School of Visual Arts presents “Mentors,” an exhibition of work by BFA Photography and Video students inspired by their mentorships with key figures in the New York arts community. Curated by BFA Photography and Video Chair Stephen Frailey, “Mentors” is on view Saturday, March 19, through Friday, April 1, at the SVA Chelsea Gallery, 601 West 26th Street, 15th floor, New York City.

Drawn from the ranks of the city’s best-known photographers, curators, art directors, publishers, art dealers, critics and writers, the mentors are paired with students based on their field of expertise and the student’s area of concentration. The 2015 – 2016 mentors include photographer and filmmaker Jessica Dimmock; photographer Simen Johan (BFA 1996 Photography); Kathy Ryan, director of photography, T: The New York Times Style Magazine; Gerard Way (BFA 1999 Cartooning), artist and musician, My Chemical Romance; and Caroline Wolff, photography director, W magazine, among others.

Established in 1992, the Mentors program at SVA is designed to cultivate relationships between established and emerging artists and to introduce new talent to the New York arts community. Stephen Frailey, chair of BFA Photography and Video and curator of the exhibition, explains, “The Mentors project fulfills our commitment to the students that, in addition to encouraging the development of each of their sensibilities, they are informed and engaged in the professional community. Working with the mentors gives them objective and professional insight into their work and helps to make their transition as artists after graduation a bit less daunting.”

BFA Photography and Video students at SVA immerse themselves in all aspects of commercial and fine art photography, gaining 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—they are able to hone their craft and cultivate their own sensibility and visual style.

Exhibition

Mentors

SVA Chelsea Gallery

Reception