MFAVN’s Storyteller Series is an annual lecture program that will appeal to storytellers across disciplines. This year’s selection includes discussions about visual storytelling, VR, and social justice in the context of food and identity. Lectures are public and free, but registration is required through Eventbrite. All lectures take place on the SVA Campus.
Carol Silverman (’20) | From Plane to Sphere: The Medium of Virtual Reality Wednesday, June 21 · 11am – 12pm EDT
Edel Rodriguez | Making ‘Worm,’ a Graphic Memoir Wednesday, June 28 · 11am – 12pm EDT
Skooby Laposky | The Sound of Storytelling July 12th · 11am – 12pm EDT
Jenny Dorsey | The Intersection of Food, Identity, and Social Justice Wednesday, July 19 · 11am – 12pm EDT
Carol Silverman will speak about her experience as a Set Decorator and VR Artist on June 21st from 11am – 12pm
Carol is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work centers on the narrative power of objects. She has been involved with the international XR community since 2016. Carol created virtual reality experience BELONGINGS, which was an official selection at the 2021 Raindance Immersive, FIVARS, and Animation Nights NY Best of Fest festivals. BELONGINGS was included in the 2022 Independent Motion show at the Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery at SUNY Fredonia and in the 2023 VR Art Show at the New Images Festival in Paris, France. Carol has worked for many years as a film and television set decorator. She has decorated projects ranging from parody commercials for Saturday Night Live to feature film The Hoax, directed by Lasse Halstrõm to the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, for which she and her team were recognized by the Television Academy with four Emmy Awards. She received her MFA in Visual Narrative from the School of Visual Arts in New York in July 2020.
“I’m interested in thinking about the space between two dimensional and three dimensional storytelling; in what gives the viewer a sense of agency when experiencing extended reality, and why a particular story is best told using technology to alter observed reality. Also, real time experiences, non-linear narratives and live performance in Virtual Reality. Not necessarily all together at once.”
Edel Rodriguez will give a talk on his graphic memoir, Worm on June 28th from 11am – 12pm.
Edel was born in Havana, Cuba in 1971. He was raised in El Gabriel, a small farm town surrounded by fields of tobacco and sugar cane. In 1980 Rodriguez and his family boarded a boat and left for America during the Mariel boatlift. They settled in Miami, where Rodriguez was introduced to and influenced by American pop culture for the first time.
Edel has been a regular contributor to The New Yorker magazine, The New York Times and TIME magazine for the last 25 years. He has exhibited internationally with shows in New York, Los Angeles, Havana, Berlin, La Paz, Cape Town, Prague and London. He has created over 200 magazine and book covers and has illustrated 10 children’s books, two of which he has authored. Rodriguez has also created several stamps for the U.S. Postal Service and has illustrated poster and advertising campaigns for many operas, films, and Broadway shows.
Rodriguez’s artwork is in the collections of a variety of institutions, including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., as well as in numerous private collections. His work has received numerous awards from The Art Director’s Club and The Society of Illustrators in New York City.
Skooby Laposky presents ‘The Sound of Storytelling’ July 12th from 11am – 12pm. Laposky will share how his work in sound with a formal background in visual art helps to tell his personal story and the stories of his clients in a memorable and impactful manner.
Skooby Laposky, sound designer and artist, has shaped the personality for consumer robots, produced original music for couture runway shows, and added depth to documentary films with his field recordings and original scores. His most recent work has focused on biodata sonification music to enhance restorative experiences and to promote better environmental stewardship.
Jenny Dorsey will give a talk on her work and background working at the intersection of food, identity, and social justice on July 19th from 11am – 12pm.
Jenny is a professional chef, author, and speaker who leads a nonprofit research organization named Studio ATAO, and runs her own culinary consulting business. Jenny writes a newsletter titled Way Too Complicated, and has bylines in outlets such as The Washington Post, Eater, The Counter, and Food & Wine. In pre-pandemic 2020, she gave her first TEDx Talk titled How Food Can Be A Source of Identity, Intimacy, and Vulnerability. In 2022, she was named to Food & Wine’s industry Changemakers list, as well as the World’s 50 “50 Next” list.
Take a look at our full list of events on Eventbrite. We look forward to seeing you there.