School of Visual Arts

A large class room filled with students discussing their work and observing another student presenting a projectA large class room filled with students discussing their work and observing another student presenting a project
Illustration in dark greens, orange, cobalt blue and brown set off a secret garden of flowers, plants and tiny creaturesIllustration in dark greens, orange, cobalt blue and brown set off a secret garden of flowers, plants and tiny creatures
Two students work together to assemble a project created with 3D printers in BFA Design's Wilde Lab workspaceTwo students work together to assemble a project created with 3D printers in BFA Design's Wilde Lab workspace
Soft sculpture made of pieces of clothing, patterned fabric, small photographs, and denim jeans combine into a pillow shape sitting on a gallery floorSoft sculpture made of pieces of clothing, patterned fabric, small photographs, and denim jeans combine into a pillow shape sitting on a gallery floor
Student wearing headphones studying in a the Caren Goldberg BFA Design library surrounded by vivid colored booksStudent wearing headphones studying in a the Caren Goldberg BFA Design library surrounded by vivid colored books
Surreal illustration features two cubist faces with large lips, and playful expressions dreaming and holding various objectsSurreal illustration features two cubist faces with large lips, and playful expressions dreaming and holding various objects
Young woman operating a pedal-crank sculpture made of a bicycle partsYoung woman operating a pedal-crank sculpture made of a bicycle parts
Elaborate coils of braided hair twist and turn to create a symmetrical graphic pattern in black and tan colorsElaborate coils of braided hair twist and turn to create a symmetrical graphic pattern in black and tan colors

Accelerate Your
Professional Growth

Accelerate Your
Inventiveness

Accelerate Your
Collaboration Skills

Accelerate Your
Creativity

Accelerate Your
Critical Thinking

Accelerate Your
Artistic Awakening

Accelerate Your
Ingenuity

Accelerate Your
Creative Vision

Learn MoreApply
The 3rd Avenue and East 23rd Street Corner Signs with an official “SVA Way” sign underneath (Left); The 23rd Street building with two SVA NYC banners hanging above as students stand below.

Welcome to our urban campus, a slice of New York City life.


A subway station poster with an illustration of a pencil shaving and the words “Stay Sharp (left); Four different posters made by SVA Faculty over the years.

“Stay Sharp” (2024) poster by Riccardo Vecchio on a subway platform (left); more SVA subway posters by (clockwise from top right) Peter Hristoff, Marshall Arisman, Gary Panter, and Carol Fabricatore.

Students reading at a round table with shelves of books around them (left); A student working on a painting on the wall while another works at a desk.

Interior of SVA Library (left); students working in a classroom facility.

A skyline showcasing differently sized buildings, some made of brick, others made of concrete.

New York City skyline as seen from the 23rd Street Residence, which exclusively houses first-year students.

An archival picture of students listening to a lecture (left); Two people observing a drawing at a desk.

An SVA drawing class circa 1960, courtesy of SVA Archives.

We are School of Visual Arts

SVA is a leader in the education of artists, designers, and creative professionals.

#1 - Best 2D Animation School In the World

The Rookies Global School Rankings 2023-2026

#1 - Top 50 Illustration Colleges in the U.S.

Animation Career Review College Rankings 2023-2026

Best Fine Arts Programs

U.S. News & World Report Best Grad Schools Rankings 2026

#1 - Global Creative College

The One Club Rankings 2026

#1 - Top 10 Graphic Design School Programs in New York

Animation Career Review 2025 College Rankings

#1 - Best College for Illustration in the U.S.

CollegeRaptor 2026 Best Colleges Rankings

See More Rankings

Our Community

Major happenings from around the College, including news, events, exhibitions, and more.

Digital concept art of a rain-slicked industrial street at night, where workers in orange jumpsuits and hard hats gather at a small Korean food stall tucked beneath massive rusted storage tanks and pipework, its neon sign reading "Korean" glowing beside a "Korner Mart" marquee down the block. The grimy, cluttered setting evokes a dense, worn sci-fi cityscape where everyday life persists amid heavy industry.Digital concept art of a rain-slicked dystopian street where workers in orange jumpsuits and hardhats gather at a small neon-lit Korean food stall nestled beneath massive rusted industrial tanks and pipework. Neon signage, graffiti, and a glowing "Korner Mart" storefront add bursts of color against the grimy, overcast machinery-filled setting, evoking a gritty cyberpunk atmosphere of labor and everyday life amid decay.

November 2026 Exhibitions and Events at SVA

A woman wears paint-splattered clothes and stands alongside an interior door and wall, on which she has painted a mural of large flowers, raindrops, and flying human forms.

Announcing the Fall/Winter 2026–27 Visual Arts Journal

A group of travelers sits atop camels draped in colorful woven blankets, posing in an open desert landscape under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds. Several riders raise their arms and smile toward the camera, conveying a lighthearted, celebratory mood, while a guide in traditional headwrap stands near the front of the line. Flat sandy terrain stretches to the horizon, with faint hills and structures visible in the distance.

Four SVA Destinations Programs to Expand Your Artistic Horizons

a group of students stand at a table for the SVA club Women Supporting Women

Join Us: 2026–27 Student Clubs at SVA

READ MORE FEATURES

Currently on View

Anywhere–Everywhere: Selections from the Peter J. Cohen Collection of Vernacular Photography

Image of black and white photographs in a pile.

SVA Flatiron Project Space

Oct 2 - Nov 12

Fall 2026 BFA Photography and Video Student Exhibitions: Clio Bildman, Weston Lee Andrews, and Yikai Wang

A photographic collage of a sunlit New York living room, assembled from overlapping individual images. A person sits at a table near the windows, surrounded by plants, household objects, and repeated glimpses of a cat and dog. The Manhattan skyline is visible outside.

BFA Photography and Video

Oct 9 - Nov 6

2026 Marc Levine Photography Internship Exhibition: Lindsey Sarria

Fan out of focus, jumping out of the seat to cheer Soto sliding into home plate

BFA Photography and Video

Oct 9 - Nov 6

Anywhere–Everywhere: Selections from the Peter J. Cohen Collection of Vernacular Photography

Image of black and white photographs in a pile.

SVA Flatiron Project Space

Oct 2 - Nov 12

Fall 2026 BFA Photography and Video Student Exhibitions: Clio Bildman, Weston Lee Andrews, and Yikai Wang

A photographic collage of a sunlit New York living room, assembled from overlapping individual images. A person sits at a table near the windows, surrounded by plants, household objects, and repeated glimpses of a cat and dog. The Manhattan skyline is visible outside.

BFA Photography and Video

Oct 9 - Nov 6

2026 Marc Levine Photography Internship Exhibition: Lindsey Sarria

Fan out of focus, jumping out of the seat to cheer Soto sliding into home plate

BFA Photography and Video

Oct 9 - Nov 6

SEE MORE EVENTS

Your Work Belongs at SVA

Picture yourself at SVA, where students and established artists alike exhibit work at our four brick-and-mortar galleries.

Highlighted STUDENT EXHIBITIONS

    SVA Visit Days are our version of an Open Hou... View on TikTok

    SVA Visit Days are our version of an Open Hou... View on TikTok

    SVA Visit Days are our version of an Open Hou... View on TikTok

    @SVANYC’s Latest TikToks

    A sneak peek at what our faculty and students are up to, day in and day out!

VISIT OUR TIKTOKVISIT OUR YOUTUBE

After SVA

Our alumni go on to have extraordinary careers across a wide range of creative fields.

The New York Times best-selling author and illustrator, New Kid • Recipient, John Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Book Award • Creator, syndicated comic strip Mama’s Boyz • Co-founder, Schomburg Center’s Black Comic Book Festival • Editorial director, Sports Illustrated For Kids website
Jerry Craft • Media Arts
Artist, “The Giverny Suite,” The Museum of Modern Art • Artist, “Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art, 1905 – 2016,” Whitney Museum of American Art • Honoree, Guggenheim Fellow • Recipient, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program grant, The Evidence of Things Not Seen • Permanent collection, Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery
Ja'Tovia Gary • Social Documentary Film
Artwork featured in Architectural Digest video of Maude Apatow’s NYC apartment • Artist, “The Blueprint,” Ward Gallery • Artist, “Shadow Talk,” T293, Italy • Artist, “Behind Closed Doors,” Public Service Gallery, Sweden • Artist, “Best in Show,” M+B • Artist, Countdown to Heaven, Platform, David Zwirner
Dylan Rose Rheingold • Fine Arts
See More Alumni

There is no creative culture of New York City without SVA.


LAURIE CUMBO

Former Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, New York City