School of Visual Arts Names Four New Department Chairs for 2019 – 2020 Academic Year

August 1, 2019, New York, NY—School of Visual Arts (SVA), a leader in the education of artists, designers and creative professionals for seven decades, has named four new department chairs, for three BFA programs, one MFA program and one MPS program, for the upcoming 2019 – 2020 academic year. All appointments begin on August 1.

Gail Anderson will succeed Richard Wilde as chair of BFA Design and BFA Advertising, two programs in which she has been an instrumental faculty member for decades. An honored and admired member of the SVA community, Anderson is an alumnus (BFA 1984 Media Arts) and serves as creative director of the Visual Arts Press, the College’s award-winning design studio, a role she will continue. Last fall, Anderson became the first African American and third woman ever to be awarded the National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Anderson is also a recipient of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Medal for Lifetime Achievement, and has held top creative positions at Rolling Stone, SpotCo and Anderson Newton Design.

Taking over the MPS Digital Photography program from Katrin Eismann is Tom P. Ashe. Ashe has been a faculty member at SVA for over 15 years, teaching photography and digital printmaking, Color Management and Output, and Exhibition Printing in the SVA BFA Photography and Video program. An educator for more than 20 years, Ashe has been a guest lecturer at MIT, Yale University, Northeastern University and for the Association of International Photographic Arts Dealers. In addition to former positions with Polaroid and Eastman Kodak, Ashe’s 30-year career in photography has included work as a consultant for clients such as X-Rite, The MAC Group, AdoramaPix, and the photographers Arnold Newman and Andrew Eccles.

The MFA Design for Social Innovation program will be chaired by Miya Osaki, who replaces the program’s founding chair Cheryl Heller. Osaki has served as a department faculty member for four years, and has acted as a thesis advisor and active contributor to the program, inspiring a new generation to be curious and empathetic in their explorations of how design can improve the world. Osaki’s work has been featured by LEAP Dialogues, American Heart Association, American Society of Clinical Oncology and AIGA. She is also the co-host and founder of Yah, No—a podcast about the intersection of design, business and health care—and is a founding partner of Diagram, a NYC-based, minority- and women-owned design studio with a mission to create health care experiences that put people’s needs at the center. Diagram has partnered with Johnson & Johnson, Google, NYC Health + Hospitals, and more.

Hsiang Chin Moe will lead the brand new BFA Animation program, formerly joined with the BFA Film department. Moe previously served as the director of operations for SVA’s MFA Computer Arts department, of which she is also an alumnus. She brings a decade of teaching experience to her new role, and has worked in advertising, VFX and animation. In addition to organizing and moderating an annual talent panel at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Moe is an accomplished filmmaker, and serves as co-lead of the New York City chapter of the Women in Animation organization, creating an equal and supportive platform for everyone in the creative industry.

In addition to new chairs in these degree programs, there will also be new leadership in some non-degree programs. The brand new Writing and Literacy program will now be led by Dr. Maryhelen Hendricks, and the Humanities and Sciences department will be led by acting chair Dr. Kyoko Miyabe. As the Humanities and Sciences program has continued to evolve, Dr. Hendricks and Dr. Miyabe have worked together to increase the offerings to better reflect the College’s diversity and inclusivity.