Arriving at the Academy

By Madeleine Hines (MFA 2014)

I'm a couple weeks into my first semester at the New York Academy of Art and since I've started my excitement for the two years ahead has only grown. Every morning I'm increasingly proud to walk into our building at 111 Franklin Street in Tribeca. Before I even enter the classroom, there is artistic inspiration at every turn - from weekly artist lectures and studio critiques to the students chatting outside the building or gathering to depart for a gallery opening or museum show.

Academy Facade at Night

There is so much that makes this school a truly special, but the student body is what struck me most during my first week. My classmates are brimming with talent, energy and ambition. Last Friday night, the school assembled for a gathering called "My Work and I." Each student stood up alongside three images of their work and had a minute to discuss their background and art. The superb talent blew me away! I've been so impressed to learn about the diverse trajectories that led my classmates to this school. Some of them have already been showing at galleries and establishing themselves as artists in their native cities across the country and world, while others, including myself, are arriving here from drastically different careers outside the art world. While I look forward to the competitive atmosphere that I expect will arise out of such a driven and talented student body, for now I feel nothing but support and open arms. 

Such an accomplished student body would not be the reality without the amazing faculty that attracted us here. My roster of instructors this semester - Steven Assael, John Jacobsmeyer, Randy McIver, J.P. Roy, and John Zinsser - span a wide range of artistic types. I'll describe each of them more at length in my posts to follow, but for now, just know that each of them has their own unique perspective and expertise and I'm thrilled to be learning from each them.

Here's a glimpse at what I'm most looking forward to in the week ahead: 

1) Alex Kanevsky is visiting this Wednesday! There's so much I love about is painting style - his loose brushwork rich color, light, and texture. Not only do I get to listen to him give a lecture, but I was also lucky enough to sign up for a 20 minute critique with him! 

2) Next Friday, our painting instructor J.P. Roy is bringing our class to his studio in Williamsburg. His work is incredible and I learned in class today that it's all from his imagination. Crazy! Can't wait to see it in person.

To conclude this first post, I'd like to bring up an exhibition I viewed this week at The Met, Regarding Warhol: Fifty Artists, Sixty Years.  I greatly enjoyed the show and found it very fitting to have seen a Warhol show during my first weeks here, since Andy Warhol founded the New York Academy of Art in 1982. Thanks Andy!!

Madeleine

Madeleine Hines (MFA 2014) will be blogging here throughout the year about her first year at the Academy and moving to New York City.  Check the label "First Year Experience" or "Madeleine Hines" for more posts about her first year at the Academy.