The Year Before.

By Maria Teicher, MFA 2013



This time last year I was just beginning to understand my flow within New York and the school that now feels like a second home. I recognized very little faces and was just starting friendships. It was all new and a bit overwhelming. Everything felt a little foreign (which is strange considering I grew up only an hour outside of the city) yet it all had a sense of magic to it. Coming back in this year I can’t help to be reminded of how different I felt just one year ago. The fear is gone and is instead replaced by a stronger work ethic, and the ability to jump into whatever is ahead of me without worry.

The first day last year was slighting different than it was this year. Our orientation was an entire day followed by an exhibition of the 2011 fellows. Following NYAA through blogs and social media sites, I knew OF these three artists and knew what their work looked like digitally. As always though, art is so much better viewed in person. I walked around the exhibition space that night feeling this incredible sense of inspiration, awe, and again, magic.

Last year every part of that first day was brand new, from how we all got to be sitting in the same room together to how the incredible pieces I would see that night were made. This year, half of the faces were a breath of fresh air to see again, while the other half I couldn’t wait to get to know better. The faculty was familiar, the same professors who I’d learned so much from were there and the fellows were acquaintances and friends.

I walked around the 2012 Fellows opening just as inspired and in awe as I did the year before. This time, however, I felt like I had taken part of the journey of making these brilliant pieces with them. I had seen this art in different stages and spoke to the artists about the work. I had shared coffee or a love of printmaking with them. I knew their journey from before the academy all the way through their experience at NYAA. We were somehow part of the same family now (this very large, very talented New York Academy of Art family) and because of that their artwork took on a new meaning.

The greatest part of this year’s opening was that these pieces didn’t lack the magic that I had seen the year before as a stranger to both the school and the artists. I believe the sense of community here has added something better than a feeling of mysticism. There is now an added excitement for three artists I never imagined crossing paths with before coming here. The newest emotion coming back this Fall was walking into the exhibition, and being so proud.

Congratulations a hundred times over to Ian Healy, Aliene De Souza Howell, and Emily Davis Adams.  Thank you for your shared words of wisdom, kindness and allowing us to see your talents in close and personal ways.  

My First Tribeca Ball, 2012

By Amanda Scuglia, MFA 2013

Photography by Maria Teicher, MFA 2013

In the weeks leading up to the ball, there was a lot of buzz going around the Academy. Party planners came in to discuss the look of the evening and the entertainment. The students cleaned up their studios and displayed their best work. The walls throughout the building were curated by the faculty.

The evening of the ball, students arrived dressed in cocktail attire. This was different from how we are used to seeing each other, with old clothes covered in paint. Franklin Street was blocked off and security was high. Masked models were dressed in bodysuits and exquisite Van Cleef and Arpels jewelry. Celebs and art collectors were met in the lobby by red carpet photographers. We mingled in and around our studios once the guests arrived.

Live music was performed on all 6 floors. All bars were fully stocked with top-shelf liquor and personal-size champagne bottles. Entertainment was occurring in each designated room. No matter which door you chose, something fun was happening. You could witness a performance piece or get your photograph with a Frida Kahlo or Rene Magritte painting. (photography at these artists booths, including the shot below of Jessica Augier and I, courtesy of www.bringintobeing.com)

Celebrities like Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber, Julianna Margulies, Solange Knowles, Kim Cattrall, Nora Zehetner and Carla Gugino walked through our studios. Artists like Will Cotton and Jeff Koons were also spotted. I was lucky enough to be greeted by some curious art supporters with questions about the content of my paintings. I got to explain to interested viewers the process of my work. I received some great feedback and I even sold a piece! It was such an exciting night for all of us.

After the cocktail hour we were rushed out of the building and onto the after-party at bar M-15 on Walker Street. The class of 2012 and 2013 had many drinks and many dances. Meanwhile, back at the Academy, Robert DeNiro was being honored at the Tribeca Ball dinner for his years of continued support of the arts. He was met by friends like Harvey Keitel and Mary-Kate Olsen, among others. See some selected photos, featuring some artist studio shots, from the night below. See full set of photos by Maria Teicher at on our flickr page here.

Adam LaMothe, MFA 2012

Nic Bandy, MFA 2013

Holly Sailors, MFA 2012

Kristy Gordon, MFA 2013

by Kaitlynn Stubbs, MFA 2012

Nicolas Sanchez, MFA 2013

Ramona Bradley, MFA 2012

Rob Plater, MFA 2013

Sherry Di Filippo, MFA 2012

Elana Baziz, MFA 2012

This Side of the Red Sticker

Maria Teicher is currently in the first year of her MFA at the New York Academy of Art.  Although painting is her first and foremost, Maria also works as a photographer.  With camera in hand at all the Academy's events, her perspective is unique as it often changes within each new frame. A new conversation is heard with another focus of her lens.  


Originally posted by, Maria Teicher, MFA 2013

The general art loving/collecting public doesn't often get to see the artist's perspective behind the finished canvas. There's often a lot more to the work hanging on the white wall before you. There's a real human being there that is often overlooked and unrealized.

The Academy has some incredible opportunities for students attending. Deck The Walls is a big one. Three walls filled with incredible art by students and alumni are divided by price points while artists paint live models in the middle of our gallery space. Collectors and art lovers crowd around, finding art they connect to and some even purchase works to take home. This particular show is anonymous and the collector does not know who exactly they are purchasing work from until later.  It's a beautiful idea that forces one to look at the work rather than the name of the artist. It's a fun frenzy, but there's more to it than one would realize.

I entered Deck The Walls with camera in hand (as usual) and walked around the room. The excitement from everyone was apparent and contagious. I stumbled over to where my pieces were and within the first hour, two had sold. Overjoyed, I immediately captured the red sold sticker and contacted my fiancé. It was an incredible moment but I wasn't forced to analyze how big these moments can be until a little later on.


After walking around the event and documenting it's blissful candids of holiday art, drinks and fun, (which you can see here: flickr) I found some of my fellow classmates and friends. A handful of us got wrapped up in great conversation as we quietly kept our eyes on our pieces. Some of us had sold works while others hopefully waited. I watched my classmate Daniela as the dialogue continued. She had yet to sell and I observed her  eyes floating back and forth from her piece to the conversation taking place. A few minutes passed and all of a sudden there was a red sticker placed next to her painting. The genuine excitement and emotion she exuded was beautiful, infectious and honest. Her eyes filled with quiet tears as she apologized for becoming emotional. She explained that this was her first work ever sold and the weight of the moment was felt by all. Standing there with her, the group of us couldn't be more thrilled for her. It was only a few minutes in time, but that feeling will stay with me for years to come.  

To put your mind, heart and hand into something (no matter the subject) takes a lot of courage. When someone you do not know connects enough with something you have made to purchase it, it is a feeling like no other. Art lovers and collectors may not realize that these little moments exist, but they do. They're a silent encouragement to the artist. They are a confirmation that our passion, hard work and skill can make connections to the world we observe and choose to express through creating. 

There's an entire world on the other side of the red sticker and although I'm slighting bias, I must say that it's a really great one.