Please note: Due to the evolving novel coronavirus situation, the reception for "Mentors," which was originally scheduled for Thursday, March 12, has been canceled, and the SVA Chelsea Gallery will be closed from Wednesday, March 11, through Friday, March 20.

Dating back to 1992, the "Mentors" program is a longstanding tradition in SVA BFA Photography and Video. "Mentors" pairs select fourth-year students with leading figures in the New York City arts community, with the work resulting from these mentorships shown in an annual spring exhibition curated by department chair Joseph Maida. This year, "Mentors" runs from Tuesday, March 10, through Wednesday, March 25, at the SVA Chelsea Gallery.

One of this year's mentorships paired Kathy Ryan, director of photography at the The New York Times Magazine and a longtime "Mentors" participant, with student Razan Elbaba, an aspiring art director whose thesis project centers around her American Muslim community. Razan has been telling the stories of American Muslims for many years; in 2016, she received a National Gold Key from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for her portfolio on women who wear hijabs in the United States.

Ryan and Elbaba knew of each other's work prior to beginning the mentorship. Four years ago, Ryan chose Razan's photograph Razan Kahlo as the first-place winner when she served as a judge in a BFA Photography and Video exhibition of first-year students' work.

"There is a directness to her portraits that I find powerful," Ryan says. "She seems to be able to connect with her subjects in a way that enables her to make a portrait that feels true to the person."

We recently asked Elbaba and Ryan a few questions about the "Mentors" experience.

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