New additions of MPS Digital Photography’s i3: lectures, the Masters series and a new BFA Photography and Video exhibition featuring work by students and alumni fill out the month’s calendar at the School of Visual Arts
Sid Lilly, An Embroidered Portrait, 2022. On view at "Becoming 2022 (New York Is A Friendly Town)."
Chillier, shorter days call for warming up with a stroll through a gallery or tucking into a theater for an insightful panel. November brings so many new in-person events and exhibitions to SVA’s campus, plus a handful of online events perfect for enjoying from home. With just over a month left to see “The Masters Series: Lynsey Addario,” a few more editions of MPS Digital Photography’s i3: Images, Ideas, Inspiration lecture series and a new exhibition of work by BFA Photography and Video students and alumni, there is much to discover for photography lovers. Seasonal celebrations, lectures on topics including politics, culture and art theory, plus a book signing with SVA faculty Steve Brodner close out fall on a high note.
An Iraqi woman walks through a plume of smoke rising from a massive fire at a liquid gas factory as she searches for her husband in Basra, Iraq, May 2003. On view at “The Masters Series: Lynsey Addario.”
EXHIBITIONS
Through Saturday, December 10 | “The Masters Series: Lynsey Addario” | SVA Chelsea Gallery
SVA honors Lynsey Addario—acclaimed photographer, MacArthur Foundation Fellow and Pulitzer Prize recipient—with the 32nd annual Masters Series Award and Exhibition, a comprehensive retrospective of her fearless, two-decade journey documenting global humanitarian issues, curated by Perri Hofmann and Maya Benton and with sponsorship by Hahnemühle, Nikon and Verbatim Photo. More on Lynsey Addario here.
Through Friday, December 30 | “Enduring Heritage” | Saint-Paul, 13210 Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France
A collaborative exhibition between SVA and the Valetudo Association, presented in the Romanesque cloister of Saint-Paul de Mausole, part of a historic monastery in Saint-Rémy de Provence where Valetudo operates a psychiatric clinic. “Enduring Heritage,” the 11th edition of the exhibition, celebrates the restorative power of art and the joy that comes from experiencing it with others.
Through Saturday, November 19 | “Becoming 2022 (New York Is A Friendly Town)” | SVA Gramercy Gallery
An annual exhibition of visual conversations between distinguished BFA Photography and Video alumni and current students inspired by six historic black and white photographs from the department’s collection by the famed photographer of New York City nights, Weegee (born Usher Fellig, 1899-1968).
Through Saturday, November 19 | “DREAMLANDS” | SVA Flatiron Gallery
An exhibition of animations, moving images, prints and films by MFA Computer Arts (MFACA) students and alumni, curated by Lotte Marie Allen, MFACA academic advisor and curriculum coordinator, and MFACA alumna Zyia Zhongyuan Zhang. “DREAMLANDS” highlights moving images that convey the strangest corners of dreams and nightmares and the spaces in between.
Thursday, November 3 – Thursday, December 1 | “The Object Speaks” | SVA Flatiron Project Space
An exhibition of recent paintings by artist and SVA faculty member Mary Jo Vath, curated by BFA Comics and BFA Illustration Chair Emeritus Thomas Woodruff. Of the show, Woodruff says, “Most of the recent works included in this ‘cabinet of wonders’ were created during a difficult time in the artist’s life, during the long illness and then passing of her beloved husband. The serene surfaces with golden orbs, silver shoes and gay Day of the Dead costumes have a pentimento of grief hidden beneath. The paintings always reveal more than what one expects. The objects speak volumes.”
Antonia Castillo, My Roommate and I, 2022. On view at "Becoming 2022 (New York Is A Friendly Town)."
EVENTS
SVA Continuing Education and Flatiron Nomad Partnership present a celebration of Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), a Mexican tradition of pre-Hispanic origin that celebrates the memory and presence of the deceased. According to popular belief, from Monday, October 31, through Wednesday, November 2, souls return home to be with their loved ones. Altars are assembled with offerings, food and rituals to celebrate their visit. This free public event will include live performances and DIY activities.
Curator Kate Fowle will discuss what it means to be “artist-centered.” Initially trained as an artist, Fowle has conceptually put artists at the heart of creating new infrastructures and reinventing established nonprofits through leadership or curatorial roles at a wide range of institutions, including Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing; Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow; the MA in Curatorial Practice at CCA in San Francisco; Independent Curators International; and, most recently, MoMA PS1. And yet, the most complex questions remain pragmatic: how a curator or cultural institution can be truly and rigorously artist-centered.
MPS Art Therapy presents a lecture on palliative care, a rapidly growing field of medicine that is particularly well-suited for collaboration with art therapists. In this virtual presentation, practicing palliative care physician, assistant professor and director of community outreach and education at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Ian Kwok, MD, will explore case examples from existing programs combining art therapy and palliative medicine, as well as outline opportunities for clinical and/or research partnerships. There will also be an opportunity to explore and ask questions about conducting art therapy research in medical settings.
Tuesday, November 8, 6:30 – 8:00pm | Manuel DeLanda |214 East 21st Street, 1st floor
MFA Photography, Video and Related Media presents cross-disciplinary theorist, artist and SVA alumnus Manuel DeLanda (1979 Fine Arts) to discuss his work. This talk will be accompanied by a screening of DeLanda’s recent video and film work.
Tuesday, November 8, 7:00 – 8:30pm | i3 Photo Lecture: Rahim Fortune |136 West 21st Street
A talk with Rahim Fortune (b.1994), who uses photography to ask fundamental questions about American identity, presented by MPS Digital Photography as part of its i3: Images, Ideas, Inspiration lecture series. Focusing on the narratives of individual families and communities, he explores shifting geographies of migration and resettlement and how these histories are written on the landscapes of Texas and the American South.
Thursday, November 10, 6:30 – 8:00pm | Frances Fox Piven On the Midterms | Online
BFA Visual & Critical Studies and the SVA Honors Program present Frances Fox Piven—sociologist, activist, one of the “nine most dangerous people in the world” (Glenn Beck) and author of the definitive analyses of social movements and the barriers to voting in the United States—to analyze the 2022 midterm elections.
George Tscherny, School of Visual Arts (from SVA Subway Series, 1959). On view at “Enduring Heritage.”
SVA Continuing Education presents faculty member, graphic artist and political cartoonist Steve Brodner to discuss work from his new book, Living and Dying in America. This event will feature a talk, Q&A and book signing. Come with ideas for projects you would like to begin.
Monday, November 21, 7:00 – 8:00pm | Visiting Artist Lecture: Thao Nguyen Phan | Online
BFA Fine Arts presents an online visiting artist lecture with artist Thao Nguyen Phan, a multimedia artist whose practice encompasses video, painting and installation. Drawing from literature, philosophy and daily life, Phan observes ambiguous issues in social conventions and history. Phan is co-founder of the collective Art Labor, which explores cross-disciplinary practices and develops art projects that benefit the local community. She is currently expanding her “theatrical fields,” including what she calls “performance gesture and moving images,” and is a 2016 – 2017 Rolex Protégée, mentored by internationally acclaimed, New York-based performance and video artist Joan Jonas.
Monday, November 28, 6:30 – 7:30pm | AI and the Future of Lens and Screen Arts | SVA Theatre
MFA Photography, Video and Related Media presents a talk on AI and its developing relationship with lens and screen arts. The popularity of tools like DALL-E and MidJourney illustrates how artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly transforming image-making. Digital culture theorist Lev Manovich will be in conversation with SVA faculty member Natasha Chuk to discuss these developments. They will address the emerging aesthetics and creative practices of AI photography and lens-based arts.
Tuesday, November 29, 7:00 – 8:30pm | i3 Photo Lecture: Patricia Voulgaris | 136 West 21st Street
A talk with Patricia Voulgaris (BFA 2013 Photography), an artist from New York and faculty member in the BFA Photography and Video program at SVA, presented by MPS Digital Photography as part of its i3: Images, Ideas, Inspiration lecture series. Currently, Voulgaris is a 2024 MFA candidate at the Yale School of Art and is the grant recipient of the Lucie Foundation, Aaron Siskind Foundation and SVA Faculty Award. Recently, she was named as a finalist for the 2022 Aperture Portfolio prize.
An installation view of "DREAMLANDS." On view at the SVA Flatiron Gallery.