Exhibition

School of Visual Arts presents “Putting It All on the Table,” featuring a selection of works by students in the MFA Design for Social Innovation Department. Curated by Kevin O'Callaghan, department faculty member and chair of 3D Design, the exhibition is on view Saturday, January 11, through Friday, January 31, at the SVA Gramercy Gallery, with a reception on Friday, January 17, from 6:00 to 8:00pm. RSVP for the reception here.

The exhibition features 25 artists from 12 countries: Elizabeth Abernathy, Covadonga Abril, Anna Luiza Braga, Rachel Dixon, Jenny Emmons, Carl Landegger, Ashley Larsen, Laura Kadamus, Gina Kim, Michelle Kwon, Meghan Lazier, Juno Lee, Xintong Liu, Akshata Malhotra, Pragya Mishra, Meryl Natow, Robin Newman, Kate Nicholson, Renzo Perez-Acosta, Swar Raisinghani, Rhea Rakshit, Haya Shaath, Maria Perez Tello, Yuka Uogishi and Liora Yuklea. 

In this exhibition, each artist is given a wooden table as a platform on which to present unique cultural perspectives regarding the global issue of food. According to MFA Design for Social Innovation Chair Cheryl Heller, “Food is a primary concern for everything that lives, regardless of where it is on the food chain. Food systems and food safety are central to social innovation and essential to solving issues of poverty, health, economics, justice and environment. ‘Putting it all on the table’ is an expression that means to be completely transparent and forthright. In terms of communication, it means not holding back on the real issues.”

The MFA Design for Social Innovation Department at SVA is the first graduate program in the rapidly growing field of social impact design. It was created for designers who want to work at a strategic level within business, government and the social sector to solve the major challenges humanity faces, and to offer non-designers an opportunity to use design to create positive impact.

The two-year, 60-credit program prepares graduates to work in complex systems, expanding the methodologies of design to large engagements—from the invisible systems of beliefs and mental models that drive behavior to the forms of visual design that engage and inspire participation. They learn to scale the impact of research, mapping, game theory, informal systems and economies, metrics and data visualization. MFA Design for Social Innovation students work with real clients throughout the program, gaining hands-on experience with multinational corporations, nonprofits and social entrepreneurs around the globe. The curriculum encompasses a broad range of issues, including conservation, health, food and agriculture, poverty, women’s rights, social justice, fair trade, education and community revitalization.