EVENTS

Thursday, May 11, 12:00 – 3:00pm | MFA Design for Social Innovation Thesis Showcase | SVA Theatre

MFA Design for Social Innovation presents its annual thesis show. This year, the class of 2023 thesis projects center community partners and collaborators to co-create for change. A meaningful spectrum of social-design topics includes hearing health and care, keeping the art of Miao embroidery alive, sustainable water sourcing in India, a game exploring power and privilege in the Indian education system, kombucha brewing cultures and the microbiome, resources for the Chinese gay community, ADHD care for women, perinatal care and mental health, urban coexistence with wildlife, advocacy for those living with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), community-based support for Chinese elderly people, small business resiliency in New York City’s Chinatown and food waste. The event will be live-streamed and contain live captioning, and the SVA Theatre has ramp access.

Saturday, May 13, 12:00 – 6:00pm | Animation Celebration Screening | SVA Theatre

BFA Animation presents its 2023 Animation Celebration screening, featuring the latest group of graduating seniors and their animated projects. Enjoy a great selection of films and meet the filmmakers afterward live at the SVA Theatre.

Monday, May 15, 6:00 – 8:00pm | Drawing in Madison Square Park | 23rd Street and Broadway

Bring materials and come ready to draw—or even paint! Drawing in Madison Square Park will allow participants to make art by observing nature, distinctive architecture and public art around the park. Artist and Continuing Education (SVACE) instructor Elise Engler will provide prompts and guidance throughout the drawing session.

Monday, May 15, 7:00 – 8:30pm | i3 Photo Lecture: Alicia Bruce | Location provided upon registration

MPS Digital Photography presents a talk with Alicia Bruce, an award-winning, working-class photographer, community collaborator, educator and activist based in Scotland. It is part of its i3: Images, Ideas, Inspiration lecture series, guest curated by Elizabeth Avedon. Bruce’s photography sits between documentary and staged imagery, focusing on communities, environments and human rights. Bruce is a member of the collective Women Photograph and a teaching fellow at the University of Edinburgh. Her photographs are held in several private and public collections, including National Galleries of Scotland, Martin Parr Foundation and St Andrews University. I Burn But I Am Not Consumed (Daylight) is Bruce’s first monograph and documents 16 years of Donald Trump’s impact on the community and environment in the northeast of Scotland during his quest to build “the greatest golf course in the world.”

Thursday, May 18, 4:00 – 9:00pm | Evolve | SVA Theatre

MFA Interaction Design presents its 2023 thesis festival, Evolve. A culmination of the two-year program, the festival showcases work from the graduates who present their thesis explorations in a public forum. This year’s topic is inspired by the act of changing ourselves and broadening our perspectives to persevere, grow and ultimately, push boundaries through design.

Thursday, May 18, 7:00 – 8:30pm | Daredoodles With Tom Motley | Online

Join cartoonist, illustrator and educator Tom Motley and SVA Continuing Education for another round of Daredoodles. This time, we’ll get down to brass tacks, reviewing the primary dares to warm up for the upcoming online course, Comics Inventions, in which cartooning principles will be taught through creative challenges.

Friday, May 19, 2:00 – 9:00pm | Second Annual Apple Box Short Film Festival | SVA Theatre

MPS Film Directing presents its thesis film festival. This year, the festival will be broken into two two-hour screening blocks of eight films. Each screening block will be followed by a Q&A, a special screening of MPS Film Directing’s Learning Film, Goodbye Jonathan’s Soul, and an awards presentation.

Saturday, May 20, 12:00pm | SVA Premieres | SVA Theatre

BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects presents a screening of thesis films by the class of 2023 at the SVA Theatre.

Sunday, May 21, 1:00pm | SVA Commencement | Radio City Music Hall

SVA President David Rhodes will recognize some 1,250 degree candidates from the College’s 31 academic degree programs, including BFA, MA, MAT, MFA and MPS. Award-winning photojournalist and 2022 Masters Series Award and Exhibition recipient Lynsey Addario will return to address the class of 2023.

Features

End-of-year and thesis events continue at the School of Visual Arts