Visual Arts Briefs

Early December saw the return of Art Basel Miami Beach and its satellite fairs to the Sunshine State, and SVA was well represented at various venues. At the Aqua Art Miami fair, where the College had a booth featuring work by nine alumni, many fairgoers stopped to comment on Robert Gill’s (MFA 2010 Photography, Video and Related Media) Before or After Yourself, an installation with photographs of the artist before and after several months of intense physical activity, seen on the accompanying video. Some called it inspirational, some said he should write a book about the experience, and others wondered aloud what shape he was in today. People were also talking about Matt Stone’s (MFA 2010 Fine Arts) Orchid, a large-scale mixed-media sculpture that was compared to a “sea monster” for its coral-reef palette.

As in previous years, Art Basel took over the Miami Beach Convention Center and several SVA alumni were in the mix. Visitors saw recent pieces by Ei Arakawa (BFA 2004 Fine Arts); Steven Bindernagel (MFA 2006 Fine Arts); Tim Rollins (BFA 1977 Fine Arts; faculty, BFA Fine Arts Department) and K.O.S. (Kids of Survival); and Banks Violette (BFA 1998 Fine Arts), just to name a few.

At Pulse, one of the week’s other main attractions, visitors saw work by alumni Steve DeFrank (MFA 1990 Fine Arts); Simen Johan (BFA 1996 Photography); and Shai Kremer (MFA 2006 Photography, Video and Related Media). Alumnus Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao (MFA 2005 Photography, Video and Related Media) had photographs at Julie Saul Gallery’s booth, which also showed work by MFA Design Department faculty member Maira Kalman.

This year also brought a healthy dose of performance art and new fairs to the scene. Alumnus Rebecca Goyette (MFA 2009 Fine Arts) showed a performance piece at Seven, a new fair organized by seven New York galleries that included work by alumni George Boorujy (MFA 2002 Illustration as Visual Essay), Steve Mumford (MFA 1994 Fine Arts) and Amy Wilson (BFA 1995 Fine Arts; and faculty, BFA Visual and Critical Studies Department). And Quinn Dukes (staff, Office of Admissions) performed at Fountain, where alumnus Max Greis (BFA 2005 Fine Arts) was also showing new work.

Images: (top) Matt Stone, Orchid, 2010; (bottom) Quinn Dukes in performance at Fountain.

Buffalo News recently published an article by student Alyssa Phillips where she describes her time participating in the SVA Pre-College Program. Recounting the experience of  life in the residence halls, the numerous events on offer and the variety of classes to choose from, Phillips ends by saying, “My visit to the School of Visual Arts answered pretty much every question I had concerning college. Participating in this program provided an experience that can’t be found in a quick visit to a college open house or through online research.”

After closing out its successful debut season of Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, cable network Bravo is beginning production on season two. To begin assembling the show’s next group of emerging artists, Bravo invited members of the SVA community to participate in a large-scale portfolio review session that was held September 25 at the Brooklyn Museum.

Among the first-round judges at the event were 3D Design Chair Kevin O’Callaghan, and staff members Quinn Dukes, Adria Ingegneri and Chris Jessick (BFA 2006 Film and Video). According to Jessick, who is the manager of transfer admissions in the Office of Admissions, more than 700 artists brought their work for review before the panel. “We were the first line of review, giving a ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ to artists who want to be on the show,” he said. “It was a similar format to what we do as admissions recruiters, and it was an interesting experience to do it as part of a TV show.”

While this initial round of reviews was not filmed for Work of Art, some of the artists Jessick and his fellow reviewers evaluated are likely to appear in the sophomore season.

SVA’s new MPS Branding Department is continuing to build momentum toward its fall 2010 launch, and the latest piece to fall in place is a just-launched Web site. Visitors to branding.sva.edu can learn more about the one-year graduate program and reserve a spot at the upcoming MPS Branding Department open house, taking place on Saturday, November 7, 2 – 4pm, at 136 West 21st Street.

In addition, Department Chair Debbie Millman has added two more prominent names to the program’s faculty: Sem Devillart, a noted futurist and member of the trend-scouting consultancy CScout; and Scott Lerman, who founded Lucid Brands after having led two of the world’s leading brand consultancies, Siegel & Gale and Enterprise IG. Devillart and Lerman join a faculty that already includes Pamela De Cesare, executive vice president of design management at Sterling Brands; Dan Formosa, PhD, product design and design research consultant, and co-founder of Smart Design; Rob Giampietro, designer and writer; and Joshua Liberson, founding principal at Helicopter.

For more information on applying to the MPS Branding Department, visit sva.edu/grad.

Image: Screen shot of the MPS Branding Department Web site.

Last year, SVA launched its new MPS program in digital photography, designed for working professionals who are looking for next-level education in digital image capture, management and high-quality output, or are thinking of making a career change into the field of digital photography.
Building on the program’s initial success, the MPS Digital Photography Department is now introducing an online/summer-residency option. According to Katrin Eismann, photographer, author and chair of the department, “This program is ideal for anyone who has a deep passion for exploring the confluence of photographic aesthetics and digital technology but can’t relocate to New York for a full calendar year of study. Ideal candidates include working photographers, photographic educators and fine artists who are interested in developing a professional and unique body of work.” The program will be conducted online during the fall and spring semesters using state-of-the-art technology and will culminate in an intensive nine-week summer session in NYC, where students will produce a thesis project, including the prints and collateral materials for a group exhibition. SVA is hosting an online open house for the online/summer-residency option on Monday, December 8; for more information, visit sva.edu/DigitalPhoto.