ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL
Mar. 26, 2010
“MENTORS” AT SVA
Fancy a spot under the wing of youthquake photography superstar Ryan McGinley? What about with author-turned-Oprah foe-turned-art dealer James Frey? Or how about with brainyArtforum editor Tim Griffin? Well, those are the kinds of opportunities that 80+ School of Visual Arts photography BFA students got with the most recent round of the institution’s “Mentors” program. The pairings are set up by photography department chair Stephen Frailey, who chooses mentorships based on the direction of the student’s work. As to the structure of the mentorships, it is described as “variable” in character, depending on what kind of sparks fly between participants. The artistic results of the 2010 collaborations are currently on view in a show at the SVA’s Visual Arts Gallery at 601 West 26 Street, Mar. 19-Apr. 3, 2010.
Worthy figures who donated their time as SVA mentors include critic-curators Vince Aletti (teamed with Aaron Boldt), Mia Fineman (Alex Bush) and Neville Wakefield (Nathaniel C. Shannon); artists Tina Barney (Dani Saul), Gregory Crewdson (Michelle Labriola), Tim Davis (Carly Planker), Liz Deschenes (Inga Moren), Adam Fuss (Katherine Schweitzer),K8 Hardy (Kelly Hopper), Laurel Nakadate (Kyle Ganson) and Taryn Simon (James Thomas Josephs); and dealers Jen Bekman(Elizabeth Ribuffo), Bonnie Benrubi (Anna DePalma), Yossi Milo (Matt Kushan), Yancey Richardson (Helen Ann Michelsen) and Julie Saul (Stephanie DelMonte).