SVA Art Education

Ladies, gentlethems, and gentlemen; I present to you the Class of 2025! 🎊

Last but not least, Irem Epikmen's series titled "Ouroboros" made with Gouache. Irem has received not one but two degrees from SVA! We celebrate her graduation today along with the entire Class of 2025 at tonight's exhibition reception. Our closing reception for "sea change" is 5:00-7:00 pm. Join us for your last chance to see this exquisite show.

Irem's work, "The ouroboros: a depiction of a snake eating its own tail.

The ouroboros through the lens of a relationship. Two figures, stuck in a cycle of mutual destruction, consuming each other."

NuoMin Wei received both her BFA and now an MA in Art Education from SVA. Hear about her mixed media installation for the Class of 2025's final exhibition, which is in its final days of viewing.

NuoMin states about the piece, 'The illustrations present my childhood experience that is deeply rooted in the city of Fuzhou, Fujian. Fujian is a province to the south of China, the unique mountainous terrain of Fujian and its coastal connection to the sea have shaped my view of the world.The name of the title is written in Chinese but the pronunciation of the chinese character is presented in Fuzhounese, which is the dialect of the Fuzhounese people. In Mandarin, the character for "Cŭo," represents the traditional houses and buildings of Fuzhou while Fuzhounese, the character also means "Home." Through the use of symbols such as swallow— a bird that returns to the south during spring, and
apple — which has a really different meaning in western culture, is a fruit that is usually gifted during Chinese holidays and used during rituals representing "Peace;" I wish to reflect on my childhood growing up in America as a girl from China.'

Uptown originated with her MA completed, Yomira Meregildo continued onward with her series in painting the hands of 1st generation artists in New York City for the exhibition "sea change."

She said about the series:
'First - Generation New Yorker

Individuals born and raised in NYC with at least one foreign-born parent. These artworks explore the connection between culture, environment, upbringing, artistry, and how they manifest in the lives of contemporary First Generation New Yorker artists.'

Grace Hallinan came to SVA's full-time Art Education program fresh out of her undergraduate with an affinity for carving into wood, shown here in her final piece. "The Morrígan."

She states, "The Morrígan is a complex figure in Irish Folklore that represents the fate and sovereignty of the land. The Morrígan is not good or evil, but rather a symbol of balance as fates of all things align. She is often represented as a raven because of her connection to otherworldly beings and spaces."

The closing exhibition reception is on July 1st 5:00-7:00 pm.

Gaby Lewin came from a career in graphic design looking to do more with her artistic practice and it brought her to teaching. Gaby combines maps with weaving, watercolor, embroidery thread, ink, and beading to create this series, "Personal Habitats."

She says about her work, "Woven paper maps of New York City and the Berkshires are layered with watercolor paintings of native plants.

Found images from various magazines depicting both cityscapes and countryside are woven together. Each woven piece is then finished with hand embroidery or hand beading."

The exhibition, "sea change," is in its final week! See Gaby's pieces and more before it's over.

Suzanne Burns is a born and raised New Yorker whose reoccurring theme in community goes not only through the 5 boroughs but the generations of educators who came before her in her family. This quilt is inspired by the generations of teachers in her family and currently hangs in the Flatiron Gallery at SVA for you to view along with her intimate accompanying zine. Get out of the heat and visit these stunning works exhibited in "sea change."

'My work considers how I connect to my identity as an educator. Through fiber art, I reflect on how my teaching practice has been shaped through my relationships with the eight other teachers in my family, particularly my mother and my grandmother. Though my grandmother passed away before I was born, I connect with her through our shared identity as educators.'

Meg O'Brien .obr started their academic career in Neuroscience and Gender Studies. After realizing they wanted to become an art educator, they quickly developed a curiosity for learning how to oil paint in CE courses while taking the full-time one-year MAT program in the Art Ed department. Now, they present their painting, "everything changes/everything stays the same" as the culmination of their experiences in the exhibition, "sea change."

'My work explores the nature of connection, using observation to explore the relations in my own life and notions of queerness and community. This painting depicts my partner and our close friend, allowing viewers a window into our lives and relationships with each other. Through my work, I aim to celebrate queerness and depict subjects that historically fall outside of conventional portraiture.'

Alumni Spotlight: MA '22 and .cdna are hosting g a dual workshop in self care and creativity, harnessing mindfulness and the use of embroidery as a tool for collective healing.
Check out .ta to secure your spot for this workshop happening Monday, June 30th at 6:00 pm at the Abracadabra Magic Diner!

Hannah Scherwatzky .art is a self-motivated art educator with the ambitious of making an illustrated book for every letter in the alphabet. In her multimedia piece, "The Sound of my Childhood," Hannah shares her book making journey in the class's final exhibition by starting with her book for the letter A.

"The goal for this project was to connect my childhood self to who I am today through music. I chose 26 songs to make up the 26 letters of the alphabet, each holding an extremely nostalgic connection to my childhood. With obscure and psychedelic music being at the forefront of my earliest years, my imagination led me to vividly picture each line of each song in intense detail. To bring this idea to life, I illustrated an alphabet music poster and an accompanying children's-style book to the lyrics of "Apples and Oranges" by Pink Floyd. My goal is to one day make one book per letter and have a full series of children's books that illustrate the sound of my childhood." 🍎🍊

See, read, and/or hear Hannah's piece in the exhibition up currently at SVA's Flatiron Gallery until July 1st.

Devin Revolorio is a tried and true SVA alum. Coming from their undergraduate degree in animation and currently finishing their MAT in Art Education, they spent 3 weeks creating this crocheted piece, "Pastures" for the exhibition, "sea change."

Made of yarn and paired with an accompanying risoprinted zine, the artist states, 'I feel nostalgia for a time long past that has changed since my childhood. Through my artwork, I try to capture the feeling of traveling through the countryside, from Fajardo to Quito, in my mother's homeland, Ecuador.'🐄🧶

Check out Devin's crocheting and more at the Flatiron Gallery exhibition open until July 1st.

Youjung Choi .june is an educator from a graphic design background in Eyewear. Her piece for the sea change exhibition is titled "My Two Identites," and she made it out of cotton, linen, and blue threads.

'The moon jar is a traditional Korean white porcelain piece from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). A moon jar consists of two separate hemispheric halves joined together at the center. Its gently irregular shape adds to the charm, giving it that unique quality of 'symmetry of asymmetry.'

Like the moon jar, which is constructed with two hemispheres bonded together to form a whole, I also view my identities similarly, having grown up in both Korea and the United States. It's not a perfect circle, but that's the beauty of it. On my moon jar, I have filled in the questions I have been hearing from people constantly from Korea and the US, which have become a foundation of my identity.'

See Youjung's piece and more before July 1st.