Mentors

School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents “Mentors,” an exhibition of work by BFA Photography & Video students inspired by their working relationships with world-renowned artists, curators, editors and directors from our global arts community. Organized by department chair Joseph Maida, the exhibition will be on view online from Monday, March 8, through Sunday, March 28.

Drawn from the ranks of the industry’s best-known photographers, curators, art directors, publishers, art dealers, critics and writers, mentors are matched with students based on their field of expertise and the students’ area of concentration. The 2020 – 2021 mentors include Mariette Pathy Allen, Photographer; Jennifer Blessing, Senior Curator, Photography, Guggenheim Museum; Susan Bright, Curator; Gaye Chan, Artist; Professor, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa; Marina Chao, Curator, Gallerist; Brian Paul Clamp, Gallery Owner, ClampArt; Jen Davis, Photographer; Photo Director, NYC & Company; Jessica Dimson, Deputy Director of Photography, The New York Times Magazine; Michael Famighetti, Editor, Aperture Magazine; Larry Fink, Photographer; Tom Gitterman, Owner and Director, Gitterman Gallery; Janice Guy, Gallerist, Photographer; Lyle Ashton Harris, Artist; Cory Jacobs, Executive Producer and Director, Cottage Eight Films; Bill Jacobson, Photographer; Debra Klomp Ching, Owner and Director, Klompching Gallery; Christopher Lew, Curator, Whitney Museum; Pixy Liao, Photographer; Paul Moakley, Editor at Large, Special Projects, TIME; Andrea Modica, Photographer; Alice Momm, Artist, Curator; Selby Nimrod, Assistant Curator, MIT List Visual Arts Center; Jennifer Pastore, Executive Photo Director, WSJ. The Wall Street Journal Magazine; Jack Pierson, Photographer; Jody Quon, Director of Photography, New York Magazine; Elizabeth Renstrom, Senior Photo Editor, The New Yorker; Legacy Russell, Associate Curator, Exhibitions, The Studio Museum in Harlem; Drew Sawyer, Curator, Photography, Brooklyn Museum; Mike Tan, Gallery Director, Rubber Factory; Phil Taylor, Curatorial Assistant, The Museum of Modern Art; Nadia Vellam, Photo and Video Director, T: The New York Times Style Magazine; Carmen Winant, Artist.

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Talya Alsberg Mentor: Elizabeth Renstrom, Senior Photo Editor, The New Yorker — **Talya Alsberg**
Mentor: Elizabeth Renstrom, Senior Photo Editor, *The New Yorker*

Samuel E. Anderson Mentor: Debra Klomp Ching, Owner and Director, Klompching Gallery — **Samuel E. Anderson**
Mentor: Debra Klomp Ching, Owner and Director, Klompching Gallery

Aileen Barney Mentor: Andrea Modica, Photographer — **Aileen Barney**
Mentor: Andrea Modica, Photographer

Carlos Becerra Mentor: Tom Gitterman, Owner and Director, Gitterman Gallery — **Carlos Becerra**
Mentor: Tom Gitterman, Owner and Director, Gitterman Gallery

Hunter Blu Mentor: Lyle Ashton Harris, Artist — **Hunter Blu**
Mentor: Lyle Ashton Harris, Artist

Niki Brisnovali-Grillakis Mentor: Janice Guy, Gallerist, Photographer — **Niki Brisnovali-Grillakis**
Mentor: Janice Guy, Gallerist, Photographer

Yin-Hsuan Chen Mentor: Selby Nimrod, Assistant Curator, MIT List Visual Arts Center — **Yin-Hsuan Chen**
Mentor: Selby Nimrod, Assistant Curator, MIT List Visual Arts Center

Niaya DeLisio Mentor: Carmen Winant, Artist — **Niaya DeLisio**
Mentor: Carmen Winant, Artist

Chris Facey Mentor: Jessica Dimson, Deputy Director of Photography, The New York Times Magazine — **Chris Facey**
Mentor: Jessica Dimson, Deputy Director of Photography, *The New York Times Magazine*

Kat Franczak Mentor: Paul Moakley, Editor at Large, Special Projects, TIME — **Kat Franczak**
Mentor: Paul Moakley, Editor at Large, Special Projects, *TIME*

Mia Sweeney Gahrmann Mentor: Phil Taylor, Curatorial Assistant, The Museum of Modern Art — **Mia Sweeney Gahrmann**
Mentor: Phil Taylor, Curatorial Assistant, The Museum of Modern Art

Krista Gay Mentor: Legacy Russell, Associate Curator, Exhibitions, The Studio Museum in Harlem — **Krista Gay**
Mentor: Legacy Russell, Associate Curator, Exhibitions, The Studio Museum in Harlem

Abbey Gilbert Mentor: Brian Paul Clamp, Gallery Owner, ClampArt — **Abbey Gilbert**
Mentor: Brian Paul Clamp, Gallery Owner, ClampArt

Jonathan Glam Mentor: Jack Pierson, Photographer — **Jonathan Glam**
Mentor: Jack Pierson, Photographer

Alyana Gonzalez Mentor: Jody Quon, Director of Photography, New York Magazine — **Alyana Gonzalez**
Mentor: Jody Quon, Director of Photography, *New York Magazine*

Ori Highbloom Mentor: Susan Bright, Curator — **Ori Highbloom**
Mentor: Susan Bright, Curator

Yuhan Hu Mentor: Christopher Lew, Curator, Whitney Museum — **Yuhan Hu**
Mentor: Christopher Lew, Curator, Whitney Museum

Jun Liu Mentor: Pixy Liao, Photographer — **Jun Liu**
Mentor: Pixy Liao, Photographer

Nicholas Loffredo Mentor: Jen Davis, Photographer, Photo Director, NYC & Company — **Nicholas Loffredo**
Mentor: Jen Davis, Photographer, Photo Director, NYC & Company

Audrey McLean Mentor: Mike Tan, Gallery Director, Rubber Factory — **Audrey McLean**
Mentor: Mike Tan, Gallery Director, Rubber Factory

Jacob Mendel Mentor: Larry Fink, Photographer — **Jacob Mendel**
Mentor: Larry Fink, Photographer

Shuxin Niu Mentor: Nadia Vellam, Photo and Video Director, T: The New York Times Style Magazine — **Shuxin Niu**
Mentor: Nadia Vellam, Photo and Video Director, *T: The New York Times Style Magazine*

John Novotny Mentor: Mariette Pathy Allen, Photographer — **John Novotny**
Mentor: Mariette Pathy Allen, Photographer

Jonathan Owuor Mentor: Jennifer Blessing, Senior Curator, Photography, Guggenheim Museum — **Jonathan Owuor**
Mentor: Jennifer Blessing, Senior Curator, Photography, Guggenheim Museum

Georgia Raddon Mentor: Cory Jacobs, Executive Producer and Director, Cottage Eight Films — **Georgia Raddon**
Mentor: Cory Jacobs, Executive Producer and Director, Cottage Eight Films

dominique russo Mentor: Jennifer Pastore, Executive Photo Director, WSJ. The Wall Street Journal Magazine — **dominique russo**
Mentor: Jennifer Pastore, Executive Photo Director, *WSJ. The Wall Street Journal Magazine*

Calvin Sheely Mentor: Alice Momm, Artist, Curator — **Calvin Sheely**
Mentor: Alice Momm, Artist, Curator

Idrissa Sidibe Mentor: Michael Famighetti, Editor, Aperture Magazine — **Idrissa Sidibe**
Mentor: Michael Famighetti, Editor, *Aperture Magazine*

Ewan Tang Mentor: Marina Chao, Curator, Gallerist — **Ewan Tang**
Mentor: Marina Chao, Curator, Gallerist

Kay Thebez Mentor: Drew Sawyer, Curator, Photography, Brooklyn Museum — **Kay Thebez**
Mentor: Drew Sawyer, Curator, Photography, Brooklyn Museum

Aubrey Wipfli Mentor: Gaye Chan, Artist; Professor, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa — **Aubrey Wipfli**
Mentor: Gaye Chan, Artist; Professor, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Fengyao Yang Mentor: Bill Jacobson, Photographer — **Fengyao Yang**
Mentor: Bill Jacobson, Photographer

The Mentors program at SVA is designed to cultivate relationships between established and emerging artists and to introduce new talent to the broader community. Established in 1992, this program pairs select fourth-year students with key figures in the arts community, giving them professional insight into their work during a culminating point in their education.