Last week, SVA students soaked up the California sunshine on spring break while taking an illuminating tour of San Francisco's cutting edge arts and technology industry as part of SVA Destinations program. In addition to exploring Bay Area attractions such as Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, students were lucky enough to spend time in animation, film, and technology companies interacting with some of today’s leading animators, filmmakers, and VR artists. Organized by Angie Wojak, Director of Career Development, and Hsiang Chin Moe, Director of Operations in MFA Computer Arts, the program took students on visits to Autodesk, The Cartoon Art Museum, Google Tilt Brush, Industrial Light and Magic, Tippett Studio, Pixar, Steel Wool Studios and the Walt Disney Family Museum.

The goal of this trip, Wojak explained, was to give students a behind-the-scenes look at San Francisco studios and encourage them to consider internships and jobs on the West Coast. “The course is also intended to inspire students in how they view their career options and to give them access to alumni and recruiters who can guide them,” she said. Invaluable connections were made for students during this trip. "An important aspect that Angie and I can’t emphasize more is the fact that the class consists of freshmen to graduate students who are from very different technical, cultural backgrounds and majors," Moe described. "This is a wonderful opportunity for them to learn from and inspire one another. One day they might all be working together in the industry.”

At the Cartoon Art Museum, students were treated to not one, but two alumni exhibitions featuring the work of Raina Telgemeier (BFA 2002 Illustration) and Nate Powell (BFA 2000 Cartooning). The museum’s program coordinator, alumnus Nina Taylor Kester (BFA 2008 Cartooning), took the class on a tour of the exhibitions and offered insights into Telgemeier’s many young adult graphic novels and Powell’s March.

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SVA Destinations Visits The Golden Gate City To Connect With Alumni