School of Visual Arts (SVA), in association with Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama presents “Underground Images: A Half-Century of SVA Subway Posters Created by Women.” This special exhibition at Auburn University brings together a collection of 21 posters created by women at SVA for display in the vast New York City subway system, offering a glimpse of the history of the College and the collective talent of its acclaimed design and illustration faculty. Curated by SVA Executive Vice President Anthony P. Rhodes, who has served as creative director for the posters since 2007, the posters for this special exhibition were selected by Gail Anderson, chair of the BFA Advertising and Design departments and creative director of the Visual Arts Press. They will be on view through January 3, 2021 at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, 901 South College Street, Auburn, Alabama.

Visitors to the gallery will be able to see such memorable posters as Audrey Flack’s vibrant Crayola crayons from 1973, and an early promotion for Computer Arts in Barbara Nessim’s graphic 1984 edition. In addition to Flack and Nessim, among the current and former faculty members who have designed this selection of posters are Gail Anderson, Louise Fili, Carin Goldberg, Adrienne Leban, Paula Scher, Yuko Shimizu and Julia Rothman. 

Of the exhibition, Auburn University states, “Considered chronologically, more than four decades of vivid graphic design emerge from the discrete lens of women creators. Many of the posters also reflect the artists’ interests and cultural backgrounds, as in Louise Fili’s 2011 and 2016 pieces, which are predominantly typographical, or Yuko Shimizu’s designs that overtly meld in her Japanese heritage. Eye catching and often imbued with social messages, the works are marked by optimism and an invitation for creativity, encouraging the viewer to ‘Fly Higher’ and ‘Make It Here.’”

Beginning in the mid-1950s, SVA was in the vanguard of academic institutions in the U.S. to recognize the need for alternative marketing strategies to attract new students. SVA took to the platforms of New York City’s subway with advertising posters that were both thought-provoking and eye-catching, featuring the work of legendary artists like Ivan Chermayeff, Milton Glaser and George Tscherny. All practicing professionals on the faculty at SVA, they used the poster commission to explore what it means to be an artist and hone their own creative voice. Like the College itself, the SVA subway posters have become in some way inseparable from the city as an incitement to creativity and risk taking.

“Underground Images” is organized by SVA faculty member Mirko Ilić and Francis Di Tommaso, director, SVA Galleries. For more information about the exhibition and its full list of contributors, visit sva.edu/about/exhibitions/traveling-exhibitions/underground-images.

School of Visual Arts has been a leader in the education of artists, designers and creative professionals for more than seven decades. With a faculty of distinguished working professionals, a dynamic curriculum and an emphasis on critical thinking, SVA is a catalyst for innovation and social responsibility. Comprising 7,000 students at its Manhattan campus and 38,000 alumni in 75 countries, SVA also represents one of the most influential artistic communities in the world. For information about the College’s 31 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, visit sva.edu.