Visual & Critical Studies

Visual & Critical Studies Visual & Critical Studies is a four year Bachelor of Fine Arts degree offered at the School of Visua Who’s teaching this innovative curriculum?

If literacy means the ability to read and write, then Visual and Critical Studies teaches cultural literacy. And that involves the ability to “read”—to understand and interpret art, philosophy and visual thinking of the past and present; and to “write”—to make art. The Visual and Critical Studies department at the School of Visual Arts is a cutting-edge program where students can immerse themselves in both of these projects. This is because we believe that intellectual curiosity and the drive to make art are not mutually exclusive; rather, they enhance and invigorate one another, and in the process give our students an edge in the competitive postgraduate arenas where an academic and practical facility with visual media is crucial. It’s a simple concept, really: our curriculum is designed for students who want a broad exposure to the studio arts while they simultaneously investigate the historical, cultural and theoretical movements that give those arts shape, dimension and power. We offer a wide range of our own foundation courses, giving students the flexibility to experiment and explore the different mediums in which they can channel their voices. These studio courses include drawing, photography, sculpture, graphic design and digital video. We integrate those studio courses with a rigorous academic curriculum that tackles everything from Aristotle and Shakespeare to Bloom, Lacan and Derrida. A faculty of Fulbright and Getty scholars, NEA grant winners, painters, writers, filmmakers, historians, philosophers, photographers and graphic designers—all of whom embody that confluence of creativity and intellect that electrifies and defines New York City. Add a great lecture series where visiting luminaries address issues like art’s integration with technology, science, political activism, and kitsch; spirited tours through Chelsea’s gallery district; and day trips to museums and galleries in nearby cities where the arts are flourishing and impacting the scene in New York, and it’s not surprising that our enrollment figures have risen steadily and dramatically since our program’s inception. This is the kind of program you won’t find in another undergraduate college. And what our Visual and Critical Studies students gain from it is an intellectual maturity and skill set that will serve them both inside and outside the studio for years to come. If you believe that critical thinking and historical perspective are just as important as developing your craft, then we have the program, the college and the city just for you.

This Sunday afternoon, Julia Santoli (BFA 2015 VCS) will present a day of sound workshops and performances at in Brookl...
05/26/2022

This Sunday afternoon, Julia Santoli (BFA 2015 VCS) will present a day of sound workshops and performances at in Brooklyn, with Banu Çiçek Tülü , Inu-to-Neko, and ._.fish

SVA School of Visual Arts Asian Cultural Council

Announcement of a sound performance event organized by VCS alumna Julia Santolia at The Living Gallery in Brooklyn, May 29, 2022

VCS senior show, How Much Does it Hurt? open for viewing w/a small outdoor reception Thurs night. So much awesome work t...
01/25/2022

VCS senior show, How Much Does it Hurt? open for viewing w/a small outdoor reception Thurs night. So much awesome work to see here, grappling with the moment. More info + curator statement: https://sva.edu/events/how-much-does-it-hurt
SVA School of Visual Arts

TOMORROW, Wednesday, December 15, join author and artist Justin Beal () in conversation with curator Sohrab Mohebbi (som...
12/14/2021

TOMORROW, Wednesday, December 15, join author and artist Justin Beal () in conversation with curator Sohrab Mohebbi (somo795) to celebrate new release SANDFUTURE. Organized by faculty member Martha Fleming-Ives.

https://www.greenenaftaligallery.com/news/sandfuture-book-talk-justin-beal-in-conversation-with-sohrab-mohebbi

Sandfuture is a work of literary non-fiction about the life of architect Minoru Yamasaki (1912-1986). Blending memoir, biography and architectural history, Sandfuture circles outward from the central narrative of Yamasaki’s life to examine subjects that range from the image of the architect in literature and film, to the changing character of the contemporary art world, to the broader social and political implications of how cities are built.

With a narrative structure that defies the conventions of traditional biography, Sandfuture draws unexpected connections between architecture and bodies, sick building syndrome and chronic migraines, that shadow the developing narrative of Yamasaki’s career. Beal splices the story of Yamasaki’s life together with scenes from his own—including the flooding of a New York art gallery in 2012 and the destruction of the World Trade Center in 2001–as the slender silhouette of a new super-tall residential tower rises above a city under influence of growing wealth disparity, shifting power dynamics and a new climate reality.

For program details and to RSVP, go to link in bio.

MIT Press Greene Naftali School of Visual Arts SVA SVA Library

Join us to celebrate new release Sandfuture with author and artist Justin Beal in conversation with curator Sohrab Mohebbi.

Two paintings by artist and VCS & Art History faculty member Christian Breed are on view through March 20, 2022 as part ...
12/13/2021

Two paintings by artist and VCS & Art History faculty member Christian Breed are on view through March 20, 2022 as part of “Bronx Calling: The Fifth AIM Biennial” at The Bronx Museum of the Arts. The exhibition is part of a series of events commemorating the museum’s 50th anniversary. Tickets are free, but must be reserved online.

https://sva.edu/features/two-paintings-by-christian-breed-in-bronx-calling-the-fifth-aim-biennial-at-the-bronx-museum

The Bronx Museum of the Arts School of Visual Arts SVA

Announcement of artist and SVA faculty member Christian Breed's participation in the exhibition “Bronx Calling: The Fifth AIM Biennial” at The Bronx Museum

Faculty member Jeanne Silverthorne’s sculptures are the subject of the solo exhibition “What’s Going On Here?”, on displ...
12/07/2021

Faculty member Jeanne Silverthorne’s sculptures are the subject of the solo exhibition “What’s Going On Here?”, on display through January 8, 2022 at the Rowan University Art Gallery in Glassboro, New Jersey.

https://sva.edu/features/jeanne-silverthorne-in-the-solo-exhibition-what-s-going-on-here-at-the-rowan-university-art-gallery-through-january-8-2022

Here's the gallery's description of the exhibition:
"Through cast rubber sculptures, Silverthorne embraces her studio as a metaphor for abandonment, collapse, and entropy as it relates to the absurdity of social constructs and the misguided perceptions of stability and constancy. Her rubber crates, workshop dollies, lamps and light bulbs are imbued with cast rubber weeds, vines, and insects, becoming humorous, comedic versions of their authentic counterparts. They teeter and bob in their flimsy and clumsy form as if they are about to collapse from their own “weight.” In their unsteadiness something is “not quite right.” and we are compelled to wonder “what's going on?”

Silverthorne’s sculptures can be seen as excavations of the studio that has been neglected and haunted by the “vanished voices” of deceased artists, family, friends, and studio assistants. Natural forms such as dandelions, sunflowers, and insects contrast the remains of the studio that is both metaphorically and literally frozen in a state of collapse and decay. Searching through the rubble unearths lost artifacts, lost art forms, and brings to light what has been concealed or hidden in a state of deep storage. Today as we reflect on the work created between 2009 and 2021 it resonates with our current state of social isolation and displacement."

School of Visual Arts SVA Rowan University Rowan U Art Gallery

Announcement of the exhibition “What’s Going On Here?” at the Rowan University Art Gallery, featuring sculptures by SVA faculty member Jeanne Silverthorne

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