This month brings a full slate of thesis exhibitions, screenings, open studios and talks at the College.
The theme of this month is “Thesis” at SVA, as year-end shows of work by soon-to-be graduates of the class of 2024 take over gallery spaces and theaters. From innovation in design to illustrative storytelling, thesis exhibitions and open studios, there are ample opportunities to get a glimpse of all of the talent coming out of the College this spring. Talks and screenings round out a month that is bursting at the seams with programming to explore and enjoy.
Ellyce Chisholm-Matzek, I’d Rather Be Dead. On View at “Alien Bodies and Alchemical Dreams.”
Ellyce Chisholm-Matzek, I’d Rather Be Dead. On View at “Alien Bodies and Alchemical Dreams.”
EXHIBITIONS
MA Curatorial Practice presents year-end exhibitions by program fellows. Scheduled viewings are available by appointment.
Through Thursday, May 2 | “Building Character” | SVA Flatiron Gallery
An exhibition of thesis work by students in the BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects class of 2024, “Building Character” is an exploration of the diverse and dynamic realm of character design as an art form. Characters are the heart and soul of storytelling, serving as the bridge between creators and audiences. This exhibition highlights the diverse, imaginative and inspiring characters that SVA students have developed. All characters take on various forms, each with a story to tell.
Through Friday, May 3 | “Début 24” | SVA Gramercy Gallery
BFA Advertising and BFA Design present quite the design march with the ongoing exhibition “Début 24.” This year’s spring salon displays the breadth of student work created during the 2023 – 2024 school year, from graphic design and motion graphics to interaction and traditional and emerging advertising. The exhibition also features three-dimensional design work, including imaginative pieces from the new fabrication lab and captivating creations from students studying 3D design. Thanks to digital displays, viewers can peruse over 200 student projects in addition to the dimensional pieces in a polished gallery space.
Through Monday, May 6 | “Alien Bodies and Alchemical Dreams” | SVA Flatiron Project Space
BFA Visual & Critical Studies presents this group show of selected work by students in the graduating class of 2024.
Thursday, May 2 – Saturday, May 18 | “The Human Fly” | SVA Chelsea Gallery
An exhibition of work by 20 students in the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay class of 2025, curated by faculty member Viktor Koen and inspired by T.C. Boyle’s novel of the same name. Of the exhibition, curator Koen—also chair of BFA Comics and BFA Illustration at SVA—says, “These 20 unique project concepts follow polar opposite approaches to the narrative, spanning comics directly relevant to our hero, with a twist…”
Xiaohan Pei, Rat Hole, 2024, digital, 8¼ x 11¾ inches. On view at “The Human Fly.”
Xiaohan Pei, Rat Hole, 2024, digital, 8¼ x 11¾ inches. On view at “The Human Fly.”
Thursday, May 2 – Saturday, May 18 | Selections from Thesis Projects | SVA Chelsea Gallery
An exhibition featuring the work of 19 students in the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay class of 2024, curated by faculty member David Sandlin. Themes of transformation, questing and revelation dominate the sobering, often joyous and always captivating stories and conditions on view. The artists employ watercolor, oil on canvas, ceramics, animation, printmaking and other media to express their narratives with whimsy and occasionally brutal clarity.
Monday, May 6 – Monday, May 20 | BFA Photography and Video Senior Show | 214 E 21st St.
BFA Photography and Video presents an exhibition of artwork by fourth-year students.
Friday, May 10 – Thursday, May 23 | “Chrysalis” | SVA Flatiron Gallery
An exhibition of multimedia work by eight SVA students selected by a jury of their peers. The artists featured in “Chrysalis” visually articulate transitions between one state of being and another through drawing, illustration, painting and sculpture. Exploring the exciting potential or devastating implications of change, the works on view consider these moments as opportunities for inflection.
Yong Eun (May) Kwon, Love Dive, 2023, mixed media, 16½ x 15 x 15 inches. On view in “Chrysalis.”
Yong Eun (May) Kwon, Love Dive, 2023, mixed media, 16½ x 15 x 15 inches. On view in “Chrysalis.”
Friday, May 10 – Tuesday, June 4 | 2024 Animation Celebration Exhibition | SVA Flatiron Windows
An exhibition of posters for corresponding short films created by students in the BFA Animation class of 2024. Each year, the exhibition showcases the creativity of BFA Animation graduates who are about to embark on their careers beyond SVA. This year’s thesis films and posters explore themes such as self-acceptance, relationship woes, extraordinary creatures and many others.
Wednesday, May 15 – Monday, June 3 | TBD Juried Exhibition | SVA Gramercy Gallery
An exhibition of multimedia work by SVA students selected by a jury of their peers.
Through Friday, May 31 | “We the Present” | Online
BFA Photography and Video presents a virtual show of high school students′ work from around the globe, showcasing a wide range of perspectives that explore what it means to exist in the current moment as we look ahead.
MPS Fashion Photography presents an exhibition of work by alumni from the class of 2023 and the graduating class of 2024. In this year’s show, students explore a number of diverse and relevant themes such as life in the wake of a global pandemic, developments in technology, human identity, relationships and the role of fashion as a mirror of time and place.
EVENTS
Wednesday, May 1, 9:00 – 10:00am | The Curatorial Roundtable: Christine Eyene (Liverpool) | Online
MA Curatorial Practice presents a talk with Dr. Christine Eyene, an art historian, critic and curator. Dr. Eyene is a research curator at Tate Liverpool and senior lecturer in Contemporary Art at Liverpool John Moores University. Her curatorial practice encompasses contemporary arts with a particular interest in African and Diaspora arts, feminism, photography and sound art. Since 2021, she has been developing independent research on the theme of botanical histories and colonial legacies, connecting ancestral and collective knowledge in an evergreen forest bordering the rural town of Lolodorf, in the south province of Cameroon, where she is currently building an art residence.
Thursday, May 2, 5:00 – 8:00pm | BFA Visual & Critical Studies Open Studios | 133/141 W 21st St.
BFA Visual & Critical Studies presents its annual open studios event, an opportunity to view fresh new work by an eclectic group of current students from all over the world, working in a variety of media. As the exhibition sprawls across the department’s fourth-floor location, visitors can expect paintings and drawings alongside experimental and interactive installations.
Meet 56 artists from around the world who are pursuing an MFA in Fine Arts and working across a wide range of mediums.
Friday, May 3, 9:00am – 4:00pm | MPS Art Therapy Class of 2024 Thesis Presentations | SVA Theatre
Join MPS Art Therapy for a celebration of the class of 2024 as students present their graduate thesis research.
Saturday, May 4 – Sunday, May 5, times vary | SVA BFA Film Thesis Showcase 2024 | SVA Theatre
BFA Film presents two days of diverse films by students from all over the world, demonstrating high attainment in craft.
Monday, May 6, 6:00 – 8:00pm | BFA Fine Arts Open Studios | 335 W 16th St.
BFA Fine Arts presents the spring 2024 open studios. Senior students will open their studios for viewing along with other exhibition spaces throughout the building.
A promotional image for Co-24, MFA Interaction Design's Thesis Exhibition.
Tuesday, May 7, 1:00 – 7:00pm | 2024 MFA Products of Design Thesis Presentations | SVA Theatre
Fifteen students in the MFA Products of Design class of 2024 will present their year-long thesis work, consisting of research, artifacts, services, experiences and platforms. Quests from all facets of design and innovation are welcome, including designers, entrepreneurs, students, teachers, advocates, talent scouts, journalists and cultural critics.
MFA Computer Arts presents a two-day thesis screening event featuring short talks and videos of graduating students’ work. Wednesday’s screening will include 2D animation and motion graphics followed by experimental art and 3D animation on Thursday.
Saturday, May 11, 12:00 – 7:00pm | 2024 Animation Celebration Screening | SVA Theatre
BFA Animation presents its 2024 Animation Celebration screening. Access the screening online via the SVA BFA Animation Twitch Channel.
Monday, May 13, 10:00am – 5:00pm | Art Education Thesis Presentations | 132 W 21st St., 4th floor
MAT Art Education presents arts and action-based thesis presentations by students, in-person and online.
Tuesday, May 14, 7:00 – 8:30pm | i3 Photo Lecture: Bill Armstrong | 136 W 21st St., Room 418F
MPS Digital Photography presents a talk with Bill Armstrong, an internationally acclaimed fine art photographer, part of its i3: Images, Ideas, Inspiration lecture series. Armstrong’s work is represented by ClampArt in New York, Dolby Chadwick in San Francisco, Hackelbury Fine Art in London and Alessia Paladini Gallery in Milan. His Infinity series has been exhibited in over 30 solo and 100 group exhibitions over the past 25 years.
Wednesday, May 15, 1:00 – 5:00pm | MFA Design for Social Innovation 2024 Thesis Show | SVA Theatre
MFA Design for Social Innovation presents the 2024 thesis show, celebrating this year’s graduating students creating ripples and waves. This year’s group is driven by a deep need to create change, to disrupt the status quo through lived experiences, passion and creative leadership to effect real and meaningful social change within communities locally and globally.
Thursday, May 16 – Friday, May 17, 4:00 – 9:00pm | co-24 | 136 W 21st St., 3rd floor
MFA Interaction Design presents a walk-through exhibition of thesis work by 21 designers from the class of 2024. The show features emergent, interdisciplinary practitioners from across the globe applying co-design methods to imagine more inclusive futures. Projects include research, prototypes and speculative scenarios to meet emergent challenges. Before the exhibition, explore some of the students' work online here.
Friday, May 17, 11:00am – 7:00pm | Third Annual Apple Box Short Film Festival | SVA Theatre
MPS Film Directing presents its thesis film festival. This year, the festival will be broken into three two-hour screening blocks of eight films, each followed by a Q&A, and finally, a special screening of the class’ learning film The Book Signing and an awards presentation.
Sunday, May 19, 6:30 – 9:30pm | SVA Premieres | SVA Theatre
BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects presents a screening of thesis films by the class of 2024.
Tuesday, May 28, 7:00 – 8:30pm | i3 Photo Lecture: Esteban Toro | 136 W 21st St., Room 418F
MPS Digital Photography presents a talk with New York-based travel photographer, filmmaker and educator, and SVA faculty member Esteban Toro, part of its i3: Images, Ideas, Inspiration lecture series. Toro's passion for capturing the essence of the world has taken him on captivating journeys across continents and cultures. As a Sony and BenQ Global Ambassador, Esteban’s keen eye for detail and commitment to visual storytelling have earned him recognition as one of the world’s foremost photographers.
Adrian Apollo, Untitled. On View at “BFA Visual & Critical Studies Open Studios.”
Adrian Apollo, Untitled. On View at “BFA Visual & Critical Studies Open Studios.”