Exhibition

School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents “The Courage to Play and Dream,” an exhibition of artwork by 10 graduating MA/MAT Art Education students, curated by department chair Dr. Catherine Rosamond. The exhibition will be on view from Thursday June 15, through Thursday June 29 at the Flatiron Gallery, 133/141 West 21 st Street, New York City.

Inspired, in part, by the J.R.R. Tolkein quote, “Courage is found in unlikely places,” the artist teachers in this exhibition—all graduates of the class of 2023—reflect on what it takes to play and dream with abandon.

Children often act courageously by seizing what they want; some fearlessly jump from the top of a jungle gym, while others bravely speak their minds to total strangers. Critical learning often happens when students take risks and engage in imaginative play, and as educators, this newly minted class will be tasked with encouraging young minds to be expansive and imaginative in the art room. As artists and mentors, they will be called to model what courage could look like through and through, whether bright and loud, or imperceptible and subtle.

Artists featured in this exhibition are Annabella Piazza, Carlyn Schlechter, Carrie Turner, Jaiquan Fayson, Jay Yoon, Leah Giles, Mary Reed, Nick Piscitelli, Pietro Cavalcanti Parada and Serra Beyler.

SVA’S MA Art Education program is for candidates who wish to teach art in different capacities including museum education, non-profit organizations, arts administration and early childhood programs. Students engage in a semester-long internship that gives them the experience to provide educational opportunities beyond the traditional classroom setting. The MAT Art Education program is for artists interested in acquiring the Initial New York State certification in PreK-12 Visual Arts using a personal Optional Optional approach to support, coach and mentor future art teachers. In this program students put theories from coursework into practice through concentrated, hands-on teaching experiences in New York City schools.