John Waters—the award-winning writer, director, artist and cult icon—is returning to SVA for an in-person makeup commencement in honor of the classes of 2020 and 2021, both of which had virtual ceremonies as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Waters previously served as the virtual keynote speaker for the College’s 45th annual commencement exercises in celebration of the class of 2020. This year’s unique make-up ceremony will take place at Radio City Music Hall on Monday, June 27, 2022, at 1:00pm ET and will be streamed live on sva.edu/commencement, as SVA President David Rhodes once again recognizes degree candidates from the College’s 30 academic programs, including BFA, MA, MAT, MFA and MPS.

John Waters has been a singular voice, tastemaker and boundary-pusher in pop culture since the 1970s. A prolific filmmaker, writer, photographer and actor, he has written and directed 16 films, exhibited his work in galleries all over the world, and authored 10 books, including Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance: A Novel, Waters’ first novel published this year by Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

“I am thrilled to be invited back in person to spread my cock-eyed optimism for the second time to graduating students infected with the will to be artists,” said Waters. “Here’s hoping there will never be a cure for creativity.”

To learn more about the SVA 2022 Commencement, the 2020/2021 make-up ceremony, and more, visit sva.edu/commencement. To watch Waters′ full 2020 keynote speech, click the video below.

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