Graduate Programs is to develop artists who will con- Art and tinue to challenge norms, question standards and surprise people technology long after they leave SVA. Being have always been fantastic based in New York City also offers partners in creativity, and our MFA a significantly enhanced cultural students consistently create great experience, including music, the- examples around that intersection. ater, food, museums and, of course, We place a strong emphasis on world-renowned art galleries. personal exploration by encouraging Our students come from all around students to push their precon- the globe, bringing unique cultural ceived boundaries and embrace perspectives to the creative process. early experimentation as a critical Our combination of small class part of the iterative process. sizes, working professionals as fac- The MFA Computer Arts program ulty and guest lecturers, provides emphasizes creativity and a multi- in-depth exposure to all areas of disciplinary approach to producing , motion graphics and innovative animation, motion graph- experimental art. ics and experimental art within a collaborative state-of-the-art production environment. Our goal —Terrence Masson, chair About the Program

Yu Wang, The Organized Life, 2020

The MFA Computer Arts program at SVA Graduates of the department are emphasizes creative experimentation and employed by the most prestigious companies a multidisciplinary approach to making art and digital studios, including Adobe, Google, with computers and emerging technologies. Industrial Light & Magic, , DreamWorks, Dedicated to producing digital artists of Disney, Imageworks, Blue Sky the highest caliber, the department guides Studios, the Mill, CHRLX, MTV and Electronic students in the development of a personal Arts. Some alumni choose the entrepre- artistic style in a course of study that is neurship of their own businesses. Those who individually tailored to meet their needs. pursue fine art careers exhibit their work in Students come from around the world to museums and galleries, including the Solomon study in this two-year degree program, which R. Guggenheim Museum, P.S.1/MoMA, Whit- has distinguished itself with nine Student ney Museum of American Art, Los Angeles . Museum of Contemporary Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Smithsonian Museum „ Founded in 1986 and with a network of of American Art, Digital Art Museum, Chelsea over 1,000 alumni, the SVA MFA Computer Art Museum and Tate Online. By combining Arts Department was the first MFA pro- creativity with academics, graduates have also gram in the U.S. to focus on computer art. published books and scholarly writings, and „ The first-year curriculum strengthens have chosen teaching careers at prestigious and broadens the student's knowledge higher education institutions. and creative approach to digital art in Awards have been bestowed upon our preparation for the thesis year. students by major international competi- „ The second year revolves around the tions, including Student Academy Awards, thesis process—the completion of a body Adobe Design Achievement Awards, YouTube of creative work, combined with academic Awards, Prix Ars Electronica, SIGGRAPH, research and an artist’s statement. Electronic Theater and Art Show, Webby „ The first- and second-year academic Awards, ISEA and the Leonardo Award for programs are supplemented by work- Excellence. Student works have appeared in shops, visiting artists, guest lecturers such acclaimed festivals as Cannes, Tribeca, and internship opportunities. Sundance, Annecy, Ottawa and New York, among dozens of others.

4 MFA COMPUTER ARTS CASE STUDY Melody Shih Motion Graphics Artist's Thesis Lands Her a Gig at CNN

“I’ve always loved to draw,” says Melody Shih. “I like holding pencils and crayons in my hand.” Growing up in Taiwan, she was the girl in class who covered the pages of her textbooks with cartoons. Her favorite class was art; it was the place where she found the confidence to pursue her budding passion. Looking back, she says, “I think that was where I realized I wanted to have the ability to communicate through art.” She went on to study at Taiwan’s Kun Shan Uni- versity, majoring in Visual Communication Design. After graduating, she began building a career as a graphic designer and illustrator. It was a perfect start to her life as a working artist, but for Melody, something was still missing. 

6 MFA COMPUTER ARTS 7 “I remembered looking at my work and think- “If I didn’t have this thesis film,” she says, ing, ‘It's lacking something,’” she recalls. “It “I wouldn’t have this job at CNN.” would be more engaging if I could make my Last year, Melody was lead designer on illustrations move and tell the stories.” Destroyed, a work of animation which was She started researching graduate nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding schools, and found the MFA in Computer Arts Graphic Design and Art Direction. The project department at SVA, which offers a program in told the story of hundreds of rape kits that motion graphics. She watched videos created were destroyed by police before the statutes by alumni, and was amazed by what she saw. of limitations on the crimes expired. The She felt certain that the work they were doing video’s release united lawmakers, politicians was exactly what she wanted to learn. and victim advocates in a fight for change. Moving to New York was both exhilarating “It's incredible to know that animation and overwhelming. Melody was fascinated and visual storytelling is so powerful,” Melody by the energy of the city, its crowded streets says. “It can create real-world change.” and deafening soundscape, but some days it overloaded her. Adjusting to a new environ- ment and speaking a different language took time, but it also became a source of inspiration. For her thesis project, she directed Cacophony, a short animation film for which she created a visualization of the sound in New York, transposing the feeling of things heard into colorful images and abstract patterns. Barking dogs, ringing phones, honking horns and chattering teeth fill the screen as a young woman stops at a city crosswalk. Overcome by the harshness of her urban environment, she takes a few deep breaths, and is transported to a place of inner calm, where the sound of her own heartbeat brings her a sense of peace. The film screened in multiple festivals, garnering awards along the way. It was chosen as a Vimeo Staff Pick, and was posted onto the SVA website, which is where a manager in the animation and graphics department of Character deveopment for Cacophony, Melody Shih's CNN discovered it. Excited by what he saw, 2016 student film he contacted Melody, offering her a job as a motion graphics designer for the network.

Stills from Cacophony

8 MFA COMPUTER ARTS 9 The MFA Computer Arts program is Curriculum/ multidisciplinary and features areas of concentration in animation, motion Sample Program graphics and experimental art. 3D Animation 2D Animation FIRST YEAR/FALL CREDITS FIRST YEAR/FALL CREDITS 3D Modeling and Animation 3 Computer Systems I 3 Animation Culture 3 Digital Art Seminar I 0 Computer Systems I 3 Motion Graphics I 3 Digital Art Seminar I 0 Narrative and Visual Storytelling 3 Narrative and Visual Storytelling 3 Theory, Criticism and History of Time-Based Media 3 Programming for Animators 3 Web Programming I 3

FIRST YEAR/SPRING FIRST YEAR/SPRING Advanced 3D Techniques 3 Digital 2D Animation: Tight Tie Downs 3 Advanced Modeling and Rigging Concepts 3 Digital Art Seminar II 0 Digital Art Seminar II 0 Digital Storyboarding 3 Digital Storyboarding 3 Ecstasy & Apocalypse 3 Technical Direction 3 Motion Graphics II 3 Theory, Criticism and History of Time-Based Media 3 Web Programming II 3

SECOND YEAR/FALL SECOND YEAR/FALL Character Animation 3 Compositing 3 Dynamics and Particle Systems 3 Motion Graphics: Visual Storytelling, Creative Strategy and Design 3 Production Issues: Animation I 3 Production Issues: Motion Graphics I 3 Thesis I 3 Thesis I 3 Thesis Research and Writing I 3 Thesis Research and Writing I 3

SECOND YEAR/SPRING SECOND YEAR/SPRING Compositing 3 Production Issues: Motion Graphics II 3 Production Issues: Animation II 3 Seminar in Musical Choices 3 Seminar in Musical Choices 3 Video Projects 3 Thesis II 3 Thesis II 3 Thesis Research and Writing II 3 Thesis Research and Writing II 3

10 MFA COMPUTER ARTS 11 Experimental Art

FIRST YEAR/FALL CREDITS Computer Systems I 3 Creative Programming for Artists I 3 Digital Art Seminar I 0 New Media in Contemporary Art 3 New Forms in Media 3 Sound Workshop I 3

FIRST YEAR/SPRING 3D for Fine Artists 3 Creative Programming for Artists II 3 Digital Art Seminar II 0 Emerging Practices: Nonlinear Storytelling 3 New Media Theory 3 Virtual Reality Storytelling 3

SECOND YEAR/FALL 3D Design and Fabrication I 3 Emerging Practices: The Experiential Image 3 Sound Workshop II 3 Thesis I 3 Thesis Research and Writing I 3

SECOND YEAR/SPRING 3D Design and Fabrication II 3 Emerging Practices: The Computational Image 3 Production Issues: Experimental Art 3 Thesis II 3 Thesis Research and Writing II 3

Santiago Messier, Control: The Illusion of, 2019

12 MFA COMPUTER ARTS CHARACTER ANIMATION This course provides students with a workshop setting Course in which to deepen their understanding of professional practice and solve complex animation problems. It will focus on techniques such as forward and inverse kinematics, lip-sync and facial expressions, model deformation (morphing), animating Offerings lights and camera movement and CREATIVE PROGRAMMING rotoscoping. Acting techniques will FOR ARTISTS I & II This is a sample of our recent course listings. For our be practiced so that students can These courses are intended for students who have no better understand how to convey prior exposure to programming and who want to build full curriculum, please visit: sva.edu/mfaca/curriculum. fluidity of movement and expression their own tools to create digital art. We will take a close of emotion in animated characters. look at the techniques used to program simple manip- The course will be divided into ulations of video and sound works, and control these lectures, demonstrations, tutorials, with a broad range of external controllers that are in-class exercises and critiques. commercially available, as well as with simple camera and motion-tracking techniques. The course will con- ADVANCED MODELING MOTION GRAPHICS I & II sist of lectures and presentations, AND RIGGING CONCEPTS Encompassing drawing, two- and three-dimensional with a short assignment after each EMERGING PRACTICES: NONLINEAR Creating animated characters is animation, video, stop motion, photography and typo- session. Software and hardware STORYTELLING one of the most challenging aspects graphic elements, motion graphics extend beyond the include: Max/MSP/Jitter and the Using a studio approach, this course will equip MFACA of modern cinema. Students will commonly used methods of frame-by-frame anima- Processing language tool set; Ardu- students working in the fine arts with both the tech- learn how to create 3D characters tion and live action and create a conglomeration of ino, iCube and other I/O devices; nical tools and the conceptual framework to approach from design to modeling and setup multiple visual styles. Motion graphics can be used to Korg Nano, QuNeo and MIDI-based new practices and art forms in relation to computa- through the development of a char- creatively go beyond the rules of representation, thus controllers; Kinect, Leap and other tional storytelling. Topics include: the implications of acter pipeline. Considerations in augmenting the various ways that media artists can 3D interfaces; and iPhone, iPad and installation and immersive media, themes of technol- character design, how to incorpo- delve into their imaginations and express unique visual smartphone apps that are able to ogy and the body, ongoing discourse in the culture of rate anatomy to improve character and aural works. While the primary software for these control the computer. technology, the historical context of interactive and workability and how to develop a courses are Adobe After Effects and Cinema 4D, stu- new media art. Students will explore alternative narra- flexible nonlinear workflow will be dents are strongly encouraged to explore the creative tive forms that are computation-based through a broad covered. Modeling issues such as software available to them, as well as experiment with sampling of tools and techniques, such as generative geometry types, topology and effi- traditional media. Project critiques will be given to and interactive media, gesture and sensor-controlled ciency will also be explored. Rigging develop an informed sense of refined creative expres- software, digital fabrication, VR and projection mapping. topics include kinematics, expres- sion. Advanced techniques relating to combining 2D sion and binary nodes, joint place- and 3D animation, live action and stop motion will be ment and orientations, and binding explored in depth. Course work will be complemented and deforming skin geometry. By by guest lecturers and workshops given by industry the end of the course, students will professionals. Students will complete the course with have created a character they can a reel that showcases both their creativity and easily animate. knowledge of the software.

14 MFA COMPUTER ARTS 15 Notable DIGITAL 2D ANIMATION: TIGHT TIE DOWNS NARRATIVE AND VISUAL Have you ever seen a fluid and dimensional piece of STORYTELLING rough animation—a tie down—and wondered how to This course will study the struc- create one? This course will cover an overall approach tural elements underlying animated to animation as a process. This approach will work entertainment, both traditional for experienced animators looking to improve their and experimental narratives. Story technique or newcomers who want to get an overview structures will be analyzed to Ye WonAlumni Cho Erwin Redl John F. Simon Jr. of how great animation is made and try their hand at discover what content can be some fun explorations. Assignments will start with conveyed within 30 seconds, a few Ratatouille, Inside Out, Whitney Museum of The Museum of Modern Art, sketching/boarding, then move into layout and rough minutes or longer in art and enter- Finding Dory American Art, Bitforms Solomon R. Guggenheim Gallery, National Art Museum, Whitney Museum animation, culminating in a finished piece. Through- tainment. We will focus on the key Yong Duk Jhun Museum of China of American Art, Los Angeles out the course, students will refine the same piece of elements of storytelling, including , Shrek Forever County Museum of Art animation until they start to see how this process can the development of concepts, such After, The Croods Carlos Saldanha be applied to all animation jobs. Halfway through the as the central dramatic question, : Dawn of the semester, we’ll start over from scratch to iron out mis- inciting incident, idiosyncratic Nancy Kato Dinosaurs, Ice Age: takes in the first pass. The goal is to give students the characters and spaces, conflicts WALL-E, Finding Nemo, Up The Meltdown, Rio tools to begin a career as a top-tier digital 2D animator. and needs, mounting tension, reversals and resolution. Visual lan- VIDEO ART AND BEYOND guage will be addressed by gaining This course begins by examining a familiarity with camera shots, the emergence of video art of movements, angles and placement. the 1960s, through structuralist Through short assignments, stu- films and the freewheeling days of dents will develop original scripts, “feedback” and “real-time” manip- concept sketches, storyboards and ulation of the analog electronic animatics. The basics of previsual- I realized that combining signal. Students will examine ization will be covered. An exam- how the barriers between artistic ination of key works in the field is disciplines broke down as artists included. multiple skills together to form took up portable video cameras, experimented with installation, VIRTUAL REALITY unified, multidisciplinary projects is staged actions and went outdoors STORYTELLING to build land art. Works of con- In this course students will examine temporary video artists who move the fundamentals of cinematogra- how I want and need to approach my freely between painting, sculpture, phy and storytelling to bring them photography, film, performance into VR/AR environments. We will and other media will be discussed, address such elements as story- work. The curriculum at SVA allowed as well as the contributions by boarding, lighting cues, camera musicians toward developing new framing, sound effects and music. me to explore and tailor my education working methods. The course Students will begin with basic will consist of weekly screenings, real-time production pipeline meth- analysis of installations, readings ods using Unity and will complete toward multiple interests by picking a and written assignments. the course with a fully realized VR/AR project. variety of completely unrelated classes.” —Kamil Nawratil, MFA 2013

16 MFA COMPUTER ARTS 17 Casey Reuter Amresh Sinha Angelica Vergel 3D generalist filmmaker media researcher, visual artist Steve Rittler Rory Solomon animator, illustrator educator, software engineer Ben Voldman illustrator, animator Federico Muelas Romero Paul Sultan Faculty new media artist pipeline technical director, Ada Whitney CHRLX co-founder, creative To learn more about the faculty Trilby Schreiber director, Beehive designer, illustrator, Hans Tammen members and to read their biographies writer, producer deputy director, Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Center visit: sva.edu/mfaca/faculty. Rich Shupe founder, president, Jose Vargas FMA, New York visual artist Terrence Masson Jon Dieringer Sonnye Lim chair, MFA Computer Arts technical director, animator Department Electronics Arts Intermix Jasper Lin Daniel Abramovich Timothy Druckrey animator, computer artist, illustrator; graphic artist; author programmer printmaker; stereoscopic supervisor, Mary Franck David B. Mattingly creative director, ESI Design matte artist, illustrator Lotte Marie Allen Lecturers, project coordinator Lauren Gibbons Adam Meyers senior interaction designer producer Benton C. Bainbridge visual artist Thyrza Nichols Goodeve Nikita Mikros Mentors & critic, writer game developer; chief Juan Beltré executive officer, motion graphics Edgar David Grana Tiny Mantis Entertainment designer, animator composer, collaborator Thesis Advisors Hsiang Chin Moe John Benton Jeffrey W. Hagerman filmmaker, artist, curator Ignacio Barrios Ken Goldberg Mark Osborne narrative designer in director of photography, senior character technical artist, writer, inventor, film director, writer, producer, immersive technology; on set colorist, digital Ciaran Moloney director, Blue Sky Studios researcher animator founder, Love8; producer, imaging technician senior FX artist, The Mill prgrm.org Nitzan Bartov Maria Lee Carol Parkinson In Pyo Hong Luis Rodrigo Navarro game designer, architect artist/shading artist, Pixar executive director, Anney Bonney computer graphics animator new media artist Animation Studios Harvestworks visual artist John Canemaker Jamie Keesing Alex Noyes filmmaker, writer, animator, Golan Levin Jan Pinkava Kun-I Chang visual artist, writer sound designer; sound editor; animation historian artist, researcher director, writer, animator creative director, visual artist re-recording mixer; owner, Robert Kohr ReSound Post José Carlos Casado Barbara London Bill Plympton Meng Chih Chiang associate animation director, multimedia artist curator animator, graphic designer, creative director, Mengdom On Air John Patterson cartoonist Experimental Design Lab technical director Pete Docter Paul Miller (a.k.a. DJ Spooky) Wilfried Laforge film director, animator, DJ, artist, writer Terry Dame research associate, Institut David Peng screenwriter, producer composer, sound designer, Acte/CNRS, Panthéon- animator instrument inventor Sorbonne University

18 MFA COMPUTER ARTS 19 Application Process APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS For a full list of application requirements and detailed instructions, visit: sva.edu/grad/howtoapply „ Online Application and $80 Application Fee: sva.edu/apply

DEADLINES For information on application deadlines, visit: sva.edu/grad/timeline

IMPORTANT LINKS „ FAQ: sva.edu/grad/faq „ International students: sva.edu/grad/intl „ Tuition and fees: sva.edu/tuition „ Visit SVA: sva.edu/grad/visit

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Kaitlyn Fitzgerald, Undying Love, 2019; Yuan Ting Chao and Lei Tu, Sweet Dreams, 2019; Beau Bonnet, ICU, 2019; Yu Jian, Today’s Special, 2019

20 MFA COMPUTER ARTS 21 Contact Us Contact Us

We encourage applicants to visit our department. Contact us ACCREDITATION Pursuant to Section 52.21 of the Regulations of the directly to schedule a department tour or sign up to attend an The has been authorized by the Commissioner of Education, the educator preparation Information Session. For more information and to register, go New York State Board of Regents (www.highered. program offered by the School of Visual Arts is con- to: sva.edu/grad/visit. nysed.gov) to confer the degree of Bachelor of sidered to be continuously accredited for purposes If you have any questions about the application process, Fine Arts on graduates of programs in Advertising; of meeting the New York State requirement that all contact Graduate Admissions at 212.592.2107 or email: Animation; Cartooning; Computer Art, Computer such programs maintain continuous accreditation. [email protected]. Animation and Visual Effects; Design; Film; Fine Arts; The School of Visual Arts’ Master of Arts in Teaching Illustration; Interior Design; Photography and Video; in Art Education program was previously accredited Terrence Masson, chair Visual and Critical Studies; and to confer the degree by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Bruce Wands, chair emeritus of Master of Arts on graduates of programs in Art Preparation (CAEP). Angelica Vergel, director of operations Education; Critical Theory and the Arts; Curatorial India Lombardi-Bello, assistant to the chair Practice; Design Research, Writing and Criticism; and The Master of Professional Studies in Art Therapy Lotte Marie Allen, academic advisor and to confer the degree of Master of Arts in Teaching degree program is approved by the American Art curriculum coordinator on graduates of the program in Art Education; and to Therapy Association, Inc., and as such meets the edu- Milos Paripovic, senior systems director confer the degree of Master of Fine Arts on graduates cation standards of the art therapy profession. Darren Santa Maria, AV systems administrator of programs in Art Practice; Art Writing; Computer Rob Campbell, systems administrator Arts; Design; Design for Social Innovation; Fine Arts; Illustration as Visual Essay; Interaction Design; CREDITS Tel: 212.592.2778 Photography, Video and Related Media; Products of © 2020, Visual Arts Press, Ltd. Fax: 212.592.2509 Design; Social Documentary Film; Visual Narrative; Executive creative director: Email: [email protected] and to confer the degree of Master of Professional Anthony P. Rhodes Site: sva.edu/mfaca Studies on graduates of programs in Art Therapy; Creative director: Gail Anderson Department Site: mfaca.sva.edu Branding; Digital Photography; Directing; Fashion Design director: Brian E. Smith Photography. Design: Anthony Carhuayo facebook.com/mfacasva Editorial: Sheilah Ledwidge, Abby Kreh twitter.com/sva_mfaca The School of Visual Arts is accredited by the Middle Case study writer: Ann C. Collins vimeo.com/svamfaca States Commission on Higher Education (msche.org), Case study photographer: Jeremy Cohen Instagram: sva_mfaca 3624 Market Street, Suite 2 West, Philadelphia, PA Linkedin: sva_mfaca 19104, 267.284.5000. The Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency The School of Visual Arts does not discrimi- recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the nate on the basis of gender, race, color, creed, Council for Higher Education Accreditation. disability, age, sexual orientation, marital sta- tus, national origin or other legally protected The School of Visual Arts is an accredited institu- statuses. tional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (nasad.arts-accredit.org). The College reserves the right to make SVA turns out the best changes from time to time affecting policies, The Interior Design program leading to the Bachelor fees, curricula and other matters announced of Fine Arts in Interior Design is accredited by the in this or any other publication. Statements in students because they have Council for Interior Design Accreditation (accredit-id. this and other publications do not constitute org), 206 Grandville Avenue, Suite 350, Grand Rap- a contract. the most prepared skill set. That’s ids, MI 49503-4014. COVER: Doudou Liu, Olive, 2019 The School of Visual Arts’ Department of Art why I recruit from there today.” Education is currently pursuing accreditation of its educator preparation programs by the Association for —Myung Lee, MFA 2004 Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP).

22 MFA COMPUTER ARTS 23 School of Visual Arts

209 East 23rd Street, NYC sva.edu/grad