December may signal the end of the year, but events and exhibitions at SVA abound all month long. A handful of shows celebrating various illustration practices intermingle with interior design photography, textile printing, lectures by engineers, filmmakers, and photographers, screenings, and open studios.

EXHIBITIONS

Through Saturday, December 7 | “Plasticulture: The Rise of Sustainable Practices with Polymers” | SVA Chelsea Gallery

“Plasticulture” is an exhibition of works by 15 artists from Project Vortex, an artist collective innovating with plastic debris, curated by founding artist Aurora Robson. By combining artistic expression with scientific exploration, “Plasticulture” aspires to encourage individuals and communities to embrace more sustainable practices and play a part in fostering a healthier planet. Operating at the intersection of art and science, the 45 works on view inspire a rethinking and reinvention of the possibilities of plastic debris.

Through Saturday, December 14 | “The Book Show” | SVA Gramercy Gallery

MFA Illustration as Visual Essay presents its annual “Book Show” exhibition, featuring original books by 20 students, curated by faculty member and 2009 program graduate Anna Raff. In their first year, MFA Illustration as Visual Essay students are tasked with creating books in a format of their choice, whether illustrated poetry, graphic novel, children’s book, or essay. The works in this year’s iteration of “The Book Show” encompass a variety of themes, including narrative fantasy, commentaries on our present-day reemergence into public spaces, reconsiderations of times past, and advancement into unknown futures.

Through Saturday, December 14 | “dR AW” | SVA Gramercy Gallery

“dR AW” is an exhibition of drawings by over 40 artists from the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay program, curated by longtime faculty member Carol Fabricatore (MFA 1992 Illustration as Visual Essay). Fabricatore has taught the program’s Location Drawing course for three decades after taking over from her mentor, Robert Weaver, who initiated the tradition at the College. Location Drawing is a powerful tribute to the challenge of working directly from life. The essence of the course lies in a fearless, unfiltered, and earnest approach to drawing, emphasizing the importance of narration in the creative process.

Through Friday, January 3, 2025 | “Design and Document: The Folly Cove Designers” | SVA Flatiron Project Space

Curated by industrial designer Lucia Steele and faculty member Peter Hristoff (BFA 1981 Fine Arts), this body of work includes designs and linoleum block prints inspired by the flora, fauna, seascape, and vibrant immigrant community of Cape Ann, Massachusetts, created between 1938 and 1969 by a group of friends and neighbors under the direction of renowned children’s book illustrator Virginia Lee Burton. This body of work, almost all hand-printed on textiles, reveals the idealism of the American dream without any cynicism—a capsule of our culture that may be viewed as nostalgic but, more importantly, as a group effort that reveals the beauty and possibilities of collaboration.

Saturday, December 7, 2024 – Thursday, January 2, 2025 | “Spaces: Through the Lens” | SVA Flatiron Gallery

An exhibition of photographs by BFA Interior Design: Built Environments students enrolled in the program’s Interior Photography course, curated by co-instructors Malcolm Lightner and Erin Davis (MFA 2016 Photography, Video, and Related Media). As part of Interior Photography students explore the art of capturing interior and exterior spaces, including architecture, urban settings, and landscapes. These works invite viewers to experience the interplay of light, structure, and human presence, evoking a powerful sense of space and emotion. At times, surreal and otherworldly, each photograph offers a fresh perspective on the inhabited environments.

Features

The semester concludes with various exhibitions, talks, screenings, and open studios.