Exhibition

School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents “Mentors,” an exhibition of work by BFA Photography Department students inspired by their mentorship with key figures in the New York arts community. Drawn from the ranks of city’s best-known photographers, curators, art directors, publishers, art dealers, critics and writers, the mentors are paired with students based upon their field of expertise and the student’s area of concentration. The 2011 – 2012 mentors include PDN editor Holly Hughes, playwright Neil Labute, The New York Times Magazine photo editor Kathy Ryan, and photographers Anna Gaskell, Laurel Nakadate and Tina Barney, among others. The exhibition will be on view March 16 - 31 at the Visual Arts Gallery, 601 West 26 Street, 15th Floor, New York City.

Established in 1992, the Mentors program at SVA was designed to cultivate relationships between established and emerging artists and to introduce new talent to the New York arts community. Stephen Frailey, chair of the BFA Photography Department and curator of the exhibition, explains, “We are always seeking to provide our students with opportunities that support their growth as professional artists. Working with these mentors offers our students an invaluable learning experience, one that inspires them to take their work further.”

Students in the BFA Photography Department are immersed in all aspects of commercial and fine art photography, giving them a better understanding of various genres, ideas and vocabularies. With access to cutting-edge facilities—as well as a 100-plus faculty of photographers, museum directors, critics, art directors, photo editors and photography collectors—students are able to cultivate their own sensibility and visual style.