Traveling to conferences and festivals in-person has three critical and distinct benefits to our student community at MFA Computer Arts.

1. Recruiting the best and most diverse new students to apply from all around the world
2. Staying current with the very latest developments in our industry
3. Keeping connected with our industry colleagues to make sure that graduates have the very best opportunities for employment

In addition to Annecy and Ottawa, we have traveled with our students, staff and faculty throughout the summer and fall to many inspiring festivals and conferences!

The world's premier computer graphics conference and animation festival was held in Denver this July with faculty member Michael Gold joining department staff Rob Campbell, Rochele Gloor and chair Terrence Masson. This year, five of our students also served as official Student Volunteers, an incredible opportunity to mingle with the very best talent in the industry; Mengzhen Yu, Qinglan Li, Vinay Nandargi, Boyao Chai & Yuqi Gong. 

MFA Computer Arts sponsored this year’s SIGGRAPH Educators Meet & Greet. Rob and Terrence spoke to over 200 representatives from undergraduate programs from around the world, who also went home with USB drives loaded with our students' latest thesis projects. We were very proud to have our recent alum Jessica Reisch (MFA 2024 Computer Arts) present her thesis project Fruiting Bodies which received an award in the Speculative Futures Digital Arts Student Competition!

No SIGGRAPH is complete without the longstanding annual SVA Alumni Reception, where our students get to mingle with over 100 industry professionals, SIGGRAPH Pioneers and studio recruiters including Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) and Disney. Our staff meanwhile came away with many more contacts with academic leaders from departments across the country, resulting in invitations to visit their BFA students this fall.

Mengzhen said of her experience: 

“[SIGGRAPH] was a great experience. I was very excited to participate in such a large conference for the first time. I saw a lot of VR-related works/technical demonstrations, which encouraged my determination to make VR content. The student volunteers are all from different countries and are very friendly people. Every day is super fulfilling”

Qinglan shared: 

“There was so much to see, and the presentations were truly eye-opening. Overall, it has motivated me to push myself even further in my own work. I was particularly drawn to the sessions from major studios like Disney, DreamWorks, and Pixar, where they walked us through their project workflows and tools.

On top of that, I had the chance to speak with many industry professionals, gaining insights into different career paths and receiving invaluable advice. It was also a fantastic opportunity to build new connections and start thinking more seriously about my career goals. If anyone is intimidated by networking events like I used to be, SIGGRAPH is a great remedy—it's like a week-long networking boot camp! By the end of the conference, you'll definitely learn how to start conversations and approach people confidently.”

We were introduced to the Ars festival leadership through friends at the EVA Conference in London the previous year by chair Terrence Masson and assistant director for innovation technologies Rochele Gloor. Senior systems director Milos Parapovic flew out early to support our recent alumni Andres Salazar (in partnership with Wenyi Zhang) and Kristie Kish, whose thesis works were accepted for exhibition. Attending this 45-year-old festival in person allowed all of us to expand our network amongst the world's best experimental artists, researchers and educators; including an invitation to expand our outreach in India next year. 

Andres adds:

"Representing my group at Ars Electronica 2024 to showcase our thesis project was truly one of the greatest honors of my life. Receiving an honorary mention in the Campus Award was a rewarding validation of the countless hours of work that went into the project. The experience was made even more special by the supportive and passionate community I encountered—everyone was so invested and welcoming. This community was filled with incredibly talented artists and creatives, and made me feel privileged to be representing both the SVA alumni community and one of the world’s largest European art festivals."

Andres followed up Ars by traveling with his work to the V&A's Digital Design Weekend in London and has since received a job contract from these networking opportunities.

Department chair Terrence Masson has been attending and advising the annual VIEW Conference in Turin, Italy for about 15 years. This year he, along with faculty Anthony Giacchino & staff Rochele Gloor represented SVA MFA Computer Arts with talks and panel discussions which included the topics on storytelling, innovation tech and higher education. Meetings with Paramount Animation president Ramsey Ann Naito, director Chris Sanders (Wild Robot, How to Train Your Dragon and Lilo & Stitch) and independent animator Amanda Strong will all result in visits with our students on campus this spring. 

Alumni Michael Dondero (2024), Shengnan Shay Dong (2024), and Dustin Grella (2009) were all selected for the Woodstock Film Festival, and MFACA staff Lotte Marie Allen and India Lombardi-Bello decided to join to see the festival for themselves! Michael and Shay's thesis work Nostril was selected in the Family Friendly Block, while Dustin's film 20 Years of Notes to Self screened in the Fiercely Independent Block.

Michael, Shay, and Lala (Nostril's protagonist) introduced their film and joined fellow filmmakers for a discussion and Q&A following the screening. Their film and energy stood out for their lighthearted nature.

The animation programming for the festival created a generative experience for New York-based creators to connect. Michael reflects,

"With the bulk of the festival's programming being live-action, all the animators in attendance really showed up for each other. Many of them were NYC-based and had connections to MFACA, either as alums, or from having done workshops in the program, or through the Animation Speak/Easy, which MFACA has sponsored. It really highlighted for me how supportive and welcoming New York's animation community is, and the place that MFACA and SVA has in that community.”

Dustin echoed, "I was able to meet or re-connect with people I hadn’t seen since pre-covid. It was like a New York City animators reunion!"

After years of a departmental mass exodus for students to attend the Lightbox Expo in Pasadena, CA, MFACA decided to send staff India Lombardi-Bello and Jack Meisterich to see what all the fuss was about. The conference highlights panels and master classes from professionals in animation, film, TV, gaming, and illustration. It's also a great place to meet your favorite artist via their popular Artist Alley or get portfolio advice from stalwarts in the industry. We were also happy to reconnect with several alumni while we were there!

Some favorite talks included animation director and friend of the department Jorge R. Guttierez who gave an ironically inspiring talk titled "All these failed pilots and movies MADE ME STRONGER!!!" As the title suggests, Jorge walked the audience through countless pitches and pilots he's put forth over his career, most of which were strikingly brilliant, but failed to get major studio support. His message was one of perseverance and authenticity; never straying from your creative vision, for one day, you will be given the chance to share your point-of-view with the world. He teased his upcoming series I, Chihuahua! which we can't wait to see!

A large unintended theme of the conference this year was acknowledging the struggles the animation industry is facing post-Covid. Between mergers, layoffs, and less immediate and traditional job opportunities, outlook can be discouraging for emerging talent. The conference's programming focused on a more hopeful message of exploring new avenues for creating that exist outside the school -> studio pipeline. Learning more about worker cooperatives and recognizing the value of career pivots made the industry feel more like a community looking out for each other in a difficult time.

Thankfully now, another incredibly successful year of outreach travel is over and we all can focus on the end-of-year celebrations with our community, and a well-deserved holiday break. Spring will soon bring our annual Alumni Reception in NYC and visits from studios including Paramount Animation to help transition our soon-to-be grads into the exciting working world!