Blog

X animation

‘The Plastic Horror’ short animated film by Shenuka Corea (’24) is festival bound

• 20 days ago

• by Ben

Congratulations to Shenuka Corea (’24)  who was awarded a filmmaking grant by Art With Impact. Her animated short film, titled ‘The Plastic Horror’ will premire at the Voices With Impact […]

Pilar Newton (’20) is recognized among 10 notable Black animators for her contributions to the industry

• 3 months, 12 days ago

• by Ben

We’d like to congratulate Pilar Newton (’20) for the well-deserved shout-out on ‘CinemaBlend’ and ‘SVA in the Press.’ Pilar was mentioned along with other amazing storytellers in an article titled […]

‘Thirst’ by Andrea Schmitz (’16) does the animation festival circuit

• 4 months, 6 days ago

• by Ben

Congratulations, Andrea Schmitz (’16)! Andrea recently posted on Instagram: Thank you so much @midsummerscream @animazefilmfest Scream Queen Shockathon Film Fest @asylumhorrorshow @weirdfilmfest and @arkansascinema for showing my film ‘Thirst’ so much […]

Marissa Jones (’20) studies where the known and the unknown meet

• 6 months, 22 days ago

• by Ben

Marissa is a motion and multimedia designer driven by storytelling. Whether it’s from all of the sci-fi she watched as a kid or all of the times she got lost in the woods, Marissa loves the promise of an uncharted adventure.

Eva Hall (’20) uncovers the hope in the horror

• 7 months, 9 days ago

• by Ben

Eva’s thesis ‘Mira’ will begin touring the festival circuit this spring and summer (2023), her experience at MFAVN changed her perspective on the craft of storytelling and gave her a chance to grow as a storyteller while challenging her audience in new ways.

And Then… 2022 exhibit is now open to the public

• 11 months ago

• by Ben

School of Visual Arts presents “And Then . . . 2022,” a thesis exhibition of visual stories by five graduates of the MFA Visual Narrative class of 2022, curated by […]

Digital Short Story 2022 | Justin Altman’s ‘CROCMAN’

• 11 months ago

• by Ben

The Digital Short Story ’22 exhibit includes 9 entertaining stories by the Class of ’23. Next up in our spotlight is Justin Altman’s ‘CROCMAN . THE STORY: Recycled plastic. 31% […]

Digital Short Story 2022 | Rafael Pearl’s ‘Mr. Hide-and-Seek and the Pugnacious Duke of Molasses’

• 11 months, 16 days ago

• by Ben

The Digital Short Story ’22 exhibit includes 9 entertaining stories by the Class of ’23. Next up in our spotlight is Rafael Pearl’s  ‘Mr. Hide-and-Seek and the Pugnacious Duke of […]

Digital Short Story 2022 | Sydney Chavan’s ‘Zombie Boyfriend’

• 11 months, 19 days ago

• by Ben

The Digital Short Story ’22 exhibit includes 9 entertaining stories by the Class of ’23. Next up in our spotlight is Sydney Chavan’s ‘Zombie Boyfriend’. The story: In the midst […]

Join us in Gather for our interactive online DIGITAL SHORT STORY exhibit

• 1 year, 13 days ago

• by Ben

Please join us for our interactive online Digital Short Story Show that will be held in our exhibition space in Gather (link below). Presenting Artists: Basya Goldstein Erin Casey McNichol […]

Checking in with illustrator and animator Maura Condrick (’21)

• 1 year, 2 months ago

• by Ben

Maura Condrick ’21 is an award-winning story artist, character designer, and art professor working in comics and animation. She’s been appointed to the faculty of the Computer Arts Department at SVA. […]

Pilar Newton (’20) talks about Courage The Cowardly Dog and Pilartoons!

• 1 year, 3 months ago

• by Ben

  Pilar Newton (’20) sat down with Thomas Beauford of Tongal and discussed her work on ‘Courage The Cowardly Dog’, ‘Daria’ and her own projects, including her thesis story ‘Snozzlewinks!’ […]

Happy Holidays from the MFAVN family to you and yours!

• 2 years, 5 months ago

• by Ben

MFA Visual Narrative wants to wish everyone a warm and safe holiday season, as we bring a close to a year that has been unlike any other. We want to […]

DECEMBER 11th: Join us for the MFA Visual Narrative Info Session

• 2 years, 6 months ago

• by Ben

Sign up here On December 11th, learn all about our low-residency visual storytelling MFA from Chair Nathan Fox, along with students, alums and guests. Get your questions ready! When words and […]

Eva Louise Hall (’20) is awarded the first annual AEF Thesis/Completion Grant

• 2 years, 9 months ago

• by Ben

Congratulation to Eva Hall (’20) for being awarded the first Animation Educators Forum Thesis/Completion Grant! Well-deserved. Follow Eva on Instagram for more news on her thesis. From the press release: […]

Eva Hall’s ‘Mira’

• 2 years, 10 months ago

• by Ben

‘Mira’ by Eva Louise Hall (’20) Ready to quit her dreams of becoming a celebrated accordionist after busking day after day for an isolating swamp metropolis that isn’t listening, young […]

Marissa Jones’ ‘The Space Nomad’

• 2 years, 10 months ago

• by Ben

‘The Space Nomad’ by Marissa Jones (’20) After her civilization collapses into decay, a scrappy but engineering nomad wanders empty planets in a clunky spaceship that is now her home. Each […]

Alana Corwin’s (’20) ‘Persephone’

• 2 years, 10 months ago

• by Ben

In the early years of the 20th century, in a house that was once grand. Persephone returns to her childhood home after her mother’s funeral. As Demeter’s only heir, Persephone […]

Welcome to the 2020 Digital Short Story show!

• 2 years, 11 months ago

• by Ben

Enjoy the stories! Curators’ Statement: From animation and interactive apps to comics and picture books, the digital short stories and their accompanying physical artwork are the culmination of the 2nd […]

Marissa Jones (’20) shares her thesis story with us | ‘The Space Nomad’

• 3 years, 1 month ago

• by Ben

After her civilization collapses into decay, a scrappy but engineering nomad wanders empty neighborhoods in her clunky spaceship that doubles as her home. The only thing she has left from […]

Eva Louise Hall (’20) takes over and shows us tidbits of ‘Mira’

• 3 years, 1 month ago

• by Ben

Eva Hall’s Takeover begins! From Instagram: Good morning folks! After a wild month or two I’m happy to be back at it on Instagram today for my @mfavn take-over! I’m […]

Alana Corwin shows us her thesis story, ‘Persephone’

• 3 years, 1 month ago

• by Ben

Persephone, a middle aged woman returns to her mother’s empty old house after her mother’s funeral. Persephone, alone in this house, must now pack it up, but the significance of […]

Misbelief: Olivia Li’s ‘When you don’t have a nightlight’

• 3 years, 6 months ago

• by Ben

Olivia Li (’21) tells the delightful story of what happens when you don’t have a nightlight. Read the short, delightful tale here.

WATCH: Tony Chao’s misbelief revealed in ‘Danger in Noodletown’

• 3 years, 7 months ago

• by Ben

Tony Chao (Class of 2021) gives us ‘Danger in Noodletown’. As a child I was told to never break the noodles. I was told the longer you slurp the noodles, […]

The Story Behind the Story | Christine Alicia Di Pasquale presents ‘Obsolete No More’

• 3 years, 9 months ago

• by Ben

  “Obsolete No More: Cursive Makes a Comeback” is an animated interactive website about a mature woman coming into her own power as she fights back against the patriarchal systems […]

Public-Eye Alumni: Louisa Bertman (Class of 2015)

• 4 years, 2 months ago

• by Ben

Louisa Bertman is currently working on a game that will be part of a larger exhibition, “Rightfully Hers” for the National Archives in Washington DC, an interactive experience about Women’s […]

WATCH: Pilar Newton-Katz (Class of 2020) talks about the life-work-work-work balance 

• 4 years, 3 months ago

• by Ben

Pilar manages to teach while earning her MFA at MFA Visual Narrative. How does she do it? Watch to find out… If you’re applying for Summer 2019, then be sure […]

What’s MFA Visual Narrative mean to our students? Here’s what Pilar Newton-Katz thinks!

• 4 years, 4 months ago

• by Ben

Pilar Newton-Katz tells us what MFA Visual Narrative means to her from MFA Visual Narrative at SVA on Vimeo.

WATCH: Analog to Digital: Dynamic Transformations explores the histories of our characters

• 5 years, 2 months ago

• by Ben

Matt Rota had his students study the history of their characters and give them life. The Class of 2018 made some beautiful shorts with this assignment!  

Building Interactive Worlds Across Media with Matthew Weise

• 5 years, 8 months ago

• by Ben

Interactivity has become a large part of the storyteller’s toolbox. Whether through immersive virtual worlds, video games, non-digital board games or participatory theater, storytellers need to know how the settings, […]

Jon Bero’s short film ‘Yuki’ is headed to the Cheyenne Zombie FEST!

• 6 years, 8 months ago

• by Ben

A big congratulations to alum Jon Bero for being accepted into a film festival! His film ‘Yuki’ is premiering at the Cheyenne Zombie FEST which is a zombie-centric festival in […]

Jon Bero presents ‘Yuki’

• 6 years, 9 months ago

• by Ben

There is beauty in the broken, but Yuki, a deer plagued by anxiety, isn’t able to see it. As a result of a misguided attempt by his closest companion Michi […]

Andrea Schmitz presents ‘Door’

• 6 years, 9 months ago

• by Ben

Door is the story of Gaia, a stubborn teenager who has just moved into a creepy house with her mother and is determined to hate it, despite her mother’s reassurances. […]

Setting up the 2016 thesis show, ‘And Then…’

• 6 years, 10 months ago

• by Ben

2016’s And Then… show was an excellent example of immersive storytelling. Each graduating student has been charged with showing their story in a way that engages the audience. You’ll have […]

Class of 2016 thesis peek: Andrea Schmitz’s ‘Door’

• 6 years, 10 months ago

• by Ben

See the full film on July 22! Here’s a peek at Andrea Schmitz’s animated short thesis, Door. See the full story at our thesis show, And Then… Also be sure […]

Lucea Spinelli’s beautiful animations are haunting

• 7 years, 2 months ago

• by Ben

We’re lucky to have the incredibly talented Lucea Spinelli on staff. Between managing the cats of MFAVN she manages to produce some much talked-about work. We asked her a few […]

Check out our new animated ad for Juxtapoz and Colossal!

• 7 years, 5 months ago

• by Ben

We’re kind of nuts for the animated ads that Lucea Spinelli made for us. They’ll be running in the Aperture newsletter, Hi Fructose and Daily Heller, plus Colossal and Juxtapoz […]

NO|ON 2013: Ann Coddou’s ‘The Source’

• 7 years, 6 months ago

• by Ben

NO|ON 2013: Ann Coddou’s “The Source” from MFA Visual Narrative at SVA on Vimeo.

Feifei Ruan’s “Wa” from the NO|ON Project

• 7 years, 6 months ago

• by Ben

Feifei Ruan’s “Wa” is another charming story by the talented MFAVN grad. Wa is the tale of Wa and Fi, the elemental children of Grandma. Can Wa find Fi and […]

Nathan Fox talks about MFAVN with Tylyer Q Tucker at SPX 2015!

• 7 years, 8 months ago

• by Ben

Nathan Fox, MFAVN Chair, got to talk to Tyler Q Tucker at SPX 2015 where he opens up about his training, his career and his MFA program! He stresses being honest […]

NO|ON 2015: Cady Juarez’s “Intervention”

• 7 years, 9 months ago

• by Ben

What is NO|ON? Short for “Narrative Object, Objective Narrative” it embodies the idea that every object contains its own narrative and every successful narrative strives for a unique objective. For the annual […]

NO|ON 2015: Mary Georgescu’s “Undercurrents”

• 7 years, 9 months ago

• by Ben

Mary GeorgescuWhat is NO|ON? Short for “Narrative Object, Objective Narrative” it embodies the idea that every object contains its own narrative and every successful narrative strives for a unique objective. For the […]

NO|ON 2015: Christina Mattison Ebert’s “Ginseng”

• 7 years, 10 months ago

• by Ben

What is NO|ON? Short for “Narrative Object, Objective Narrative” it embodies the idea that every object contains its own narrative and every successful narrative strives for a unique objective. For the annual […]

Looking back on the class of 2015’s thesis show, “And Then”

• 7 years, 10 months ago

• by Ben

Have you ever had a show of your work? Seeing your efforts on the wall, or on the pedestal, or behind the glass can be delightful, but getting to that […]

Have fun being Spooked by Rachel Mersky’s new animated short

• 7 years, 11 months ago

• by 1 Trick Pony

MFAVN student, Rachel Mersky, has been working on an animated project title Spooked. It first caught our attention when we spotted this animated gif fly through one of our plethora […]

Tool tales: The ten year quest for the perfect tablet

• 8 years, 8 months ago

• by Ben

Game trailers can be a lot like movie trailers, but they can also tell stories of their own. We’ve admired the ambition of many trailers recently, so we decided to […]