School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents “Man Made Monsters,” an exhibition of projects by BFA Illustration and BFA Cartooning students. Curated by the faculty of the course Pictorial Problems: Nicholas Bertozzi, Joseph Cavalieri, Brian Adam Douglas, Joo Chung, Teresa Fasolino, Peter Fiore, Frances Jetter, Eliott Lilly, Travis Louie, Joshua Neufeld, Carl Potts, Jessica Ruliffson, Koren Shadmi, David Soman and Lauren Weinstein, the exhibition will be on view online from Monday, May 4, through Monday, May 18, at galleries.sva.edu.

“Man Made Monsters” explores fictional and biographical texts and images that involve the man-made monsters that we create. This theme has been fodder for writers, filmmakers, composers and journalists for generations.

With a commitment to excellence dating back to SVA’s founding in 1947, BFA Cartooning helps students develop a point of view and an individual voice as they master the rudiments of line, color and form in a wide range of media. Studies of art history and world cultures are paired with painting, drawing, storytelling and pictorial problem solving, culminating in the production of a portfolio of original work that presents each student’s distinct sensibility. Comic books, graphic novels, children’s books, editorial cartoons, theatrical posters, figurative art exhibitions, film and television credits and production designs—all are powerful vehicles for artists’ inner worlds and meaningful contributions to a public forum. At SVA, cartooning students are prepared to lead the way.

BFA Illustration cultivates expert individual voices that are sustained by a high degree of craft, with a curriculum designed to spark the imagination as well as teach the art of interpretation: the ability to carefully read and cross-reference texts, research visual styles and conceptualize and produce significant bodies of work. As they progress through the program, assignments become increasingly professional in nature and reflect the diversity of the illustration marketplace, from media, entertainment and publishing to fashion and toy design, figurative painting in a fine art context, and other fields. Students develop sophisticated, multifaceted portfolios and participate in industry-sponsored competitions, which provide valuable exposure and networking opportunities.