The School of Visual Arts in New York City sits at the heart of art and community on the East Coast. With a largely diverse student body and faculty deeply embedded in their industries, it is easy for any emerging artist to start their professional network among talented peers.
When it comes to building networks and planting roots outside of classrooms, SVA’s three animation departments have fostered their own community support to extend the reach of recent graduates to shine alongside thousands of alumni all around the world.
BFA Animation’s Thesis Zine is a yearly student-organized project and celebrates the accomplishments and potential of the graduating class. Former Senior Student Representative Kyunglee “Kaylee” Park, recalls the assembly process with pride: “The friends that we made and shared experiences of learning and growing together are all compiled in one booklet that we can keep close to our hearts.”
Besides being a compilation of student work, this annual tradition has become a beloved student project of each thesis class, serving as a beacon back to each other beyond their school days.
“After graduation, everyone naturally goes their separate ways. Life takes everyone in different directions, and given time, people lose touch,” Park adds. “But the zine serves as an easy way to find each other again. If one of us finds a job that we know is perfect for a friend we’ve lost contact with, the thesis zine is there to build that connection again.”
Each year, industry friends eagerly anticipate discovering fresh talent by exploring their films and the Thesis Zine, which beautifully showcases everyone’s unique artistic styles. The Thesis Zine serves as a vibrant portal, connecting the BFA Animation’s vibrant animators to the world and celebrating their incredible creativity.
Industry Portfolio Review Night is a student-run event within the BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects department, co-organized by the department’s student clubs and helmed by student leader Lesley Marroquin (class of 2025). The clubs include the 3D Animation club, 3D Modeling club, 3D Sculpting club, M.A.R.S. (Mentorship, Advice, and Relationship Services), and the VFX club.
Now in its second year, Marroquin cites that the success of the reviews lies within the strength of the clubs and events the student club organizers curate for their peers. When reflecting on last year’s overwhelmingly fruitful event, Marroquin says:
With everyone’s help, we were able to run a very successful event where a total of 56 students from all four grade levels got their portfolios reviewed. With the clubs working together more often, I feel like there is a lot more sense of community than if the individual clubs only hosted events targeted to their specific focuses.
The goal for the clubs is to find a wide range of students and industry guests: recruiters, cg generalists, animators, cg leads, compositors, and more, to create a rich event. Marroquin also aims to collaborate with studios that have summer internships, like Hornet and Framestore, during the selection process. M.A.R.S. club’s regular activities put focus on bringing professionals in the industry to give talks. Due to the nature of the Portfolio Reviews, their background has helped them tackle this event from a unique perspective.
“I believe that the 3D & VFX clubs’ portfolio review has helped students gain a sense of direction for where they can take their art,” Marroquin said. “I know for many students that it may be their first ever portfolio review, so with this event, I hope they do not have any fear of pursuing more in the future.”
MFA Computer Arts brings together a community of industry pros, indie animators, fine artists and more, whether it’s through in-person meetups, screening & discussion series, or classroom presentations. Animators, artists, and alumni from across this spectrum also find a common thread in The Animator’s Friend, a podcast from MFA Computer Arts staff & faculty member India Lombardi-Bello.
The Animator’s Friend (available on all major platforms) is an interview podcast to get to know animators outside the context of their work. Instead of purely focusing on the industry or technical craft, this podcast aims to learn about the person behind the work. For students, this can be a great opportunity to learn more about the animators in their orbit, sometimes even their own teachers, or alumni who recently sat in the same classrooms and have now started up animation careers of their own.
It can also be a great place to find words of wisdom. For example, listeners can hear recent guest Anne Beal (who students may recognize from in-class presentations and/or her award-winning work) talk about the “70% Rule”: A way of shaking insecurity in your work is to say to yourself when you are working on something, “Is this mostly complete? Is the basic goal being achieved here? Am I happy enough with the result even if it’s not perfect?” If the answer is “Yes,” share it! It’s done!
A fresh graduating class of 2025 introduces a brand new group of eager and talented students to the world. Everyone can support their thesis projects this Spring at SVA’s End of Year events! The 2025 Animation Celebration Screening for BFA Animation takes place on Friday, May 16, at the SVA Theatre. The BFA 3DVFX family and friends screening, Encore!, will be on Wednesday, May 15 at 6:30pm at the SVA Theatre. Doors open at 5:45pm. MFA Computer Arts Thesis Screenings may be streamed until May 27th and will open an exhibition of thesis work on Friday, June 6, at the SVA Chelsea Gallery.