— also changed things for the couple. The demands of parenting led Shannon to step back from the day-to-day production work that previously consumed her life. And for a while, Chris found himself walking into meetings with network executives with a baby strapped to his chest.
“ We have something like 20 series in production. TWENTY YEARS AGO, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN ALMOST THE WHOLE ANIMATION INDUSTRY.”
As Conan has gotten older, the work-life balance has become easier— which is good, because his parents have ambitious plans. Chris hopes to produce more full-length animated features. Titmouse’s first, Nerdland, came out in 2016; their latest, Arlo the Alligator Boy, came out last year. Shannon is working on an initiative to support greater inclusion and diversity in the animation industry.
“I’m trying to show people, ‘You can be a woman and own a studio. You can be a lead person and still have a baby,’” she says—even if she sometimes finds it hard to believe herself. ◆
Alexander Gelfand is a freelance journalist in New York City who often writes about technology, business and the arts.
ABOVE Stills from Fairfax (2021 – ), an animated Amazon Prime Video series co-produced by Titmouse. Courtesy of Prime Video. OPPOSITE Titmouse’s new Burbank studio. Photograph by Chris Prynoski. PREVIOUS Chris and Shannon Prynoski portraits courtesy of Titmouse, Inc.
1. Stills from Harriet the Spy (2021 – ), an Apple TV+ series animated by Titmouse, Inc. Courtesy of Apple.
2. Stills from Star Wars: Galaxy of Adventures (2018 – ), a Disney series animated by Titmouse, Inc. Courtesy of Lucasfilm.
3. Stills from Big Mouth (2017 – ), an animated Netflix series produced by Titmouse, Inc. Courtesy of Netflix.
4. Stills from Chicago Party Aunt (2021 – ), an animated Netflix series produced by Titmouse, Inc. Courtesy of Netflix.
Q+A MICHELE WASHINGTON
BY ANNE QUITO
“Diversity and inclusion is a term that has been monetized,”
says Michele Washington (MFA 2011 Design Criticism). “People think that, if they use it, it makes them acceptable.” And even the most well-meaning initiatives can quickly be co-opted by brands and devolve into hollow corporate gestures.
Washington, who has built a career working with diverse communities, is vigilant against simplistic solutions. Through her design consultancy, she has tackled complex issues such as food scarcity, gender-based violence and racial justice with civic-minded orga-
nizations like the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, A Long Walk Home, Romare Bearden Foundation and Sprout by Design. She has also been an advisor to institutions such as the AIGA, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Poster House museum and Society for Experiential Graphic Design.
As a design researcher, strategist and teacher, Washington believes that the best paths to learning and social change involve engaging the audience’s own curiosity—a journey that can lead to rewarding, if circuitous, tangents. Her new podcast, Curious Story Lab (curiousstorylab.com), which debuted this past December, is vital proof of this approach. Through a series of
conversations with creative professionals who embody the omnivorous, multidisciplinary ethos Washington champions, she exposes listeners to “visionaries of color” who are reshaping culture, one project at a time. Her first-season guests include writer and curator Prem Krishnamurthy, graphic designer Forest Young and researcher Lesley-Ann Noel.
On the precipice of Curious Story Lab’s launch, Washington spoke about her aspirations for the podcast, a new book project, the value of deep research and how studying history helps us put present crises in better perspective.
We’ve gone through some pretty big upheavals over the past few years—from a global health crisis to an ongoing cultural reckoning about race and gender. How have things changed for you?
As a Black woman in my age group, things haven’t changed much. While di erent voices brought the issues to a higher level of hype, all of those issues
CLOCKWISE FROM OPPOSITE Michele Washington portrait by Anthony Barboza; the Curious Story Lab logo; We Sing A Black Girl’s Song (left), a book designed by Washington for “Black Girlhood Altar” (2021 – 2022), Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, presented by the nonprofit A Long Walk Home; type design by Washington for “Race, Myth, Art and Justice” (2019), Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, New York; website rebrand for A Long Walk Home. All images courtesy of Michele Washington.
have existed over a long period of time; you just have di erent voices championing the same cause now.
I do think technology plays a more amplified role today. We’re in a state where we have super media highways where you can get all this information instantly. But I always think of what the poet Gil Scott-Heron once said: “The revolution will not be televised.” While we think we see everything, we won’t always know what’s going on behind the scenes.
When a big event happens, it may feel like it’s the defining moment for that particular issue. But I’ve learned that there’s often always someone or something that’s come before.
For instance, during a talk I gave at Columbia University about the afro, I pointed something out about the American Health and Beauty Aids Institute’s “Proud Lady Buy Black” symbol that was used on Black hair-care products in the 1960s and 1970s as being one of the first such logos. But A’Lelia Bundles—who is the great-great granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker, the entrepreneur who built the first African American hair-care empire—kindly pointed out a precedent from the 1920s in Harlem. Sometimes we just don’t know it or haven’t done the leg work to do the research.
On This Season of Curious Story Lab
SVA alumnus Michele Washington’s podcast spotlights “visionaries of color”—here’s a look at some of her guests’ work.
1./2. London and Central Park maps by Alfalfa Studios principal and SVA Continuing Education faculty member Rafael Esquer (pictured).
3. Materials for Black Girls STEAMing Through Dance, a community-based after-school program led by Drexel University professors Raja Schaar, Ayana Allen-Handy, Valerie Ifill and Michelle Rogers.
4. The Reach villa in Ontario, Canada, designed by rhed, a studio founded by Del Terrelonge.
5. Polimorfo, journal of the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico’s School of Architecture, designed by Rubberband Design Studio, which was founded by Dr. María de Mater O’Neill.
6. “Empathy Games for Children” activity cards prototype by Lesley-Ann Noel, designer, researcher and NC State University assistant professor.
7. FLAVA , a book celebrating the 10th anniversary of Wedge Curatorial Projects, Toronto, produced by Del Terrelonge’s design studio, rhed.
How did the Curious Story Lab podcast come about?
I was accepted in the Columbia University A’Lelia Bundles Community Scholars program, which enabled me to audit courses that mesh with my interests and research for my projects. We had a three-year time period and a small stipend to work on a project. That’s when I developed the podcast. I’ve since turned one of my closets into a mini home recording studio. I literally have moving blankets up on one of the windows.
Before I started producing Curious Story Lab, I did some research about my intended audience and potential interview subjects—Black, Latino, Asian and Indigenous people within the design discipline or the creative realm.
I spent quite a bit of time conducting a survey, reaching out to colleagues and interviewing professionals in the field, academics, and undergraduate and graduate students about what role culture played in their lives. I asked about their listening habits, what they read, what movies they liked, their buying habits. One of the architects whom I interviewed, who was an active podcast listener, said that, to her knowledge, there was no podcast for Latino architects or designers.
I also dug through reports on listening habits and researched how the podcasting landscape has changed since when I was in graduate school. And I have made full use of Columbia’s libraries and amazing library services: I interviewed a whole slew of Black designers at least 20 years ago—Charles Je erson, John Morning, Eugene Winslow, LeRoy Winbush and Reynold Ru ns, among others—and I have it all on cassette tapes. I was able to digitize them, thinking that I wanted some of the recordings to be part of the podcast.
What types of stories and personalities are you featuring on the show?
I really wanted to interview people who work in multiple disciplines. I wasn’t interested in people who have become famous for doing one thing. For me, the most interesting minds can’t be contained within one creative entity or job title.
For example, I talk with [Columbia University professor] Mabel O. Wilson, who isn’t just an academic but also an architect, a designer, a writer, a researcher and a curator. The first episode features Del Terrelonge, a
“I was a very observant and curious child. The old folks would call that being a ‘busybody,’ but I always asked a lot of questions and was very cu rious.”
started planning out the series, but she was pivotal in mapping out each episode, developing themes, selecting and inviting guests and managing the production schedule. Alicia also assists with preparing the audio for mixing and editing and she helps with music selection, too. And she is great with organizing and scheduling workflows.
And a former teacher, Leital Molad [also the vice president of content at audiobook and podcast company Pushkin Industries], gave me really helpful podcasting advice. She said that I should record in a studio for quality sound, and suggested that I explore the resources at the Columbia Journalism School. They have a sound studio for interviewing and mixing.
I understand that you’re also working on a book that’s inspired by your SVA thesis topic?
Toronto-based designer who has a “design ecosystem” where he works in graphic design, art, architecture and technology.
We’ll end up with about eight episodes for the first season, and I’ve been in conversations with a colleague, [designer and educator] Norman Teague, about collaborating on season two, and having it be about designers of color who live and work in the Midwest.
Has anything from your time in MFA Design Criticism—now MA Design Research, Writing and Criticism— proven to be especially useful in your current work?
I’ve always loved research, and in producing a podcast, you have to do deep research on the person you’re interviewing.
I definitely improved my writing skills in the program, though I wouldn’t ever consider myself a picture-perfect writer like Toni Morrison, who painted her words on the page. I teach part-time and I always tell my students that we read maybe 100 to 200 pages a week at D-Crit! It was daunting but reading widely really helps you become a much better writer.
A fellow graduate, Alicia Ajayi [MA 2020 Design Research, Writing and Criticism], serves as the podcast’s producer. She came on board after I
I’m working on a book project about Black graphic designers with [designer] Maurice Cherry and Gail Anderson [chair, BFA Advertising and BFA Design; BFA 1984 Graphic Design] for Princeton Architectural Press. We’re calling it I Didn’t Know They Were Black, which comes from the title of a talk that I once gave on the history of Black designers. I had initially wanted to do it for my thesis but the scope seemed too large for the time frame we had.
I’ve interviewed a lot of Black graphic designers over the years, and the book really is a passion project. We’re excited about it. I feel that other projects will emerge from this, whether it’s an oral history or another book spin-o .
How would you describe the overall sensibility with which you approach your work?
Curiosity. I was a very observant and curious child. The old folks would call that being a “busybody,” but I always asked a lot of questions and was very curious. ◆
This interview has been condensed and edited.
Anne Quito (MFA 2014 Design Criticism) is a journalist and design critic. She wrote Mag Men: Fifty Years of Making Magazines (2019) with Walter Bernard (1961 Graphic Design) and the late Milton Glaser, a longtime SVA faculty member and former acting chairman of the College’s board.
Milton Glaser (see page 8) was likely speaking for all designers when he created the I NY logo. And New York City clients of every stripe—including cultural and educational institutions, publications, restaurants and retailers—have long turned to the incredible local talent pool for the logos
(It artists also count among their most prized and influential patrons.)
For the designers who accept such assignments, the appeal is obvious: Who wouldn’t want to contribute to something that has personal meaning for them, in the place they call home?
As a Manhattan-based resource filled with the work of New York City designers, the Milton Glaser Design Study Center and Archives houses many projects for the places and things that make New York great. Here are samples from each borough of our little city.
culture publication
The Brooklyn Rail, juxtaposing the casual scrawl of his own handwriting with the block-like shapes of a silhouetted city skyline.
3./4. MANHATTAN BFA Design faculty member and 2016 SVA Masters Series honoree Louise Fili specializes in identity projects for restaurants and food packaging. Her logos for such past and present Manhattan restaurants as Via Carota, Metropole, Métrazur and, pictured here, Inn each represent inhabited concept.
member and 2012 SVA honoree James McMullan foregrounded a elephant in his poster for the Bronx Zoo, the wildlife oasis that the zoo represents.
1. THE BRONX faculty member Masters Series McMullan magnificent 1989 poster signaling the that the zoo
2. BROOKLYN
Palladino, a longtime member and the 1999 SVA Masters Series
QUEENS This 1982 an exhibition Queens Museum, by MFA Design member Stephen makes art from and tools of art-making process.
6. STATEN
Tony Palladino, faculty member 1999 SVA Masters recipient, created front and back for the March 2002 issue
2002 of arts and Doyle, makes art from the labor the process.
ISLAND Design faculty Godard’s the “Building installation at the Children’s Museum unfolding interactive buildings, from construction. ◆ head of archives Visual Arts.
The late MFA member Keith 1985 booklet for the Buildings” installation at the Staten Island Museum presents an interactive view of the life of from design to construction.
Images courtesy of the Milton Glaser Design Study Center and Archives.
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BENEFITS
• Alumni receptions and networking events
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• Subscriptions to the monthly alumni newsletter and the Visual Arts Journal
• Career Development workshops and access to the job board
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• 20% tuition discount on in-person and online SVA Continuing Education courses
School of Visual Arts Alumni group
Share your work with us using #SVAwesome
• Access to the SVA-curated
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ALUMNI AFFAIRS
The Lives and Experiences of Art and Design Alumni
A message from Jane Nuzzo, director of Alumni Affairs and Development at SVA
❋I am pleased to announce that the School of Visual Arts will once again participate in the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), which will take place this fall. Launched in 2008, SNAAP gathers, analyzes and reports on survey data from arts alumni to better understand their professional success, educational satisfaction and personal fulfillment. SNAAP survey data delivers a national profile of how artists living in America prepare for their careers and allows for a deepened understanding of what constitutes success in the arts, and the extent of artists’ contributions to culture and society.
In short, SNAAP helps us better understand the professional success, educational satisfaction and personal fulfillment of our alumni.
This year’s SNAAP is especially timely, given the changing environment in which arts institutions operate: Career opportunities are shifting, competition among institutions of higher education for both students and resources is on the rise, a generational shift in leadership is under
way and an unpredictable pandemic rages on. Colleges like ours, dedicated to preparing future generations of creative leaders, require data to plan, educate and support effectively.
We also want to understand the new challenges you face and gain insight into the systemic forces affecting your careers and lives. To that end, SVA is participating with an eye on benchmarking against peer institutions, addressing alumni career development needs, providing better alumni engagement and support of the alumni community, and strengthening our strategic planning, student recruitment efforts and curriculums.
The SNAAP survey will be administered in October. But in the coming months, alumni should stay tuned as we provide more information about how you can participate and share your experiences. Updates will be made available online at sva.edu/alumni and communicated via our monthly e-newsletter.
Wishing you a safe and happy summer.
To ensure that your contact information is up-to-date and for complete details about alumni benefits and resources, visit sva.edu/alumni.
SPRING 2022 SVA ALUMNI SOCIETY AWARDS
Thanks to generous contributions from alumni and supporters, the SVA Alumni Society was able to grant a total of $52,500 in awards to these students in support of their thesis projects.
727 AWARD
Han Bao, BFA Design
Haotian Wu, BFA Design
ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
Christopher Anasoulis, BFA Visual & Critical Studies
Shaoyang Chen, MFA Design
Gabriella DeJesus with thesis partners Deniz Mani and Julia Sutton, BFA Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects
Ida Anita del Mundo, MPS Directing
Tashmon Dimps, BFA Animation
Lamie Doan with thesis partner
Lanbing Lyu, BFA Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects
Daniel DuBoulay, BFA Animation
Eleanor Early, BFA Animation
Christianne Ebel, MFA Art Practice
Theodora Eliezer, MFA Art Practice
Mickey Ferrara , MFA Design for Social Innovation
Juan David Figueroa Bernal, MFA Computer Arts
Jiacong Gu, BFA Computer A rt, Computer Animation and Visual Effects
Xayvier Haughton, MFA Fine Arts
Jamya Hicks, BFA Animation
Di Hu, BFA Photography and Video
Zhaowei Hu, MFA Social Documentary Film
David Doyoon Kim, BFA Advertising
Ailyn Lee, MFA Fine Arts
Ashley Lee, BFA Animation
Jungwoo “luenfire” Lee, BFA Illustration
Mindy Lee with thesis partners
Jocelyn Lee and Yu Hsin Miao, BFA Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects
Amit Lerner, BFA Film
Tierra Lindsey, MPS Art Therapy
Carina N. Martinez, MA Curatorial Practice
Charlie Mercier, BFA Animation
Sonja Moses, MFA Social Documentary Film
Ruike Pan, MFA Design for Social Innovation
Dylan Rose Rheingold, MFA Fine Arts
Kate Song , MPS Directing
Shaoxiong Song , MFA Computer Arts
Anna Sørrig , MPS Directing
Yuki Sun, MFA Computer Arts
Claudia Tay, MFA Computer Arts
Steven Uccello, MFA Photography, Video and Related Media
Mav Vitale with thesis partners
Lisa Qingyi Liu and Ben Meyer, BFA Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects
Jesseter Wang with thesis partner
Zhen Liu, MFA Computer Arts
Nerte Wu, BFA Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects
Quan Yuan, BFA Photography and Video
Lan Zhan, BFA Animation
Bingbing Zhang , MFA Design
Xinyi Zhang with thesis partner
Gracia Wang , MPS Directing
Xuemeng Zhang , MFA Photography, Video and Related Media
Yuetian Zhang with thesis partners
Nelson Mai and Kaitlin Yu, BFA
Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects
Vi Zhao, MFA Social Documentary Film
Man Zhu, MPS Digital Photography
AMELIA GEOCOS MEMORIAL AWARD
Chong Xu, BFA Fine Arts
BFA ILLUSTRATION AND CARTOONING AWARD
Tianqi Chen, BFA Illustration
Maithili Joshi, BFA Illustration
Jordan Lisicky, BFA Illustration
Wenjing Yang , BFA Illustration
EDWARD ZUTRAU MEMORIAL AWARD
Davina Hsu, MFA Fine Arts
Zhishu Xie, MFA Fine Arts
JACK ENDEWELT MEMORIAL AWARD
Violeta Encarnacion, BFA Illustration
JAMES RICHARD JANOWSKY AWARD
Tatiana Tift , BFA Film
MFA ILLUSTRATION AS VISUAL ESSAY AWARD
Lillian Ansell, MFA Illustration as Visual Essay
Yunyi Dai, M FA Illustration as Visual Essay
Stephish Liu, MFA Illustration as Visual Essay
Yinhan Liu, MFA Illustration as Visual Essay
MICHAEL HALSBAND AWARD
Stephanie S. Anderson, BFA Photography and Video
ROBERT I. BLUMENTHAL MEMORIAL AWARD
Yantong Chen, BFA Design
SYLVIA LIPSON ALLEN MEMORIAL AWARD
Chris Cortez, BFA Fine Arts
Adi Dahlke, BFA Visual & Critical Studies
THOMAS REISS MEMORIAL AWARD
Alexandra Leav, MFA Photography, Video and Related Media
WILLIAM C. ARKELL MEMORIAL AWARD
Fabian Palacios, BFA Film
1. Christianne Ebel, Bearing Witness: Being Pandemic Fine—Alma, 2021, DSLR image; 2. Chris Cortez, Inmaculada Concepción, 2021, oil on canvas; 3. Bingbing Zhang, from “Pollen,” 2022, editorial website; 4. Steven Uccello, Upper Flank Sans 125 lbs. , 2022, infrared digital photograph; 5. Stephish Liu, The Orange Tree , 2022, digital illustration; 6. Gabriella DeJesus, Deniz Mani and Julia Sutton, still from Mission:2089 , 2022, 3D computer animation.
7. Ailyn Lee, The Fourth Wall, 2020, performance installation, wood panels, oil paints and sticks, acrylic paint, frames, resin, candles, keys, keyholes and papers; 8. Jordan Lisicky, House Within the Marsh, 2021, Risograph print; 9. Lamie Doan and Lanbing Lyu, still from Etheræl, 2022, short visual effects film. All images courtesy of the artists.
DONORS
The Alumni Society gratefully acknowledges these SVA alumni who gave to the society from July 1 through December 31, 2021.
Kim Ablondi BFA 1984 Photography
Arthur Ackermann BFA 1982 Cartooning
Everett Aison 1959 Graphic Design
Evin Aksel BFA 2010 Photography
Joseph Alesi BFA 1988 Graphic Design
Evelyn M. Alfaro BFA 1985 Advertising
Juan Alfonso 1982
Olive Alpert 1980 Illustration
Adam P. Ames
MFA 1997 Photography and Related Media
Gail Anderson
BFA 1984 Graphic Design
Michael Angley 1971 Advertising
Anonymous (9) 1971 Advertis
Eric Arroyo BFA 2013 Cartooning
David Balkan BFA 2017 Illustration
Rich Berry 1966
Gary Brinson BFA 1985 Media Arts
Sharon Burris-Brown BFA 1984 Illustration
Brian Callaghan BFA 1977 Media Arts
Angelo Canitano 1970
Kevin J. Casey BFA 1976 Photography
Terry Cavanagh 1968 Media Arts
Jeff Chabot MFA 1997 Photography and Related Media
Andrew Chang
MFA 1987 Illustration as Visual Essay
Florence Cohen 1973
Patrick Coniconde
BFA 1994 Illustration
Elizabeth Cook MFA 2014 Fine Arts
Dennis Corbo 1972
Alice E. Meyers Corjescu 1974 Fine Arts
John A. Cowan BFA 1990 Photography
Julia and Phil Coyne BFA 1988 Media Arts BFA 1986 Media Arts
Diane Cuddy BFA 1988 Graphic Design
Therese Curtin BFA 1980 Illustration
Peter S. Deak BFA 1990 Film and Video
Robert B. Dewing BFA 2007 Cartooning
Rael Jean DiDomenicoSchwab BFA 1990 Advertising
Amy Elkins BFA 2007 Photography
Tom Engelhardt 1957 Cartooning
John Ettinger 1973
Gilda Everett BFA 1979 Media Arts
James Ewing 1973
Carol Fabricatore
MFA 1992 Illustration as Visual Essay
Mary Fader 1981
Matthew Farina
MFA 2014 Art Criticism and Writing
Kevin J. Farley
BFA 1977 Photography
Miriam Fishman BFA 1984 Photography
Lawrence Flood BFA 1980 Fine Arts
Jaxon Flores
BFA 1997 Fine Arts
Neil Gallo
BFA 1977 Graphic Design
Peter Geffert
BFA 1990 Advertising
Jeremy George BFA 1983 Photography
Christyn Godfrey
BFA 1987 Graphic Design
Karen Goodsell BFA 1988 Graphic Design
Dustin Grella MFA 2009 Computer Art
David Haas 1974
Nahid Hassanivanhari MFA 2017 Art Writing
Meghan Day Healey
BFA 1993 Graphic Design
Diane Dawson Hearn BFA 1975 Illustration
Joseph Herzfeld
BFA 1991 Fine Arts
Cybele Hsu
BFA 2003 Photography
Lyn Hughes
BFA 1981 Photography
Rona Hunter
BFA 1977 Graphic Design
Ruth Hurd and Steven Hochberg (alumnus) 1975
Walter Jansson 1964
Nanette Mahlab Jiji BFA 1981 Illustration
Gary J. Joaquin BFA 1981 Media Arts
Deborah Jones MFA 1987 Illustration as Visual Essay
Michael Kaczkowski BFA 1992 Fine Arts
Caitlin Kelch
BFA 1991 Film and Video
John Kiley
BFA 1999 Graphic Design
Eun Jung Kim
BFA 1999 Interior Design
Seoryung Kim
BFA 2012 Graphic Design
Noëlle King
MFA 2013 Art Practice
Sardi Klein
1970 Photography
Alex Knowlton
BFA 1987 Graphic Design
Robert Kohr
BFA 2003 Animation
Barbara Kolo
BFA 1981 Media Arts
Edward Kulzer
MFA 2003 Computer Art
Barbara Laga BFA 1977 Media Arts
J.P. Lee
MFA 1991 Computer Art
John Lefteratos
BFA 1988 Graphic Design
Gary Leogrande
BFA 1978 Fine Arts
Elizabeth Libert
MFA 2010 Photography, Video and Related Media
Marc Librescu
BFA 1984 Photography
Nancy Librett 1982 Media Arts
Ingrid Andresen Lindfors
BFA 1987 Photography
Dick Lopez
MFA 1994 Photography and Related Media
Marilu Lopez BFA 1975 Graphic Design
Mark Madias
BFA 2001 Film and Video
Jennifer Makaw BFA 2001 Photography
Kymm Malatesta-Zak
BFA 1986 Graphic Design
Laura Maley
BFA 1978 Fine Arts
Peter Malone
BFA 1977 Fine Arts
Jesse Meikle
MFA 2016 Computer Art
Louis Mercurio / Mercurio Design
1970
Jenny Moradfar Meyer BFA 1980 Illustration
Wyatt Mills
BFA 2013 Fine Arts
Robert Moore
BFA 1976 Fine Arts
Michael Morshuk BFA 1985 Illustration
Bethanie Deeney Murguia MFA 1998 Illustration as Visual Essay
Bill Murphy BFA 1975 Illustration
Nancy Boecker Oates 1980 Media Arts
Susan Koliadko O’Brien
BFA 1984 Graphic Design
Anna Ogier-Bloomer
MPS 2017 Digital Photography
Romaine Orthwein
MFA 2003 Photography and Related Media
Peter Papulis
BFA 1977 Fine Arts
Mrs. and Mr. Kevin
Petrilak (alumnus)
BFA 1976 Animation
Sal Petrosino
BFA 1983 Film and Video
Lynn A. Pieroni
BFA 1986 Graphic Design
Ellen Pliskin 1963 Fine Arts
Gregory Puertolas BFA 1985 Film and Video
Todd L. Radom
BFA 1986 Graphic Design
Paul Rappaport 1963 Fine Arts
Bob Ratynski
BFA 1984 Photography
Kate Renner
BFA 2008 Graphic Design
Lisa Rettig-Falcone
BFA 1983 Advertising
Vernon C. Riddick 1973
Frank Riley
BFA 2003 Illustration
Eileen Robert 1973
Jaime Cody Rosman
MPS 2014 Digital Photography
Joseph M. Rutt
BFA 1985 Illustration
Linda Saccoccio
MFA 1991 Fine Arts
Herb Savran
BFA 1977 Film and Video
Joanne Scannello BFA 1984 Advertising
Robert A. Schadler
BFA 1991 Graphic Design
Jean A. Schapowal
BFA 1987 Cartooning
Joel Scharf
BFA 1983 Graphic Design
Joe Schwartz BFA 1988 Graphic Design
Heewon Seo MFA 2012 Fine Arts
Jerold M. Siegel BFA 1975 Fine Arts
Sirje B. Skerbergs
BFA 1987 Graphic Design
Suzanne Slattery
BFA 1992 Fine Arts
Brian E. Smith MFA 2006 Design
Rena Anderson Sokolow / one2tree
BFA 1986 Graphic Design
Daniel Solomon BFA 2013 Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects
William Sponn BFA 1985 Media Arts
Vesper Stamper
MFA 2016 Illustration as Visual Essay
Karen Steinecke-Dooley
MFA 2013 Illustration as Visual Essay
Art Stiefel
BFA 1987 Advertising
Joann Stryszko 1973
Philip Sugden BFA 1977 Fine Arts
Retsu Takahashi
MFA 2002 Illustration as Visual Essay
Tomomi Tanikawa and Mu Pan
MFA 2007 Illustration as Visual Essay
MFA 2007 Illustration as Visual Essay; BFA 2001 Illustration
Jaine Testa
1980 Graphic Design
Mary Tomasulo-Mariano BFA 1985 Communication Arts
Rosemarie Sohmer Turk
BFA 1980 Graphic Design
Barbara Vasquez
BFA 1998 Graphic Design
Tom Wai-Shek 1970 Advertising
Judith Wilde
MFA 1994 Illustration as Visual Essay; BFA 1979 Fine Arts
Mark Willis BFA 1998 Illustration
Michelle M. Zadlock BFA 1990 Advertising
Albert Zayat 1969
Randy Zeiger-Globus BFA 1978 Fine Arts
We also thank these parents and friends of SVA who supported the SVA Alumni Society.
Ace-Atlas Corp.
Anonymous (2)
Joni Blackburn and David Sandlin
BMS
The Bonadio Group
Bottom Line Savings
BP Air Conditioning Corp.
Richard Buntzen
Colony Pest Management, Inc.
Charles Davis
Francis and Carla Di Tommaso
Veronica Dube, in memory of Ronald Dube (1966 Illustration)
Momma Dukes
Sue Epstein
Exclusive Contracting
Elizabeth Fama and John Cochrane
James Farek
Allen B. Frame
Gallagher O’Connor Developments
General Plumbing Corporation
Maryhelen Hendricks
Hodgson Russ LLP
Kevin Hovet
Michael Kahn / Benefits Unlimited, Inc.
KTM Electronics, Inc.
Lakeland Bank
LDI Color Toolbox
Edward Lefferman
Karen and Michael
Lefkowitz
Julia Lester
Tina Levine
Lipinski Real Estate Advisors LLC
Michelle Mackin
Major Air
Ronnie and Al Martella
William McAllister
Lynn and Jim McNulty
S. A. Modenstein
Jane Nuzzo
Ned and Ellin Purdom
Michele Rechler
William Rednour
Anthony and Killeen
Rhodes
Antonio Rico
Rosenwach Tank Company
James Rudnick
Safety Facility Service
Salomon Sassoon
Schindler Elevator Corp.
Frances Schorr
SCS Agency, Inc.
Maureen and Gary Shillet
Robert Sylvor
Jamie A. Thornton
W.B. Mason
Bruce E. Wands
Webster Bank
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Peggy Whitlock
ALUMNI NOTES & EXHIBITIONS
GROUP EFFORTS
SVA alumni achievements from June 1 through November 30, 2021. To submit an item, email alumni@sva.edu.
CLARA KIRKPATRICK (MFA 2018 Illustration as Visual Essay) works on the mural she painted in the summer of 2021 for the tasting room at the Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY. Courtesy of the artist.
Paul Amenta (MFA 2000 Fine Arts) and Diana Shpungin (MFA 2002 Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Drawing For a Reliquary,” Franconia Sculpture Park, Shafer, MN, 2021.
Dawoud Bey (1977 Photography) and Lorna Simpson (BFA 1982 Photography) had work in the group exhibition “Grief and Grievance: Art and Mourning in America,” New Museum, NYC, 2/6-6/6/21.
Nona Faustine (BFA 1994 Photography) and Pacifico Silano (MFA 2012 Photography, Video and Related Media) had work in the group exhibition “Fantasy America,” The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, 3/5-8/30/21.
Efrem Zelony-Mindell (BFA 2011 Photography) co-curated and Edward Gia (BFA 2020 Photography and Video), Dan Halm (MFA 2001 Illustration as Visual Essay; BFA 1994 Illustration) and Nicholas Loffredo (BFA 2021 Photography and Video) had work in the group exhibition “Pride,” Culture Lab LIC at The Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, NY, 6/3-6/27/21.
Yasi Alipour (BFA 2015 Photography), George Boorujy (MFA 2002 Illustration as Visual Essay), Ketta Ioannidou (MFA 1999 Illustration as Visual Essay), Elizabeth Peyton (BFA 1987 Fine Arts), Dana Robinson (MFA 2019 Fine Arts) and Kenny Scharf (BFA 1981 Fine Arts) donated art to BAM Gala 2021, Brooklyn Academy of Music, NYC, 6/10-6/18/21.
Brian Finke (BFA 1998 Photography) and Todd Radom (BFA 1986 Graphic Design) had work in the group exhibition “The Iconic Jersey: Baseball x Fashion,” Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA, 6/12-9/12/21.
Gail Anderson (BFA 1984 Graphic Design) and Mat t Iacovelli (BFA 2019 Design) were featured in “The Daily Heller: ‘The Assistant,’ Matt Iacovelli,” Print, 6/15/21.
MFA 2021 Fine Arts alumni Kristian Battell, Alyssa Freitas, Xianglong Li, Dan Xie and Boyang Yu were featured in “At SVA, MFA Grads Look Beyond the Pandemic With Resonant Projects,” Hyperallergic 6/17/21.
Jon Gomez (MFA 2017 Fine Arts) and Marilyn Montufar (BFA 2009 Photography) had work in the group exhibition “El Zodíaco Familiar,” The Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA, 6/1910/24/21.
John MacConnell (MFA 2009 Illustration as Visual Essay), Eric Rhein (MFA 2000 Fine Arts; BFA 1985 Fine Arts) and George Towne (MFA 1997 Illustration as Visual Essay; BFA 1990 Media Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Connections V: Artists Selecting Artists,” Atlantic Gallery, NYC, 6/22-7/10/21.
Gail Anderson (BFA 1984 Graphic Design) chaired the jury panel for and Jon Key (MA 2021 Design Research, Writing and Criticism) was a winner of “50 Books | 50 Covers,” AIGA, NYC, 6/23/21.
Tong Wang (MFA 2021 Fine Arts) curated and Wednesday Kim (BFA 2015 Fine Arts) and MFA 2021 Fine Arts alumni Xianglong Li, Alexander Si, Fitz Wu and Boyang Yu had work in the group exhibition “Doomsday Evolution,” Satellite Art Club, NYC, 6/24-7/24/21.
Jason Mena (MFA 2019 Art Practice) and Heather Williams (MFA 2020 Art Practice) had work in the group exhibition “Counter Flags,” Abrons Arts Center, NYC, 6/24-8/22/21.
Wednesday Kim (BFA 2015 Fine A rts) co-curated and Faith Holland (MFA 2013 Photography, Video and Related Media) had
work in the group exhibition “The Rise of the Care Machines,” De:Formal, Art Club Brooklyn, NYC, 6/26-7/31/21.
Carol Fabricatore (MFA 1992 Illustration as Visual Essay), Denise Halpin (BFA 1977 Graphic Design) and Christopher Spinelli (BFA 1989 Illustration) had work in the group exhibition “The Art of Coney Island,” The Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, NYC, 7/10-8/15/21.
James Bascara (BFA 2011 Illustration) was a video/film finalist and Katelyn Kopenhaver (BFA 2016 Photography and Video) was named an interdisciplinary work fellow, 2021 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellows, Finalists, and Panelists, 7/13/21.
Phuong Vo (MPS 2020 Digital Photography) produced and Natcha Wongchanglaw (MPS 2020 Digital Photography) translated the short film Centuries and Still, which premiered as a Vimeo Staff Pick, 7/15/21.
Yevgeniy Fiks (MFA 1999 Computer Art), Anna Sew Hoy (BFA 1998 Fine Arts), Tahir Carl Karmali (MPS 2015 Digital Photography) and Pacifico Silano (MFA 2012 Photography, Video and Related Media) had work in the group exhibition “OMNISCIENT: Queer Documentation in an Image Culture,” Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, NYC, 7/16/21-1/2/22.
MFA Fine Arts alumni Margaret Lanzetta (1989) and Mark Power (1993) had work in the group exhibition “Houston, We Have a Problem,” Chashama, NYC, 7/21-8/8/21.
MFA 2020 Computer Arts alumni Han Chen Chang , Zhike Yang and Wenjie Wu were finalists for Animation (Domestic Film Schools); and Ella Cesari and Zoe Lyttle (both BFA 2021 Animation) and Yumin Zhang (MPS 2021 Directing) were semifinalists, 48th Student Academy Awards, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 8/11/21.
MFA Art Writing alumni Blessy Augustine (2016), Hakim Bishara (2017), Katheryn Brock (2021), Ann Collins (2018), William Fenstermaker (2016), Sahar Khraibani (2019), Sahar Khraibani (2019), Zi Lin (2017), David Shuford (2021), Benjamin Swift (2020) and Sumeja Tulic (2019), and MFA Art Criticism and Writing alumni Kareem Estefan (2012) and Charles Schultz (2011), were featured in “A Tribute to SVA’s Art Writing MFA,” The Brooklyn Rail, 9/1/21.
Katherine Bernhardt (MFA 2000 Fine Arts) and Olympia Gayot (BFA 2003 Fine Arts) were featured in “Fashion Briefing: Amid a Brand Refresh, J. Crew is Prioritizing Collaborations,” Glossy, 9/10/21.
Valérie Hallier (MFA 1994 Computer Art) and Yalan Wen (MFA 2020 Computer Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Elements,” West Harlem Art Fund, NYC, 9/10-10/31/21.
BFA Computer Art alumni Leslie Chung (2007) won Special Visual Effects in a Single Episode for Star Trek: Discovery ; Johnny Han (2003) was nominated for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Single Episode for The Nevers ; Charles Zambrano (2007) won Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) for Pose, 73rd Emmy Awards, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, 9/12/21.
Eugenia Mello (MFA 2017 Illustration as Visual Essay) and Carmen Pizarro (BFA 2015 Illustration) were featured in “20 Latino Artists to Watch,” Today.com, 9/15/21.
BFA 2016 Fine Arts alumni Melanie Hausberger and Stephanie Hausberger were featured in “Photos exploring the unique bond between identical twin sisters,” Vice, 9/22/21.
BFA Design alumni Chan Yu Chen (2020), Minkwan Kim (2020) and Zuheng Yin (2019) collaborated on the production of videos for “Tales of Dominica” and “Life After Salem,” from Lil Nas X’s album Montero, 9/22/21.
Keren Moscovitch (MFA 2005 Photography, Video and Related Media) curated and MFA 2019 Fine Arts alumni Yam Chew Oh and Arantxa Ximena Rodriguez had work in Affordable Art Fair, Metropolitan Pavilion, NYC, 9/22-9/25/21.
John Ferry (MFA 1994 Illustration as Visual Essay) curated and Colete Martin (BFA 2020 Illustration) had work in the group exhibition “Ambiguous,” The Carter Art Center Gallery, Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley, Kansas City, MO, 9/30-12/2/21.
BFA 2021 Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects alumni Roshel Amuruz Carlos Taborda and Ashley Williams were recipients of Jury Special Mention, NewFest, NYC, 10/15-10/24/21.
TM Davy (BFA 2002 Illustration) and Carlos Motta (BFA 2001 Photography) had work in the Benefit Art Sale, BOFFO, Fire Island Pines, NY, 10/15-12/17/21.
BFA Design alumni Shiqing Chen (2021) and Woojoo Lim (2020) worked on They Might Be Giants’s album Book, 10/26/21.
Alexandra Hammond (MFA 2015 Art Practice) and Alicia Smith (MFA 2018 Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Revisions,” Transmitter, NYC, 10/30-12/5/21.
Aleathia Brown (BFA 1987 Media Arts) and Kristy Caldwell (MFA 2010 Illustration as Visual Essay) were recipients of City Artist Corps Grants, New York Foundation for the Arts, 10/31/21.
Willie Cole (BFA 1976 Media Arts) and Lorna Simpson (BFA 1982 Photography) have work in the ongoing group exhibition “Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, 11/5/21.
MFA Social Documentary Film alumni Daniela Alatorre (2015) screened A Cop Movie, Lucas Groth (2012) screened The Bengali, Yunhong Pu (2019) screened Go Through the Dark, Yijia Zeng (2021) screened Whisper and Sofia Zhang (2021; BFA 2019 Film) screened Home Is the Story, DOCNYC, NYC, 11/10-11/18/21.
BFA 2021 Fine Arts alumni Srishti Dass and Farwah Rizvi and BFA 2020 Visual & Critical Studies alumni Max Kornfield and Stella Song had work in the group exhibition “For the Spiritual Traveler: Reflections of Faith,” The Goblin Haus, NYC, 11/11-11/13/21.
Katherine Bernhardt (MFA 2000 Fine Arts), Brian (KAWS) Donnelly (BFA 1996 Illustration), Keith Haring (1979 Fine Arts), Kenny Scharf (BFA 1981 Fine Arts), Amy Sillman (BFA 1979 Fine Arts) and Sarah Sze (MFA 1997 Fine Arts) had work in the Artist Plate Project 2021, Artware, 11/16/21.
Dawoud Bey (1977 Photography) and Brian (KAWS) Donnelly (BFA 1996 Illustration) contributed guest essays to The New York Times special project “Turning Points 2022,” 12/9/21 and 12/6/21, respectively.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES & EXHIBITIONS
1951
George Booth (Cartooning) was the subject of the film Drawing Life New Yorker Documentary Series, 11/18/21.
1954
John Dusko (Illustration) had a solo exhibition, “Untitled,” Yocum Institute for Arts Education, West Lawn, PA, 7/8-8/20/21.
1962
William Hogan (Graphic Design) had a solo exhibition, “Sense and Nonsense,” Pennswood Art Gallery, Newtown, PA, 9/12-11/7/21.
1963
Ellen Pliskin (Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Lost and Found: A Personal Vision,” The New York Artists Circle, 8/11/21.
1972
Kathleen McSherry (BFA Graphic Design) had work in the group exhibitions “Cerulean Arts Collective Members’ Exhibitions,” Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, 9/15-10/10/21, and “Pieces and Places,” Stover Mill Art Gallery, Erwinna, PA, 8/28-9/26/21.
Luke Ryan (Illustration) had a solo exhibition “Phenomenal Women,” Alacrity Frame Workshop, Albany, NY, 9/1-9/30/21.
Linda Stillman (Graphic Design) had work in the group exhibition “Landscape Deconstructed: Mimi Czajka Graminski and Linda Stillman,” The Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden, North Salem, NY, 9/11/21-6/1/22.
1975
Margaret McCarthy (BFA Fine Arts) was featured in “Beloved: Photo Tanka Meditations,” On Landscape, 11/06/21.
1976
Beth B (BFA Fine Arts) screened Lydia Lunch: The War Is Never Over (2019), IFC Center, NYC, 6/30/21.
A. Lucky Checkley (BFA Photography) had work in the group exhibitions “Friends Expo,” 7/20-8/14/21, and “Exposure 2021,” Ceres Gallery, NYC, 11/30-12/11/21.
Theresa DeSalvio (BFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “America the Beautiful: The Real and Imagined,” Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, NYC, 9/18-10/30/21.
Jorge Luis Rodriguez (BFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Seeing Voices de Visiones Boricua,” El Barrio’s Artspace PS109, NYC, 6/7-6/25/21; and celebrated the 36th anniversary of his installation Growth, Harlem Art Park, NYC, 6/26/21.
1977
Dawoud Bey (Photography) had the solo exhibition “Dawoud Bey: An American Project,” Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, 4/1710/3/21; was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame, 10/29/21; and was named Artist of the Year, Apollo Awards 2021, 11/12/21.
Joni Sternbach (BFA Photography) was featured in “The T List: Five Things We Recommend This Week,” T: The New York Times Style Magazine, 10/28/21.
1979
Ray Billingsley (BFA Cartooning) was named 2020 Cartoonist of the Year, National Cartoonist Society, 10/16/21; and was featured in “Cartoonist Ray Billingsley Has Been Portraying Black Family Life for Decades—and Now He’s Getting His Due,” The Washington Post, 11/20/21.
John Michael Pelech (BFA Media Arts) had work in the group exhibition “2021 Salmagundi Club Juried Exhibition and Auction,” The Galleries at Salmagundi, NYC, 9/27-10/22/21.
1980
Arthur Bonanno (BFA Illustration) had a solo exhibition, “Energy,” One Martine Gallery, White Plains, NY, 8/19-9/23/21.
1981
Ron Barbagallo (BFA Graphic Design) was featured in “Restoration wizard Ron Barbagallo brings new life to historic animation art,” Spectrum News 1, 8/9/21.
David Anthony Fullard (BFA Photography) gave a talk, “The Art of Photographing Dance,” Library of Congress, Washington, DC, 6/3/21.
Rita Maas (BFA Photography) had work in the group exhibition “Cladogram: 2nd KMA International Juried Biennial,” Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY, 7/13-9/19/21.
Kenny Scharf (BFA Fine Arts) donated a mural to the Los Angeles Mission, Los Angeles, July 2021; and designed a Scharf x Dior capsule with Kim Jones, Christian Dior, fall 2021.
1982
Lorna Simpson (BFA Photography) had a solo exhibition “Everrrything,” Hauser & Wirth, Los Angeles, 9/14/21-1/9/22; and was featured in “Lorna Simpson’s ‘Heads’ coming to Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis,” St. Louis Magazine, 8/17/21; “Lorna Simpson Never Stops Inventing,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/24/21; and “The Many Layers of Lorna Simpson,” T: The New York Times Style Magazine, 9/30/21. Joey Skaggs (BFA Advertising) screened Joey Skaggs: Bad Guys Talent Management Agency Newport Beach Film Festival, Newport Beach, CA, 10/23/21.
1983
Andrea Fraser (Fine Arts) was featured in “The ARTnews Accord: Artists Lorraine O’Grady and Andrea Fraser Talk Art World Activism and the Limits of Institutional Critique,” ARTnews, 6/17/21.
Frank Ockenfels 3 (BFA Photography) had a solo exhibition, “Introspection,” Fotografiska, Stockholm, Sweden, 6/4-10/17/21.
GUADALUPE MARAVILLA (BFA 2003 Photography) and trained sound healers perform a sound bath (top) and an aerial view of Maravilla’s Tripa Chuca, 2021, both from the artist’s solo exhibition “Planeta Abuelx,” Socrates Sculpture Park, NYC, 5/15-9/6/21. Courtesy of the artist, Socrates Sculpture Park and P·P·O·W, New York; photograph by Scott Lynch, drone image by KMDECO Creative Solutions: Mark DiConzo.
1984
Gail Anderson (BFA 1984 Graphic Design) was featured in “The Daily Heller: It’s My Party,” Print, 7/7/21.
1985
Michael Cuesta (BFA Photography) was featured in “Promised Land : Release Date, Cast, and More,” Slash Film, 11/10/21.
Glenn Head (BFA Cartooning) was featured in “Sex abuse rituals at NJ boarding school exposed—in cartoons by survivor,” New York Post, 6/21/21.
Collier Schorr (BFA Communication Arts) was featured in “Gigi Hadid Is Ready to Play By Her Own Rules,” Harper’s Bazaar, 7/14/21.
1986
Gregg Bordowitz (Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition, “Gregg Bordowitz: I Wanna Be Well,” MoMA PS1, NYC, 5/13-10/11/21; and was featured in “The AIDS crisis strained his relationship with Judaism. Now, it’s integral to his art—and activism,” Forward, 10/1/21.
1987
Aleathia Brown (BFA Media Arts) performed “Project (Insomniac),” Kente Royal Gallery, NYC, 10/31/21.
Gary Petersen (MFA Fine Arts) was featured in ”Mitsui Fudosan America’s 527 Madison Avenue Announces Gary Petersen Art Exhibition,” WFMZ-TV, Allentown, PA, 7/8/21; and had work in the group exhibition “Colored Pencil Redux,” McKenzie Fine Art, NYC, 7/9-8/20/21.
1988
Joseph Fucigna (MFA Fine Arts) was featured in “Crowds Hail New HMA Exhibit Worth the Wait,” Patch.com, 11/10/21.
Jeffrey Muhs (BFA Media Arts) had a solo exhibition “The Uncanny Valley,” Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY, 10/30/21-1/2/22.
Gary Simmons (BFA Fine Arts) curated “Altered States,” Rebecca Camacho Presents, San Francisco, 6/4-7/23/21; and was elected as an National Academician to the National Academy of Design, 9/30/21.
1989
Margaret Lanzetta (MFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Cool and Collected,” Kenise Barnes Fine Art, Kent, CT, 6/26-8/8/21; and had a solo exhibition, “Almost Enlightenment,” Russell Janis Projects, NYC, 11/3-11/28/21.
Al Nickerson (BFA Media Arts) published “The Sword of Eden,” Diamond Comic Distributors, 11/3/21; and gave a talk “Creating Superhero Christian Comics with Al Nickerson!,” The Christian Comic Arts Society, 8/12/21.
1990
Erik Doescher (BFA Cartooning) was featured in “Professional illustrator Erik Doescher drawn to Walpole,” The Keene Sentinel 9/11/21.
Robert Lazzarini (BFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition “Rated R for Violence,” Lowell Ryan Projects, Los Angeles, 6/26-8/14/21.
1991
Dawn Henning (BFA Fine Arts) was the recipient of an artist residency, NYC Audubon on Governors Island, NYC, 7/3-10/31/21.
1992
Kirsten Aune (BFA Fine Arts) was featured in “Selective Focus: Kirsten Aune’s North Coast Fashion,” Perfect Duluth Day, Duluth, MN, 7/3/21.
Kate Brown (MFA Fine Arts) was featured in “Kate Brown, A Next Generation Yayoi Kusama,” The Ritz Herald, 9/1/21.
Carol Fabricatore (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) had work in the group exhibition “(Your) Open Studios @ City Hall,” Rotunda Art Gallery, Jersey City, NJ, 7/5-7/31/21.
Dinh Quang Lê (MFA Photography and Related Media) was featured in “Seeing Double,” Oregon Arts Watch, 8/30/21.
Christine Romanell (BFA Graphic Design) had work in the group exhibition “Open Studios,” Manufacturers Village Artist Studios, East Orange, NJ, 10/16-10/17/21.
Ray Villafane (BFA Illustration) was featured in “Meet Ray Villafane—Sculptor & Pumpkin Carving GOAT,” Remezcla, 10/26/21.
1993
Lauren Berkowitz (MFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “The National 2021: New Australian Art,” The Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia, 3/26-8/22/21.
Jeremy Dawson (MFA Photography and Related Media) was featured in “How The French Dispatch Took Over a French Town,” The New York Times, 9/10/21.
Shawn Martinbrough (BFA Illustration) was featured in “Radhika Jones on the Birth of the Now,” Vanity Fair, 8/3/21.
Vanessa Pineda Fox (BFA Graphic Design) had work in the group exhibition “Pastiche,” Chroma Fine Art Gallery, Katonah, NY, 10/19-11/14/21.
Will Rosado (BFA Illustration) has work in the group exhibition “La Borinqueña,” Fundación Cortés, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 6/19/21-6/19/22.
1994
Gavin Benjamin (BFA Photography) was featured in “Pittsburgh Artist Explores Black Cultural Legacies through Collage and Photography,” WESA, 10/28/21.
Joseph Castronova (MFA Fine Arts; BFA 1991 Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition, “Reassembly,” M Galleries, Washington, NJ, 7/1-7/31/21.
Inka Essenhigh (MFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Wild at Heart,” Marlborough, NYC, 7/14-9/11/21.
Nona Faustine (BFA Photography) was featured in “Nona Faustine’s Family Album,” Hyperallergic, 6/26/21; was the recipient of the Baxter St Family Residency, Stoneleaf Retreat, Kingston, NY, July 2021; gave a talk, Baxter St at the Camera Club of New York, NYC, 7/6/21; and hosted “Drink and Draw: The Slipstream with Nona Faustine,” Brooklyn Museum, NYC, 8/19/21.
Steve Herold (BFA Film and Video) screened Waimea (2020), Valley Film Festival, Los Angeles, 11/3-11/7/21.
Eileen Karakashian (BFA Advertising) had the solo exhibitions “Eileen Karakashian: In Quarantine,” Gallery at Oyster Point Hotel, Red Bank, NJ, 9/8-11/8/21, and “Abstraction,” Roost at Union Arts Center, Sparkill, NY, 11/5/21-1/31/22.
Derick Melander (BFA Fine Arts) had an installation, The Witness, Diversity Plaza and Travers Park, NYC, 10/31-11/1/21 and 11/12-11/14/21.
Leemour Pelli (BFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “NFT.NYC,” DorDor Gallery, NYC, 11/1/21.
1995
Michael DeFeo (BFA Graphic Design) had a solo exhibition, “Out of the Blue,” Hexton Contemporary, Aspen, CO, 6/11-7/6/21; gave
a talk, Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, NY, 6/18/21; had work in the group exhibitions “The Flowers: Alex Katz and Michael De Feo,” Craven Contemporary, Kent, CT, 7/24-9/19/21, and “Pathological Landscape,” Marquee Projects, Bellport, NY, 8/6-9/12/21; and was featured in the book One Thing Well, Rice Gallery, 10/4/21.
Vera Lutter (MFA Photography and Related Media) was featured in “Prior to Demolition, These LACMA Galleries Took Selfies With a Little Help From the Pinhole Photographer Vera Lutter,” Forbes, 6/30/21, and had photography in “Searching for Plato With My 7-Year-Old,” The New York Times Magazine, 9/22/21.
1996
Brian (KAWS) Donnelly (BFA Illustration) was featured in “A ‘Holy Grail’ of American Folk Art, Hiding in Plain Sight,” The New York Times, 10/18/21.
Corinne Jones (BFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition “Analog Sunset,” Situations, NYC, 6/5-7/17/21.
Justine Kurland (BFA Photography) was featured in “Reflecting on the complexities of a father-daughter relationship,” 1854 Photography, 8/20/21, and “Justine Kurland Selects 17 of Her Favourite Women and Non-Binary Artists,” AnOther, 10/6/21.
Matthew Rothenberg (BFA Graphic Design) self-published Gorin Zander—The Mystery on Terrible Street, Kindle Edition, 7/28/21.
Riccardo Vecchio (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) gave a talk, “31 Degrees Project Launch,” Brooklyn Public Library, NYC, 11/15/21.
1997
Karlos Cárcamo (BFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Subliminal Horizons,” Alexander Gray Associates, NYC, 7/1-8/14/21. Raul Manzano (BFA Illustration) had work in the group exhibition and selected the catalog cover for “Unprecedented: Art Responds to 2020,” View Center for Arts and Culture, Old Forge, NY, 6/12-8/1/21; and had a solo exhibition, “Our America—¡Nuestra América!,” SUNY Empire State College, Saratoga Springs, NY, 9/20-10/15/21.
Vickie Pierre (BFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition “Be My Herald of What’s to Come,” Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, FL, 6/9-9/5/21; and was featured in “The Divine Feminine Interventions of Vickie Pierre on View at the Boca Raton Museum of Art,” Art Daily, 7/7/21.
Sarah Sze (MFA Fine Arts) installed a permanent sculpture, Fallen Sky, Storm King Art Center, New Windsor, NY, 6/26/21, and was featured in “A brush with... Sarah Sze,” The Art Newspaper, 9/29/21, and “Christie’s Will Sell Works by Dana Schutz, Nicolas Party, and Other Contemporary Art Stars to Benefit the NYC AIDS Memorial,” Artnet, 10/12/21.
1998
Dana Behrman (BFA Animation) gave a talk, “Is the Future Beautiful?,” Dezeen, 11/16/21.
Chris Bors (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) had work in the group exhibition “Punk Waffel Remix: Chris Bors and Joe Waks,” IFAC Arts @ The Yard: Lower East Side, NYC, 6/28-9/24/21; had a solo exhibition, “Ackchyually,” Brian Leo Projects, NYC, 7/10-8/1/21; and curated “Nothing’s Shocking,” SPRING/BREAK Art Show, NYC, 9/8-9/13/21.
Dice Tsutsumi (BFA Illustration) was featured in “Tonko House Reveals First Look at Oni, Taps Screenwriter Mari Okada,” Animation Magazine, 9/10/21.
1999
Ketta Ioannidou (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) had work in the group exhibition “Seven
Forevers,” Thierry Goldberg Gallery, NYC, 7/298/27/21; and was featured in “Ketta Ioannidou,” Museum of Nonvisible Art, 9/16/21.
Gerard Way (BFA Cartooning) was featured in The Umbrella Academy ’s Creator Gerard Way on How He Came Up With the Graphic Novels,” Cheatsheet, 8/26/21.
Anna Zaderman (BFA Fine Arts) opened a business, SSunshineBeads, Etsy, 9/29/21.
2000
Katherine Bernhardt (MFA Fine Arts) was featured in “David Zwirner to Represent Katherine Bernhardt,” Martin Cid, 7/5/21, and “These Colorful, Limited-Edition J.Crew Tees and Totes Support Teachers Across the Country,” Yahoo.com, 9/15/21.
Kevin Cooley (MFA Photography and Related Media) had a solo exhibition, “Exploded Views,” Laney Contemporary Fine Art, Savannah, GA, 7/1/21-9/18/21.
Alexander Lee (BFA Fine Arts) has work in the group exhibition “Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology,” Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Santa Fe, NM, 8/24/21-7/10/22.
Nate Powell (BFA Cartooning) was featured in “Manufacturing Lightning: A Visual Account of John Lewis’s Legacy,” The New Yorker, 7/21/21.
Lauren Redniss (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) was featured in “Lauren Redniss and the Art of the Indescribable,” The New Yorker, 7/23/21.
Eric Rhein (MFA Fine Arts; BFA 1985 Fine Arts) gave a talk, “LIFELINES: Art, Intimacy, and HIV—an Intergenerational Conversation,” Bureau of General Services—Queer Division, NYC, 6/18/21.
2001
Jose Carlos Casado (MFA Computer Art) had work in the group exhibition “Transfiguration: leaving reality behind,” Postmasters, NYC, 6/24-8/14/21.
Bil Donovan (BFA Fine Arts) was featured in “Bil Donovan’s Whimsical Watercolor Illustrations are Fashion World Treasures,” Surface, 9/15/21.
Brian Floca (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) gave a talk, Illustration Institute, Portland, ME, 8/31/21; and was featured in “The 2021 New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books Winners at Work,” The New York Times, 11/12/21.
Dan Halm (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay; BFA 1994 Illustration) had work in the group exhibition “Brainbow,” Shelter Gallery, NYC, 7/29-8/28/21.
Daina Higgins (BFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibitions “Seeing the Story,” Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA, 6/5-8/29/21, and “Taking Interest: Summer in the City,” Contemporary Art Matters, Columbus, OH, 6/189/30/21; and had a solo exhibition, “Pandemic/ Protest,” Contemporary Art Matters, Columbus, OH, 6/17-7/15/21.
Carlos Motta (BFA Photography) had a solo exhibition, “Carlos Motta,” Frieze Viewing Room, Los Angeles, 7/27-8/1/21.
Mika Rottenberg (BFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition, “Mika Rottenberg,” Hauser & Wirth, Zürich, 6/11-8/27/21.
Danielle Scott (BFA Fine Arts) was featured in “16 LGBTQ Visual Artists To Know,” Essence 6/1/21.
Amy Talluto (MFA Fine Arts) was featured in “Amy Talluto: Moments of Light in the Forest,” Art Spiel, 8/26/21.
2002
Michael Alan (BFA Fine Arts) was featured in “Native New York: A Conversation with
Contemporary Multi-Media Artist Michael Alan,” FAD, 9/22/21.
George Boorujy (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) had work in the group exhibition “Good Heavens,” Gitler &, Santa Barbara, CA, 8/48/29/21.
Marlena Buczek Smith (BFA Graphic Design) had work in the group exhibitions “ReVision & Respond,” The Newark Museum of Art, Newark, NJ, 6/17-8/22/21; “International SocioPolitical Poster Biennale,” Cieszyn, Poland, 11/10-11/24/21; “Bienal del Cartel Bolivia Bicebe,” National Museum of Art, La Paz, Bolivia, 11/1511/19/21; and “Peru Design Biennial,” San Isidro, Lima, Peru, 11/18-12/2/21.
Katrin Eismann (MFA Design) was featured in “How to Snap Spectacular Fourth of July Fireworks This Summer,” PetaPixel, 6/28/21.
Mariam Ghani (MFA Photography and Related Media) screened What We Left Unfinished (2019), Syndicated, NYC, 8/7/21; and was featured in “Mariam Ghani on Afghanistan’s unfinished histories,” Artforum, 9/22/21.
Edward Hemingway (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) published Pigeon and Cat, Christy Ottaviano Books, 6/22/21.
Crystal Moselle (BFA Film and Video) was featured in “Betty Rolls Through a Vibrant, Visceral Pandemic-Era New York,” New York, 6/10/21, and “HBO’s Betty Highlights the Lives
GAVIN BENJAMIN (BFA 1994 Photography), No. 2 (top) and No. 6 , 2021, collage/mixed media. Benjamin was featured in “Pittsburgh Artist Explores Black Cultural Legacies through Collage and Photography,” WESA, 10/28/21. Courtesy of the artist.
of Women Skateboarders During the Pandemic,” NPR, 6/19/21.
Reka Nyari (BFA Fine Arts) was included in A Woman’s Right to Pleasure Black Book, 8/10/21; had a solo exhibition, “Punctured Ink,” Fremin Gallery, NYC, 9/9-10/23/21; and released her first collection of NFTs, Blindbox, 10/27/21.
Christopher Reiger (MFA Fine Arts) was featured in “The Latest Controversy in Duck Hunting: The Artwork,” The Wall Street Journal 8/20/21.
Sam Tufnell (BFA Fine Arts) had a video installation, “Chicken Soup Is Not Good For Your Soul,” FiveMyles Gallery, NYC, 6/5-7/4/21.
2003
Phil Buehler (MFA Photography and Related Media) installed four large panoramic photo murals, “Re:Generation Tulsa 1921 – 2021,” Paradise Baptist Church, Tulsa, OK, 2021. Natasha Jen (BFA Graphic Design) was featured in “Redesigning America’s Flag,” The New York Times, 9/28/21.
Jade (MUMBOT) Kuei (BFA Animation) was the recipient of the Break-through Artist award, Designer Toy Awards 2020, 11/9/21.
Guadalupe Maravilla (BFA Photography) had the solo exhibitions “Planeta Abuelx,” Socrates Sculpture Park, NYC, 5/15-9/6/21, and “Guadalupe Maravilla: Luz y fuerza,” Museum of Modern Art, NYC, 10/30/21- ; and was the recipient of The Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award, the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Oslo, Norway, 10/5/21.
Yuko Shimizu (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) was featured in “Fighting Ignorance With Art: New York–Based Illustrator Yuko Shimizu Is Here to Kick Ass,” Tokyo Weekender, 8/17/21.
2004
Kira Nam Greene (MFA Fine Arts) is a finalist of the Sixth Triennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, 10/7/21.
Vashtie Kola (BFA Film and Video) was featured in “How Culture Curator and DJ Vashtie Kola Pivoted Her Career to Work From Home,” Forbes 6/2/21.
Nora Krug (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) was featured in “The Road to Tyranny, a Graphic Narrative,” The New Yorker, 10/4/21.
Collin Mura-Smith (MFA Computer Art) published “America Loves Guns,” The Nation, 8/9/21.
Reuben Negron (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) was featured in “Instagram Continues to Ghost Artists After Quietly Releasing a Feature That Unfairly Limits Content,” Cultbytes 8/31/21.
Anne Peabody (MFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Glasstress. Window to the Future,” The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia, 9/11-10/31/21.
Matthew Pillsbury (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) was featured in “New York’s Dreamy, Disorienting Reopening,” The New Yorker, 7/26/21.
Turner (BFA Graphic Design) was featured in “The Stylist Behind Grimes’s Futuristic Look,” The New York Times, 9/22/21.
2005
Ali Banisadr (BFA Illustration) has a solo exhibition, “Rebel, Jester, Mystic, Poet: Contemporary Persians,” Asia Society Museum, NYC, 9/10/21-5/8/22.
Valeria Cordero Reyes (BFA Photography) was appointed interim co-executive director, CruzDiez Foundation (CDF), Houston, 7/1/21.
Zackary Drucker (BFA Photography) was featured in “Sterling K. Brown, Mark Duplass to s tar in sci-fi film Biosphere directed by Mel Eslyn,” Firstpost 8/26/21.
Christopher Hastings (BFA Cartooning) was featured in “‘Vote Loki’ Creator Pitches a President Loki MCU Spinoff,” Inverse, 7/7/21.
Thomas Holton (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) was featured in “Intimate photos of the Chinese-American experience in NYC,” Huck, 6/2/21.
Tak Hoon Kim (MFA Computer Art) was the recipient of the Outstanding Animation award, 2021 Catalyst Content Festival, Duluth, MN, 9/29-10/2/21.
Mary O’Malley (MFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Salut! 6 Coaster Show,” Nucleus Portland, Portland, OR, 6/13-7/5/21, and created the Mary O’Malley sleepwear collection, Anthropologie, 7/26/21.
Dash Shaw (BFA Illustration) was featured in “‘Spreadsheets A re the Best Things in the World’: Dash Shaw and Jane Samborski on Animating Cryptozoo,” Filmmaker Magazine, 8/20/21.
2006
Michael Bilsborough (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) was featured in “‘Boundless Space’ Artist Stories Part 7: Drawing Through Grief and Destruction to New Beginnings,” Burning Man Journal 10/7/21.
Ryan Brown (BFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition, “Dog Days,” Silo6776, New Hope, PA, 8/22/21.
Kelli Farwell (BFA Fine Arts) was featured in “Matthew Rhys Hits the Seas,” The New York Times, 10/4/21.
Joseph Grazi (BFA Animation) self-published “Heavy History: Episode One,” 6/13/21, and
Jade Doskow (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) had a solo exhibition, “Freshkills,” Tracey Morgan Gallery, Asheville, NC, 9/17-10/31/21, and screened Jade Doskow: Photographer of Lost Utopias (2021), International Center of Photography, NYC, 10/10/21.
Ashley Garrett (BFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Transfer-mations,” Love Apple Art Space, Ghent, NY, 10/8-12/1/21.
Lynn Herring (BFA Fine Arts) made an appearance on Yale University Radio, New Haven, CT, 7/15/21; gave a talk, Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, Brattleboro, VT, 8/6/21; and had a solo exhibition, “Lynn Herring Retrospective,” C X Silver Gallery, Brattleboro, VT, 8/5-9/5/21.
Dana James (BFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition, “Something I Meant to Say,” Hollis Taggart, NYC, 6/3-7/2/21.
Jenny Morgan (MFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Our Secret Fire,” Hirschl & Adler, NYC, 9/9-10/8/21.
David Mramor (MFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition, “Rainbow Lilies Gangrene Blues,” White Columns, NYC, 10/30-12/18/21.
Matthew Rota (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) was featured in “The World through the Art of Matt Rota,” Dossier 11/18/21.
Arturo Soto (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) had a solo exhibition, “Urban Visions,” SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, GA, 9/2-12/19/21.
2009
Jen Bartel (BFA Illustration) was featured in “Marvel Comics Announced a New Series Called She-Hulk by Rainbow Rowell,” Animated Times, 10/25/21.
“Heavy History: Episode Two,” 10/13/21, YouTube.
Ian Jones-Quartey (BFA Animation) was featured in “LGBTQ characters of color are making animation history—but creatives of color can’t escape the industry’s discriminatory past,” Insider, 8/31/21.
Keng-Ming Liu (MFA Computer Art) had a solo exhibition, “Swingphony, London Design Biennale, London, 6/1-6/27/21.
2007
Hannah Smith Allen (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) had a solo exhibition, “Borderlands,” Swirbul Gallery at Adelphi University, Garden City, NY, 4/26-7/17/21.
Amy Elkins (BFA Photography) had a solo exhibition, “Parting Words,” South Bend Museum of Art, South Bend, IN, 11/12/21-1/2/22.
Ryan Feerer (MFA Design) was featured in “U.S. Postal Service to release new stamp with local ties,” In Forney Forney, TX, 6/27/21.
Timothy Goodman (BFA Graphic Design) had a solo exhibition, “Too Young to Not Set My Life on Fire,” Richard Taittinger Gallery, NYC, 8/19-9/23/21.
Julie Klausner (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) is a writer and co-executive producer of Schmigadoon!, Apple TV+, 7/16/21.
Ryan Pfluger (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) was selected for the 2021 Out 100, Out, 11/1/21.
2008
Spencer Chalk-Levy (BFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition, “Orange Nights,” Retramp Gallery, Berlin, 7/16-7/25/21; and had work in the group exhibition “Sky’s the Limit,” TW Fine Art, NYC, 10/19-11/28/21.
Cat Del Buono (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) curated “Moonrise Over Bushwick,” Bushwick Wall, NYC, Summer 2021.
Katherine Biese (BFA Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects) was nominated for Graphic Arts – Motion Graphics, The 64th Annual New York Emmy Awards, 6/30/21.
Andrew Castrucci (MFA Fine Arts; BFA 1984 Media Arts) had a solo exhibition, “36 Years,” Bullet Space, NYC, 10/23-12/5/21, and was featured in “Design for a Difference: Andrew Castrucci Interviewed by Chris Molnar,” Bomb, 11/22/21.
Dustin Grella (MFA Computer Art) had a solo exhibition, “Dustin Grella,” Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH, 10/9-10/30/21.
Daniel Loxton (BFA Film and Video) was featured in “Old World Meets the New,” The Highlands Current, 9/13/21.
John MacConnell (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) had work in the group exhibitions “Fire Island Pines Arts Project’s 18th Biennial Art Show,” Whyte Hall, Fire Island, NY, 8/7/21, and “Closet to Quarantine: Queer Art Then and Now,” Childs Gallery, Boston, 9/7-11/6/21.
Marilyn Montufar (BFA Photography) curated “Reverberations,” Small Talk Collective, Portland, OR, 2021.
Lissa Rivera (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) was featured in “One Photographer’s Abiding Love Letter to Her Genderqueer Partner,” Feature Shoot, 8/26/21, and curated “Feeling the Space,” ClampArt, NYC, 11/4-12/18/21.
Rebecca Sugar (BFA Animation) was the recipient of the WIA Diversity Award, Women in Animation, 10/29/21.
Rich Tu (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) was featured in “Five Keys to Creative Success from Rich Tu, Creative Industry Leader,” Influencive, 7/27/21.
Paul Vogeler (BFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Scrapes,” Slag & RX Galleries, NYC, 7/29-8/28/21.
ANNA SEW HOY (BFA 1998 Fine Arts), Destruction of Sculpture (stills), 2019, video, color, sound. Camera: Mariah Garnett; editing: Aimee Goguen. On view at the group exhibition “OMNISCIENT: Queer Documentation in an Image Culture,” Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, NYC, 7/16/21-1/2/22. Courtesy of the artist.
Jesse Wright (BFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition, “No Rule—Multiply Alpha,” Gallery Aferro, Newark, NJ, 6/16-9/11/21.
2010
Sara Berks (BFA Graphic Design) was featured in “10 Questions With Sara Berks of MINNA,” Interior Design, 6/22/21.
Ross Bollinger (BFA Animation) was featured in “How ‘Pencilmation’ Became a YouTube Sensation,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/9/21.
Allison Chase (BFA Film and Video) was featured in “A Spooky Tour of Brooklyn,” WNYC, 10/29/21.
Frankie Cihi (BFA Fine Arts) gave a talk, “How to Make a Perfect Mural,” AdobeMAX, 10/27/21.
Sophia Dawson (BFA Fine Arts) was featured in “‘They sacrificed their freedom’: Remembering incarcerated black activists,” The Guardian, UK, 9/1/21.
Natan Dvir (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) had work in the group exhibition “The Sitter,” Blue Star Contemporary, San Antonio, TX, 6/3-9/5/21.
Bibi Flores (MFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Voices of Women in Art = Inside and Out,” 1922 Gallery, NYC, 10/2010/31/21.
Dina Litovsky (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) had photography featured in “‘It Just Hurts a Little Bit, and It Helps You’: New York City Kids on Getting Vaxxed,” The New Yorker, 11/10/21.
Allegra Pacheco (BFA Photography) was featured in “Tica Artist Wins Two Awards at the Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival with Her New Documentary,” The Costa Rican News 10/30/21; and was the recipient of the Best
Documentary and Best Soundtrack awards, Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival, Los Angeles, 10/21-10/30/21.
Kenny Rivero (BFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition, “The Floor Is Crooked,” The Momentary, Bentonville, AR, 6/22-10/24/21; and was featured in “At the Armory: All Cylinders Firing,” The New York Times 9/9/21, and “What Kenny Rivero Learned About Being an Artist Working As a Doorman at a Fancy Manhattan Building,” New York 9/17/21.
2011
Jadalia Britto (MPS Branding; BFA 2006 Graphic Design) was featured in “This Colgate-Palmolive design manager reinvented toothbrush packaging to make it plastic-free,” Fast Company, 8/10/21; and was selected as one of “The Most Creative People in Business 2021,” Fast Company, 9/13/21.
Jennifer Dunlap (MFA Fine Arts) was featured in “Bon & Venture is a one-woman show of vibrant fashion and fibers here in Savannah,” Savannah Now, 9/11/21.
Amanda Kopp (BFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Atmospheres: The Pace Staff Show,” Pace Gallery, NYC, 7/16-8/20/21, and had a solo exhibition, “Content and Control,” Trestle Art Space, NYC, 9/3-9/29/21.
Aileen Kwun (MFA Design Criticism) wrote “When a Track Suit Embodies a Nation,” The New York Times 11/10/21.
Hyesu Lee (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) collaborated with Topo Chico, 11/30/21.
Jim McKenzie (BFA Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects) was featured in Craftopia HBO Max, 11/18/21.
Shellyne Rodriguez (BFA Visual & Critical Studies) was featured in “Bringing Abolition to the Museum,” Boston Review, 6/17/21.
Tony Toscani (MFA Fine Arts) was featured in “In the Studio With Tony Toscani, the Artist Capturing the Melancholy of Now,” W, 8/10/21; and had a solo exhibition, “Isolation,” Massey Klein Gallery, NYC, 9/3-10/9/21.
Efrem Zelony-Mindell (BFA Photography) curated “Witness,” Texas Tech University School of Art, Lubbock, TX, 10/5/21.
2012
Andrew Brischler (MFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition, “Monster,” Gavlak Gallery, Los Angeles, 6/12-8/14/21, and was featured in “Andrew Brischler Draws Inspiration from the Idea of the Monster,” Whitewall, 8/10/21.
Dario Calmese (MPS Fashion Photography) was featured in “Google Built the Pixel 6 Camera to Better Portray People With Darker Skin Tones. Does It?,” The Wall Street Journal 10/25/21.
Latoya Flowers (MFA Social Documentary Film) was selected for the Inaugural Short-Film Fellowship, Still I Rise Films, 6/15/21, and for the Hulu/KartemquinAccelerator program, 7/6/21; and gave a talk, “Beyond the Single Screen,” DOC Chicago, Chicago, 11/5-11/7/21.
Elektra KB (BFA Visual & Critical Studies) had work in the group exhibition “Who Will Write the History of Tears,” Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw, Poland, 11/26/21-2/13/22.
Peter Ash Lee (MPS Fashion Photography; BFA 2009 Photography) photographed “Eye to Eye,” Vogue 11/1/21.
Laura Murray (BFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibitions “Garden of Earthly Delights,” SPRING/BREAK Art Show, NYC, 9/8-9/13/21,
and “Viva La Memento Mori,” AHA Fine Art, NYC, 10/15-11/7/21.
Lee Ann Norman (MFA Art Criticism and Writing) was a panelist on “Read and Write about Artist Books: Approaches to Art Book Criticism,” hosted by Megan N. Liberty, Book Art Review, 7/15/21.
Cecilia Ruiz (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) made backgrounds for “Latino Artists Collection,” Google, 9/20/21.
Pacifico Silano (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) was shortlisted for the Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation Photobook Awards, 10/6/21, and guest edited an issue of Musée Magazine, 11/15/21.
Keioui Keijaun Thomas (BFA Fine Arts) was featured in “For Keioui Keijaun Thomas, the Body Becomes a Vessel,” The New York Times, 7/13/21.
Rebecca Ward (MFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Field of Vision,” Peter Blum Gallery, NYC, 5/22-7/30/21.
An Rong Xu (BFA Photography) had a solo exhibition, “New Romantics,” Home Gallery, NYC, 10/1-11/30/21.
Catherine Sarah Young (MFA Interaction Design) was the recipient of a Thirteen Artists Award, Cultural Centre of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines, 6/15-7/31/21.
2013
Austin Chang (BFA Film and Video) screened The Riverside Bench (2021), San Francisco Latino Film Festival, San Francisco, 10/1-10/17/21
Supranav Dash (BFA Photography) had photography featured in “Lockdown Series,” Harper’s Magazine, 8/1/21.Chemin Hsiao (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay; BFA 2011Animation)
gave a talk, “Shared Dialog, Shared Space,” Korean Art Forum, NYC, 6/5/21; had work in the group exhibitions “Sentiment,” SFA Project, NYC, 7/8-8/8/21, and “Out Front 24/7,” Flushing Town Hall, NYC, 8/18-9/3/21; and had a solo exhibition, “Sunflower’s Wedding,” jumbotron displays at the Shops at Skyview, NYC, 10/1-10/31/21.
Bradford Kessler (MFA Art Practice) had a solo exhibition, “Deep Throats,” Ashes/Ashes, NYC, 6/18-8/1/21.
Sara Kriendler (MFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition, “Mother’s Milk,” PROXYCO Gallery, NYC, 11/16/21.
Naomi Lev (MFA Art Criticism and Writing) curated “See You Soon,” Art Lot Brooklyn, 9/12-10/17/21.
Olivia Locher (BFA Photography) was featured in “Replacing Anxiety with Unstoppable Confidence: An Interview with Photographer Olivia Locher,” TM Blog, 6/28/21.
Justin Melillo (BFA Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects) founded MoNA Gallery, 10/1/21.
Star Montana (BFA Photography) was featured in “Star Montana,” Artforum, 9/1/21.
Keith Negley (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) was featured in “Alumni Door County Profile: Keith Negley,” Door County Pulse, 7/22/21.
Antonio Pulgarín (BFA Photography) had a solo exhibition, “Lost Throughout the Pages (Whispers of the Caballeros),” Baxter St, NYC, 9/8-10/6/21; and was featured in “Antonio Pulgarín Honors His Colombian Heritage With Archival Imagery,” Advocate, 9/27/21.
Fernando Palafox (BFA Photography) had work in the group exhibition “The Happening,” FLXT Contemporary, Chicago, 6/26-10/2/21.
Anne Quito (MFA Design Criticism) wrote “Beware the Chilling Effects of Hot Desking,” Quartz, 7/2/21; “Milton Glaser’s iconic 9/11 poster is now helping New Yorkers emerge from the pandemic,” Quartz, 9/9/21; and “How Designing and Writing Are More Alike Than You Think,” Eye on Design, 10/6/21.
Toba Siebzener (BFA Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects) technical-directed characters in Ron’s Gone Wrong, Locksmith Animation, 10/15/21, and participated in “Ron’s Gone Wrong : Bringing B*Bots to Life,” Spark Animation Festival, 11/11/21.
Caroline Tompkins (BFA Photography) contributed to Photo No-Nos: Meditations on What Not to Photograph, Aperture, 7/13/21; and was featured in “Through the lens of photographer Caroline Tompkins,” Wallpaper, 10/6/21.
Holly Trotta (BFA Advertising) was featured in “10 Questions with Witch Hunt Production Designer Holly Trotta,” TV Overmind, 11/5/21.
2015
Yasi Alipour (BFA Photography) had work in the group exhibition “Mutual Convergence,” Geary, NYC, 7/22-8/20/21; and wrote “Hold My Hand; the Ocean Is Marching,” The Brooklyn Rail, 11/15/21.
Michael Bailey-Gates (BFA Photography) was featured in “The T List: Five Things We Recommend This Week,” T: The New York Times Style Magazine 9/9/21; and had a solo exhibition, “A Glint in the Kindling,” The Ravestijn Gallery, Amsterdam, 9/18-10/16/21.
Vincent Cy Chen (BFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition, “Fill Me with Your Larvae, Daddy,” Field Projects, NYC, 10/9-10/23/21.
Dana Davenport (BFA Photography) had a solo exhibition, “Dana Davenport: Dana’s Beauty Supply,” Recess Art, NYC, 9/7-10/19/21.
Nico Del Giudice (BFA Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects) was featured in “VFX Supervisor Nico Del Giudice Brings the Terrifying World of Dr. Death to Life,” The Hashtag Show, 9/15/21.
Quinn Dukes (MFA Art Practice) participated in “Alchemy & Intention: Summer Solstice Performance Art Festival,” Franconia Sculpture Park, Shafer, MN, 6/19/21.
Nicasio Fernandez (BFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition, “Within and Without,” 6/26-7/21/21, and curated “Potent,” 6/26-7/21/21, Harper’s, East Hampton, NY.
Bryan Anthony Moore (MFA Art Practice) had a solo exhibition, “Washington B.C.,” Ming Studios, Boise, ID, 5/14-6/26/21.
Júlia Standovár (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) was featured in “The Questionnaire: Júlia Standovár by Carole Schmitz,” The Eye of Photography, 8/30/21.
Katy Stubbs (BFA Illustration) was featured in “All Fired Up: 6 Stylish Ceramicists Throwing New Light on an Old Art Form,” Vogue, 7/18/21.
Jocelyn Tsaih (BFA Design) had a solo exhibition, “Nowhere Else To Go But Within,” Glass Rice, San Francisco, 8/7-8/28/21.
2016
Maya Cozier (BFA Film) was featured in “She Paradise Director Maya Cozier Relates the Experiences of Real Caribbean Women for Debut Film,” Below the Line, 11/22/21.
Delano Dunn (MFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition, “Snowfall in L.A.,” Montague Contemporary, NYC, 9/23-10/28/21.
Anthony Geathers (BFA Photography and Video) was featured in “Comme des Garçons’ Releases Nike Foamposite Collab,” Women’s Wear Daily, 10/28/21.
Ilona Szwarc (BFA Photography) had work in the group exhibition “Mirror, Mirror,” Nathalie Karg Gallery, NYC, 6/8-8/27/21, and had a solo exhibition, “Virgin Soap,” Diane Rosenstein, Los Angeles, 9/4-10/9/21.
Patricia Voulgaris (BFA Photography) photographed “How to Save Your Knees Without Giving Up Your Workout,” The New York Times, 11/19/21.
Brian Whiteley (MFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition, “Justin Bieber is Suing Me,” Gablowsian Gallery, NYC, 11/4-11/7/21.
Zipeng Zhu (BFA Design) was featured in “Celebrate Pride Month with Harry’s new digital platform,” Wallpaper, 6/5/21.
2014
Justin Aversano (BFA Photography) was featured in “Meet Photographer and NFTer Justin Aversano,” LA Weekly, 6/7/21.
Jesse Chun (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) participated in “Close Looking at Shigeko Kubota,” Museum of Modern Art, NYC, 11/9/21.
Lynda Decker (MFA Design Criticism) wrote “Can Your Law Firm Afford Not to Redesign Its Website?,” ABA Journal, 11/15/21.
Kwesi Kwarteng (BFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Transformation,” Calabar Gallery, NYC, 10/30-12/4/21.
Molly Matalon (BFA Photography) was featured in “Molly Matalon complicates our idealised view of love,” C41, 6/28/21, and “The Worldly Desires of Molly Matalon,” 10 Magazine, 7/1/21.
Shohei Miyachi (BFA Photography) was featured in Issue 58 of Matte Magazine, 10/19/21.
Max Huffman (BFA Cartooning) was featured in “This Human Way: Carrboro Cartoonist Max Huffman Inks a Wry New Comic Collection,” Orange County Arts Commission, Hillsborough, NC, 6/5/21.
CECILIA RUIZ (MFA 2012 Illustration as Visual Essay), Arbol de la Vida, 2021, traditional printmaking and digital. For “Latino Artists Collection,” Google, 9/20/21. Courtesy of the artist.
TONY TOSCANI (MFA 2011 Fine Arts), Woman in a Lake, 2020, oil on linen. On view at the solo exhibition “Isolation,” Massey Klein Gallery, NYC, 9/3-10/9/21. Courtesy of the artist.
Netta Laufer (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) had work in the group exhibition “Land. Milk. Honey.,” Venice Architecture Biennale 2021, Venice, Italy, 5/22-11/21/21.
Susan Luss (MFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Straight Forward, Image Driven,” The Painting Center, NYC, 10/5-10/30/21. Sarah Wainio (MFA Social Documentary Film) directed The Lost Kitchen, Discovery+/Magnolia Network, 10/22/21.
2017
Christy Bencosme (BFA Fine Arts) was the recipient of a Bridging the Divide residency, NYCHA Public Arts Program, NYC, 9/13/21.
Hakim Bishara (MFA Art Writing) wrote “Danish Artist Runs Away With Museum’s Cash and Calls It Art,” Hyperallergic, 9/30/21.
Nottapon Boonprakob (MFA Social Documentary Film) directed Come and See, Netflix Thailand; and was featured in “Come and See on Netflix: 5 reasons to watch this Thai film now,” Lifestyle Asia, 8/3/21.
Sangeun Hwang (BFA Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition, “Concrete Utopia,” Local Project, NYC, 7/23-7/31/21, and was featured in “‘Concrete Utopia,’ The New Exhibition from Photographer Saneun Hwang, Captures the Fleeting Nature of NYC,” Bust 7/23/21.
Branko Kljajic (BFA Animation) screened The Heist (2017), Short Nite 2, 7/20/21.
Shinyeon Moon (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) was featured in “Flower Child: Charming illustrations by Shinyeon Moon that celebrate mindfulness in nature,” Creative Boom, 6/9/21.
Keiko Nabila Yamazaki (BFA Illustration) was featured in “Keiko Nabila Yamazaki on Creating Cheerful Art For New Yorkers,” Forbes 7/1/21, and had a solo exhibition, “Fine(ish) Art,” Usagi NY, NYC, 8/16-8/31/21.
2018
Rosie Brock (BFA Photography and Video) was featured in “‘Interlude’ by Photographer Rosie Brock,” Booooooom, 9/20/21.
Ann Collins (MFA Art Writing) wrote “To Create a Space for Experimentation: School of Visual Arts MFA Fine Arts,” Art and Education, 11/1/21.
Kaitlyn Danielson (BFA Photography and Video) had a solo exhibition, “Of Breath and Dust,” Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, Narrowsburg, NY, 6/26-8/1/21.
Christopher Janaro (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) had a solo exhibition, “In the Moment: A Year Through the Arts in Wake County,” Betty Ray McCain Art Gallery, Raleigh, NC , 9/28-12/31/21.
BonHyung Jeong (BFA Cartooning) was featured in “Blog Tour & Review: Kyle’s Little Sister,” Cindy’s Love of Books, 6/15/21.
Clara Kirkpatrick (MFA Illustration as Visual Essay) painted a mural for the Brooklyn Brewery tasting room, Brooklyn, NY, August 2021.
Alicia Smith (MFA Fine Arts) was featured in “Dia de los Muertos on Main Street: Oscillator Press Hosts Day of Dead Exhibition, Charity Drive and Procession,” The Norman Transcript, 10/8/21.
Nina Tsur (BFA Design) was featured in “3-2-1 liftoff! Mural honoring New Jersey’s first space traveler launches in Oradell,” northjersey.com, 9/19/21.
2019
Aasmaan Vishal Bhardwaj (BFA Film) was featured in “After Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminey Son Aasmaan Bhardwaj Makes Debut With Kuttey,” The Quint, 8/23/21, and “Radhika Madan Says She Hopes to Live up to the Script of Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kuttey,” The Indian Express, 10/4/21.
Jiayue Li (MFA Design) was featured in “Jiayue Li’s Surreal Illustrations Ignite Sparkles of Thought and Excitement,” Creative Boom 11/23/21.
Ji Eun Lim (MAT Art Education) had a solo exhibition, “Perception of Ji Eun,” One Art Space, NYC, 6/3-6/6/21.
Hsiang Hsi Lu (MPS Fashion Photography) was featured in “Gay Photographer Takes You Inside the NYC Homes of Grindr Profiles,” Edge Media Network, 11/13/21.
Make Wen (BFA Illustration) illustrated a series of drawings of riders on the MTA, NYC, 7/15/21.
2020
Yinka Elujoba (MFA Art Writing) was the recipient of a Rabkin Prize, Rabkin Foundation, 7/1/21.
Amina Gingold (BFA Photography and Video) was featured in “Photographers on Photographers: Amina Gingold in Conversation with Cecilia Condit,” Lenscratch 8/5/21.
Sarah Shaw (MFA Visual Narrative) had work featured in “The Build Back Better Framework,” The White House, 11/8/21.
Ben Wang (MFA Social Documentary Film) was the recipient of the Special Jury Award, Workers Unite Festival, 11/9/21.
Heather Williams (MFA Art Practice) screened Safe Passage, ArtCrawl Harlem on Governors Island, NYC, 7/31/21.
Natcha Wongchanglaw (MPS Digital Photography) had work in the group exhibition “My Park Moment,” The Presidio, San Francisco, 9/1/21.
2021
Akshat Bagla (BFA Photography and Video) was featured in “‘Kolkata’s Ethnicity Is Within People in Small Areas’: Akshat Bagla on Local Storytelling,” The Daring, 7/1/21.
Aileen Barney (BFA Photography and Video) was featured in “Meet Photographer Aileen Barney, Whose Images Preserve the Fading Circus Industry,” The Daring, 6/3/21.
George Cathcart (MFA Visual Narrative) was featured in “One Eight Hundred Ghosts,” The Comics Journal, 10/20/21.
Srishti Dass (BFA Fine Arts) had work in the group exhibition “Recumbent: The Art of Lying,” Equity Gallery, NYC, 9/8-10/2/21.
Nicholas Loffredo (BFA Photography and Video) was featured in “Nicholas Loffredo Is Broadening the Definition of Queerness,” The Daring, 11/4/21.
Susannah Lohr (MFA Visual Narrative) was nominated for Outstanding Online Comic, Ignatz Awards, 9/20/21.
Mary McClure (BFA Illustration) has work in the group exhibition “JFK Creative Portraits,” The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC, 9/1/21-6/1/22.
IN MEMORIAM
Ronald H. Dube
(1966 Illustration) died on March 23, 2021. A former resident of Ossining, New York, Dube was born on July 16, 1948, in Tarrytown, New York, to the late Alcide and Noella (Gagnon) Dube. Dube graduated from Ossining High School before attending SVA. He retired from Consolidated Edison after 42 years as a senior graphics designer. He was an avid photographer and runner who participated in the New York City and Boston marathons, and he enjoyed biking and pie baking. Dube is survived by his wife, Ronnie, his sons Michael and Brian (Corina), his beloved grandchildren Aaron and Emma, sisters Deborah Quinlan and Darlene Dube, and many nieces and nephews.
Steven Mark Klein
(BFA 1974 Fine Arts) died on October 25, 2021. He was born on December 16, 1950, in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood. Klein, who studied art theory at SVA, made a living as a hospitality brand consultant. His influence—particularly his encyclopedic knowledge of arts and culture history—can be seen at the luxury Thompson Hotels brand, restaurants and in logos and brand advertising. His extensive collection of fashion ephemera is the basis of the International Library of Fashion Research in Oslo (see page 48). Klein is survived by his brother, Neil.
Renee GonzalezNyahay-
(BFA 1985 Media Arts) died on August 5, 2021. She was born on December 12, 1963, in Yonkers, New York, to t he late Joan (Flynn) and Richard Nyahay. Nyahay-Gonzalez graduated from Gorton High School in 1981, then from Elizabeth Seton College in 1983, earning a transfer scholarship to SVA. She was first employed by R.BIRD & Company, Inc., then by PepsiCo Inc., where she worked for over 18 years as a freelance designer, followed by more than five years at Amscan Inc., the parent company to Party City Holdings Inc. She was an avid participant in living-history reenactments of the Civil War, World War I and World War II, as well as period dancing, especially swing. She also loved to travel. She is survived by her husband, Joel Gonzalez-Blanco, sisters Robin and Regina, and several nieces and nephews.
To submit items for consideration for Alumni Notes & Exhibitions, email alumni@sva.edu.
Broadway ads art-directed by Vinny Sainato for SpotCo. Courtesy of SpotCo.
Vinny J. Sainato
(BFA 1989 Graphic Design) died on January 8, 2022. Born in Brooklyn in 1966, Sainato was both an SVA alumnus and a faculty member, returning to the College to teach design courses in the late 2000s. Early in his career, Sainato worked as an art director at Viacom. He later held the same title at SpotCo, an agency specializing in advertising, branding and marketing for Broadway productions, founded by fellow Graphic Design alumnus Drew Hodges (1984). He continued his theater-related work at Serino Coyne, which he joined in 2013 as vice president of creative services. Sainato’s portfolio includes work for such noted shows as Avenue Q: The Musical, Chicago and Rent , and his recognitions include AIGA, BDA, Clio and Communication Arts awards. Following a 2018 cancer diagnosis, Sainato moved to Ipswich, Massachusetts, and established Vinny J. Sainato Creative Consulting, through which he worked with local theater companies as well as Broadway. Sainato is survived by his husband, Martin Ruzicka, parents Kay and Vincent, brothers Darrin and Dominic, and his niece and nephews.
