February 18, 2020—New York, NY—School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents “Underground Images: School of Visual Arts Subway Posters, 1947 to the Present.” This special exhibition at the Yeditepe University in Istanbul, Turkey brings together all 68 of the myriad posters created 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 exhibition will be on view from February 18 through March 8, 2020. 

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.

This exhibition presents highlights from the full collection of 201 posters produced by the School of Visual Arts. Among the current and former faculty members who have designed this selection of 68 posters are Gail Anderson, Marshall Arisman, Richard Borge, Chris Buzelli, Gene Case, Ivan Chermayeff, Paul Davis, Pablo Delcan, Sal DeVito, Louise Fili, Audrey Flack, Nathan Fox, Bob Gill, Robert Giusti, Milton Glaser, Phil Hays, Steven Heller, Mirko Ilić, Viktor Koen, Stephen Kroninger, Marvin Mattelson, James McMullan, Jerry Moriarty, Tony Palladino, Edel Rodriguez, Stefan Sagmeister, David Sandlin, Paula Scher, Yuko Shimizu, Eve Sonneman, George Tscherny, James Victore and Robert Weaver.

“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 more information about the College’s 31 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and Continuing Education division, visit sva.edu.