SVA Alumni Affairs presents a panel of six alumni at varying stages of their careers discussing how their paths as illustrators, fine artists, photographers and filmmakers have evolved since graduating from SVA. They’ll talk about the challenges and triumphs of establishing a life and career in the arts, and where they’ve landed with their work today.

Panelists include Scott Bakal (BFA 1993 Illustration), Jenny Morgan (MFA 2008 Fine Arts), Kate Neckel (MFA 2002 Computer Art), Vincent Peone (BFA 2007 Film and Video), Annie Watt (BFA 1974 Media Arts) and Heidi Zito (MFA 2012 Photography, Video and Related Media).

Scott Bakal is an award-winning illustrator who has had work included in The New York Times, Variety, The Wall Street Journal and over 100 other publications and media. As an advocate for education and illustration, Scott served on the Society of Illustrators Board of Directors where he was Chairman of the Student Scholarship Competition from 2006-2012. His work can be found in the permanent collections of the United States Air Force Museum and the Norman Rockwell Museum, among others. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Massachusetts College of Art & Design.

Jenny Morgan is an artist living and working in New York City. Her work has been shown in solo exhibitions in New York, Colorado, Utah and Indiana; in numerous group exhibitions across the United States; and internationally in England and Sweden. She was a finalist for the Outwin Boochever 2006 Portraiture Competition at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., and has appeared in publications such as The New York Times and The Village Voice. Jenny is currently represented by Driscoll Babcock Gallery in New York City.

Kate Neckel is an artist and designer whose clients have included Café Grumpy, InStyle, Vanity Fair, Vogue and Wildair Resturant. Kate has a line of bedding and home goods with Italian brand Bassetti and was a featured artist in Cole Haan’s “Makers” campaign. She has created murals for Hudson Studios, Chelsea Day School and Ace Hotel NYC. Her first book, Start Now! The Creativity Journal, was published by Chronicle Books in 2015. She lives and works in New York City.

Vincent Peone is an award-winning commercial and narrative film director. After graduating from SVA, he worked for seven years at CollegeHumor.com as staff director and director of photography, and helped build the original content department. Vincent frequently speaks at film and media festivals, including SXSW and the Vimeo Film Fest. He is currently developing a television show with Comedy Central and recently completed his first short stop motion animated film The Sea is Blue (2015) for YouTube’s Field Day channel.

Annie Watt has worked extensively as a society event photographer in New York City, the Hamptons, Beverly Hills and Palm Beach. As a contributing photographer for Condé Nast, Hearst Magazines and New York Social Diary, her work has been featured in Avenue, Elle Décor and Town and Country, among many others. In 2015, she established the Annie Watt Agency, and her clients have included the American Heart Association, the Red Cross and Lenox Hill Hospital.

Heidi Zito lives and works in New York City as a visual designer by day and an artist by night. Heidi’s work has been featured in The Huffington Post, O, People and Refinery 29, and has shown in two solo exhibitions in New York. In search of the perfect balance between her career, creative passions and personal happiness, she maintains an art studio in Brooklyn where she paints and explores a variety of creative endeavors.

Talk

Let's Talk: Curating Your Life in the Arts | Alumni Panel Discussion

SVA Theatre