BU School of Visual Arts

08/21/2026

As we get ready to begin a new academic year, we’re taking a moment to look back at some of the people, projects, exhibitions, events, and moments that made the past year at BU School of Visual Arts so memorable.

From the studio to the gallery, the classroom to the campus, thank you to everyone who helped make it a year full of creativity, curiosity, and connection.

Looking forward to seeing new and returning faces in just a couple of weeks! ✨

12/03/2025

MICE is back! 🎉 New England’s favorite celebration of independent comics and graphic novels arrives December 6th and 7th, bringing together artists, small presses, and comics lovers for a weekend of discovery. Plus, join hands-on workshops and attend inclusive panel discussions throughout the fair.

We’re thrilled to host the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo () at BU and to have our MFA in Visual Narrative () students showcasing their work—be sure to find their table! The MFA in Visual Narrative program integrates the School of Visual Arts’ fine arts tradition with sequential art and storytelling, giving students the space to craft narratives that blend written and visual language.

Wrapping up the weekend is a special TNLS on Sunday, December 7, featuring bestselling author Scott McCloud () talking about his comics and his new book with Rania Telelmeier, “The Cartoonists Club.” Organized by the MFA Visual Narrative program and MICE.

MICE
🗓 Saturday, December 6, 11AM-6PM
🗓 Sunday, December 7, 11AM-5PM
📍 808 Comm Ave, 808 Gallery & Howard Thurman Center
🎟️ Admission is free and open to the public.

MICE TNLS Lecture
🗓 Sunday, December 7th at 5:30PM
📍 808 Comm Ave, 808 Gallery & Howard Thurman Center
🎟️ Admission is free and open to the public.

10/31/2025

Fall 2025 Open Studios is a citywide celebration of emerging artists, bringing together the graduate artist-student communities of Boston University School of Visual Arts (BU), Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt), and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (SMFA).

On Saturday, November 8, 2025 each school will host a staggered time block open to the public, come explore student studios, meet artists working in painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, ceramics, and multimedia, and experience the vibrancy of Boston’s arts community.

OPEN STUDIOS NOV 8th SCHEDULE:
📍SMFA: 10am - 1pm | 160 St. Alphonsus St.
📍MASSART: 11am - 2pm | The Kennedy Building, 625 Huntington Ave.
📍BU: 3 – 8pm | 808 Comm Ave. 3rd & 4th Floors

Free and open the public!
Sponsored by Wagner Foundation

Design by: Yu Pan, BU BFA Graphic Design (CFA’27)

09/19/2025

In a world overflowing with headlines, memes, and data streams, the 2025 School of Visual Arts Alumni Exhibition, “Information, Overload,” takes on the dizzying pace and power of information.

Featuring works across media by undergrad and graduate alumni from 1967 to 2025, the show explores how artists navigate the tangled web of surveillance, networks, and the relentless circulation of images and text. From critical engagement to intentional resistance, these pieces ask: How does information shape what we see, believe, and ignore—and what does it mean to opt out?

“Information, Overload”
School of Visual Arts 2025 Alumni Exhibition

🎉 Public Reception, Thurs, Sept. 25, 5-7 pm
📍 808 Gallery at 808 Comm. Ave.
🗓️ September 2 – October 18, 2025
🕚 Tuesday - Saturday, 11 am – 5 pm

06/30/2025

BU School of Visual Arts congratulates Toni Pepe (.pepe) on her recent promotion to Associate Professor of Art! Professor Pepe is an integral part of the SVA community, serving as the chair of the photography department. Her own work investigates identity, iconography, and history, a continuous analysis of how photography both captures and shapes our lived experiences.

We asked Toni a few questions to mark the occasion:

✨What are you proud of from the past year?
I’m really proud of the growth of our Print Media and Photography (PMP) MFA program—our students are making such strong, thoughtful work, and it’s been exciting to watch their ideas and voices evolve. On a personal note, I was honored to receive a Howard Foundation Fellowship this year, and two of my pieces were acquired by the Boston Public Library, which feels especially meaningful since their collection has been such a significant source of inspiration in my own practice.

✨What are you excited about in your teaching next year?
I’m excited to keep building on the interdisciplinary collaborations that shape my teaching—there’s so much amazing research happening across BU. I’m also working on a lecture series with my colleague Kim Sichel in Art History, and we’ll be bringing some fantastic artists and scholars to campus throughout the year. Our PMP (.bu) students will also be exhibiting with the Griffin Museum again this year, a partnership we value and look forward to each fall.

✨What are you working on now? Any summer plans?
This summer, I’m spending focused time in the studio on a new project based on a collection of newspaper photographs from the Boston Public Library’s special collections. The images, which broadly relate to violence against women, have been the source of hundreds of photos I’ve taken over the past year. I’m now in the process of translating that material into prints and sculptural pieces—lots of sifting, experimenting, and reworking.

05/01/2025

The 2025 BFA Thesis Exhibition marks the culmination of four years of bold experimentation, rigorous studio work, and creative growth. Celebrate the students on Friday, May 2 from 5-8 pm!

Featuring work by students in Painting, Sculpture, and Graphic Design, these exhibitions showcases the vibrant range of voices, ideas, and media shaping the next generation of artists and designers.

🗓 On view: April 29 – May 10
📍 Locations: 808 Gallery, 808 Corridor Gallery, & Commonwealth Gallery
🎉 Reception: Friday, May 2, 5–8 PM — open to all!

The 2025 BFA Thesis Exhibition brings BU SVA’s artists and designers into one space. Here, individual voices converge to create a collective tapestry—a vibrant and layered expression of their efforts, identities, and ideas. Learn more about the students, here: https://bu-bfa2025.cargo.site/

👏 Congratulations to the exhibiting students: Aanika Akkaraju, Abigail Conant, Alexandra Purdy, Amina Hachimura, Andrea Lander Vegas, Andrea Rojas Doupovec, Annika Pyo, Anthony Venturi, Arielle Shultz, Bonnie Lin, Chloe Seoyeon Lee, Comfort Omotunde, Corrina Blood, Corrine Nichols, Dar Saravia, Di Wu, Eli Siegel, Glen Hong, Gloria (Tzu-Hsuan) Huang, Grace Hong, Hailey Wang, Hayley Clark, Hector D. Rivera, Heather Davies, Julia Cheung, Kate Ragosta, Katelyn Murphy, Kathryn Reno, Kelly Guo, Lauren Boysa, Leila Garner, Lily Adabelle Bailey, Lilia Geguchadze, Luci Barrett, Natalie Seitz, Nicholas Abreu, Nue Yamazaki, Owen Casey, Pink Chotikakovit, Priya Landrigan, Riley Fitzpatrick, Ruxian Wang, Saoirse Killion, Selena Huang, Sheryl Peng, Shi Shi Jacobs, Sicheng (Steven) Li, Simone Dudar, Soph Ang Russo, Stephanie Liu, Steven Barratt, Vanessa Perez, Valentina Ceballos Díaz, Yewon Park, Yeji Kim, Yuka Masamura, Zihan Tang, Zoey Jeong

Thank you to the BFA Branding team for designing all the exhibition graphics and catalog.

04/08/2025

04/02/2025

We’re one week away from BU’s Giving Day 2025! Why does it matter? Giving directly supports our students’ experiences, shaping their creative and professional journeys. Contributions help us update and invest in equipment, fund trips and residencies, and provide opportunities for students to engage with guest artists, critics, and curators. These experiences expand perspectives, build community, and prepare students for their futures in the arts.

Your support ensures that we can continue offering these transformative opportunities. Every contribution makes an impact and helps keep the arts thriving.

Please consider donating today or on Giving Day, Wednesday, April 9th: https://give.bu.edu/schools/BostonUniversity/giving-day/pages/college-of-fine-arts/friends-of-visual-arts/?a=9552030

Thank you!

04/02/2025

BU School of Visual Arts MFA 2025 Thesis Exhibitions are just a couple weeks away! Experience the work of graduating MFA candidates across Painting, Sculpture, Graphic Design, Print Media & Photography, and Visual Narrative. These culminating exhibitions highlight the diverse practices, critical inquiries, and innovative approaches shaping the next generation of contemporary artists and designers.

📍THESIS LOCATIONS & DATES
• April 8 – 19, 2025: MFA Graphic Design, MFA Print Media & Photography (808 Gallery)
• April 8 – 19, 2025: MFA Sculpture, MFA Visual Narrative (Stone Gallery)
• April 29 – May 18, 2025: MFA Painting (Stone Gallery)

🎉 RECEPTIONS
• Friday, April 11, 5–8 PM: MFA Graphic Design,MFA Print Media & Photography, MFA Sculpture, MFA Visual Narrative
• Friday, May 2, 5–8 PM: MFA Painting

📖 SPECIAL EVENT
Visual Narrative Book Talk: Friday, April 11, 4:30 PM in the Howard Thurman Center and on Zoom. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bu-school-of-visual-arts-visual-2025-narrative-mfa-thesis-book-talks-tickets-1295070634129

Can’t make the receptions? We invite you to visit anytime before the exhibitions close. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 AM – 5 PM. Also, please visit the Thesis Exhibition Website (https://bu-mfa2025.cargo.site/) to learn more about each of the graduating students in the class of 2025.

01/27/2025

We are excited to share the Spring 2025 Tuesday Night Lecture Series (TNLS) schedule. This series is hosted by the MFA programs at Boston University School of Visual Arts, bringing practicing artists and designers to Boston University to present their work. In addition to a public lecture on their work, visiting lecturers meet with students for individual and group critiques as well as hands-on workshops. Lectures are located in Room 410/411 at 808 Commonwealth Ave unless otherwise noted.

SPRING 2025 TNLS SCHEDULE
→ Tues. Feb 11, 7 PM: Annette Wagner, MFA Print Media & Photography
→ Tues. Mar 3, 6 PM: Yng-Ru Chen, BU Art Galleries (Lecture in the Stone Gallery)
→ Thurs. Mar 20, 7 PM: Ruby Thelot, MFA Graphic Design (Multiple Formats)
→ Tues. Mar 25, 7 PM: Jessica Vaughn, MFA Sculpture
→ Tues. Apr 1, 7 PM: Tom Thayer, MFA Painting
→ Tues. Apr 8, 7 PM: Raque Ford, MFA Painting
→ Tues. Apr 15, 7 PM: Rogelio Báez Vega, MFA Painting
→ Tues. Apr 22, 7 PM: Cal Siegel, MFA Sculpture
→ Tues. Apr 29, 7 PM: Trevor Shimizu, MFA Painting

Design: Lucy Ye, MFA Graphic Design (CFA'26)

https://www.bu.edu/cfa/visual-arts/lectures/tnls/