Exhibition

April 27 - May 12, 2012
Reception: Tuesday, May 2, 6 - 8pm

School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents "Designer as Author/Entrepreneur Thesis Launch and Celebration," an exhibition that displays the thesis projects of graduating MFA Design students. The exhibition is a celebration of the new entrepreneurial design and research processes that enable savvy designers to take more responsibility for their creativity. The exhibition is a digital showing, showing of 18 iPads displaying the 18 thesis projects. Curated by faculty member Ada Whitney, the exhibition will be on view April 27 - May 12 at the Visual Arts Gallery, 601 West 26th Street, 15th Floor, New York City.

Elisa Bates screens "Away," a short documentary film looking at the subculture of NYC surfing through the lens of three women, divulging the highs and lows of riding waves at Rockaway Beach.

"MODBOT" from Michael Croxton brings together your favorite sites and keeps track of the things you love with a series of tools for Google Chrome. The first line of Mods, Essentials, allows you to curate groups of sites that open in one click with Grouper, tap into your social media with Feeder, and bookmark painlessly with Maker.

Sebastian E. F. E. Ebarb's "Nahi" (meaning "we" in Apache) is a line of soft goods inspired and designed by Native Americans. Nahi adds beauty to the world, creates native jobs, and provides educational scholarships for Native American students.

Use "Figure & Speech" to share, discover and discuss the nuances of language that are often overlooked. Created by Katie Estes, Figure & Speech is a community of people who share a passion for language. It loses the academic and visually provokes the imagination.

Melissa Gorman is opening "The Brooklyn Sandwich Society," a farm-to-table sandwich shop located in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. With an ever-changing seasonal menu, it makes eating locally convenient, accessible and very delicious.

"Kanvas," Sooji Han's thesis project, is a curated non-profit organization dedicated to showcasing and integrating the works of artists with developmental disabilities in the mainstream art world. By producing exhibits, a collection of high-end stationery and home goods based on the works of the artists, Kanvas will also augment both the income of artists and the organizations that support them.

"HOST" is an interior design website created by Tim Hucklesby. Helping promote individuality in retail experiences by exposing one-of-a-kind commercial spaces and their creators, HOST provides aspiring establishment owners with the resources they need to make their venture stand out from the crowd.

"Laugh-Track" is an online community, social network and promotional tool for emerging and established comedians. Created by Adam Katz, Laugh-Track enables comedians and humorists to create profiles to showcase their talent, gain exposure and network, while audiences laugh and rate them, and comedy clubs promote.

Joanna Kuczek revives Polish culture with "Krasula," a pop-up pierogi bar that adds a much-needed modern Polish flavor to the bustling New York food scene. By reinterpreting the traditional pierogi and using farm-fresh ingredient

Maya Lee's "Heyday" is a location-based attention engine and social networking app for the iPhone that allows you to find and leave digital messages around New York City. Share and engage with your network of friends through on-site experiencing and storytelling. Furthermore, create and customize unique trails for your network to follow.

Using a system of groceries, containers, and community for New Yorkers who are tired of taking out the trash, Camille McMorrow presents "Part & Parcel", a brand devoted to helping people bring home great food without wasteful packaging.

"Bits of Type" is a book by Derek Munn that elevates, celebrates and showcases the bitmap letterforms found in early video games. Adding to contemporary discussions around the cultural impact of video games, "Bits of Type" carves out a place in the history of typography and visual voice.

Albert Pereta's "Iceber.gs" is a web application that lets you collect, filter and connect your inspiration and projects like never before. Imagine your internet research, notes, files and e-mails in one single place. A revolutionary human approach to how creative professionals and students organize themselves, Icebergs is designed to turn your working life into a completely new experience.

"Beinetna" (meaning "between us" in Arabic) is a Beirut-based youth initiative created by Leen Sadder dedicated to eliminating the stigma surrounding women's health and sexuality in Lebanon. Beinetna launches a private online platform where college-aged girls can have anonymous conversations with their peers, starting with a simple question.

Silvia Villada's "Rock & Rad" are the stars of a digital book series designed to help children ages 5 to 8 and their families understand how healthy eating and staying active positively affects their physical, mental and emotional habits of mind so that they can make good lifestyle choices for themselves and their communities.

"Day Job" is a biannual print publication created by Elliott Walker. Exploring contemporary work culture through the personal pursuits and values of people around the world, it is a magazine about good work for its own sake, about earning a living, and about the search for some utility and meaning in the way we spend our day.

Jesse Senje Yuan's "Talewind" is a social network designed to help relatives share, reconstruct and rediscover their family through collaboration. Combining interactions around the family dinner table, Talewind creates opportunities for families to have more meaningful conversations through object-based storytelling.

"LFNTV" is a mood-based video experience for iPad and iPhone devices created by Bruno Zalum. It adds wonder to your daily downtime by delivering hand-picked content through an immersive and personal televisual experience. Think of it as your daily does of video vitamins.

The MFA Design Department, now known as Designer as Author + Entrepreneur, launched in 1998 as an alternative to traditional masters' programs that emphasize form over content. The MFA in Design provides the education, inspiration, and experience to insure that students transcend the common definition of designers as service providers to become individual and collaborative authors. As they become productive members of the larger media world, the community of MFA Design alumni grows more influential each year.