Request information at admissions@sva.edu to learn more about the undergraduate fine arts department school at SVA. 

In addition to traditional media, SVA offers experimental practices in digital sculpture and the emerging field of bio-art. From figure studies to cutting-edge con­ceptual approaches, our department prepares the fine arts student to enter a myriad of professions and graduate programs. Courses in art history and contemporary art theory inform creative approaches to diverse aesthetic practices.

The Fine Arts Department at the School of Visual arts is unique. The fine arts student at SVA can choose an individualized course of study. Our new Fine Arts Digital Lab hosts private workstations equipped with up-to-the-minute software and instruction. Our digital sculpture initiative boasts computer-driven cutting machines for fabricat­ing sculpture. Painting classes include projects in direct observation or photography, and/or abstract methods. Our faculty consists of professional artists, critics and curators whose work has achieved both national and international recognition. In addition, the Fine Arts Department sponsors many events and field trips to museums, galleries and artists’ studios to prepare the student for professional-level experience in the fine arts. With Chelsea’s art scene at our back door, students stay tuned in to art history in the making.

Networking opportunities inside and outside SVA prepare our students for job placements and career development. For example, you might land a studio job assisting an instructor or a visiting artist, which could become access to a gallery, which could lead to your first show. In senior year, we invite dealers and curators to open studios showcasing your work, a twice-yearly chance for you to make important connections. On the other hand, we focus on all avenues of creative production. Our almuni have worked at top art museums, animation studios, education venues, art therapy practices, public art and other allied professions.

You have access to more than 90 instructors in the studio department, a number unmatched in size and excellence anywhere else. These artists of stature are a vital part of the New York creative scene, whose work you can see in the galleries, museums and even the public spaces of the city. Connect with the one who inspires and supports your creative efforts the most—the artist you gravitate toward will act as your mentor to help you achieve your artistic goals.

Becoming a fine artist in New York is to see and feel the fluent dynamics of creation as a public phenomenon and an interchange of ideas. Your individual gift, your voice, is made public in exhibition venues.