Exhibition

School of Visual Arts presents “And Then…,” an exhibition of thesis projects by members of the MFA Visual Narrative class of 2016. Curated by faculty members Jonathon Rosen and Ed Valentine, “And Then…” is on view Saturday, July 9, through Tuesday, July 26, at the SVA Gramercy Gallery, 209 East 23rd Street, New York City.

“And Then…” is the culmination of graduating students’ third-year thesis projects and features visual narratives in a range of mediums, from comics to animated films. For the exhibition, students created unique, participatory installations that immerse viewers in the worlds of their stories as they watch, read and interact with the projects.

The eight projects on view in the exhibition “reflect the uniquely interdisciplinary nature of this program, where creative writing is taught alongside visual arts to harness the power of story,” say curators Rosen and Valentine.

Select projects include Andrea Schmitz’s Door, an animated film about a mysterious portal to an otherworldly dimension that haunts a teenager, which is displayed on a screen embedded within a door; and Anelisa Garfunkel’s illustrated book A Conjuring in the Gyre, which tells the story of a young girl’s struggle to survive while journeying across a depleted Pacific Ocean, with a hardcover edition of the book on display inside a sailboat.

Participating artists include Alexandra Beguez, Jon Bero, Anelisa Garfunkel, Barbara Geoghegan, Masami F. Kiyono, Andrea Schmitz, Walter Tyler and Traci Zaretzka.

The MFA Visual Narrative program at SVA is an innovative approach to visual storytelling through the education of the artist as author. Equal emphasis is placed on creative writing and visual expression regardless of medium. The program is designed for working professionals and students from all creative disciplines who are interested in incorporating visual narrative and creator-owned-authorship into their art and professional practice.