Exhibition

School of Visual Arts presents “Help Is on the Way!,” an exhibition of work by BFA Advertising and BFA Design students curated by Kevin O’Callaghan, chair of 3D Design. The exhibition is on view Wednesday, March 16, through Saturday, April 9, at the SVA Gramercy Gallery, 209 East 23rd Street, New York City.

Saluting the work of Good Samaritans over the past 100 years, “Help Is on the Way!” is a satirical “museum” of vehicles designed in an attempt to help others. Students were asked to choose a mode of transportation and create a vehicle that could “deliver help” in some way. Accompanying the vehicles are fictitious stories of kindness composed of archival photographs from the past century. Select vehicles in the exhibition include a 1956 hotdog vendor’s cart, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, bicycles and a 1940s wooden canoe.

BFA Advertising students at SVA work with industry leaders to develop critical thinking along with execution skills such as typography, digital production and design. As they advance through the curriculum, students move from working on single ads to developing entire campaigns in traditional and digital formats, developing a portfolio that demonstrates their grasp of various creative roles, from art direction and copywriting to typography and television commercials. Select courses meet at the agencies of faculty members, all of whom are working professionals, and fourth-year advertising students gain automatic membership to the Art Directors Club and The One Club.

Under the guidance of Art Directors Club Hall of Fame laureates and AIGA medalists as well as the industry's rising talents, SVA BFA Design students focus on conceptual problem solving—based on visual literacy, technological skills and an in-depth study of formalism—while preparing a marketable portfolio that showcases their individual voices. Multidisciplinary in its curriculum and faculty, BFA Design offers four concentrations: 3D Design, Graphic Design, Interactive Design and Motion Graphics. The program facilitates student participation in major design competitions and graduating students attend a job fair to expand their network of prominent industry professionals.