ON MAY 21, THE CLASS OF 2011 GRADUATED INTO NEW TERRITORY. The afternoon ceremony featured renowned artist Jenny Saville, a Senior Critic at the Academy, who shared her wisdom and advice for the emerging artists in her first-ever Commencement Address. President David Kratz recounted the highlights of the last two years at the school, tracing the beginning of his Academy presidency alongside the path of the Class of 2011. Lastly, class speaker Benjamin Martins urged his classmates to build on the strength of their community.
Jenny Saville's 2011 Commencement Address |
The title of this year's MFA Thesis exhibition was "UNCHARTED," which proved to be an appropriate banner for the graduates’ time at the Academy. As President Kratz and Dean Peter Drake stated in the MFA Thesis Exhibition catalog, “So much of an artist’s life is indeed uncharted. Much of what makes a life in the arts so exciting is the degree to which the future is an adventure, unknown and mysterious. For many people this is a terrifying prospect; for artists, exploration is their life’s blood.”
Kratz and Drake also shared their thoughts about this year’s graduates, “The artists in this exhibition prove their valor every day by choosing to lead unconventional lives. They leap into the void, walk a razor’s edge without looking down and probe the sometimes discomforting depths of human existence. Let’s take this moment to celebrate their bravery and christen their maiden voyage.”
Congratulations Class of 2011!
View the 2011 MFA Thesis Exhibition
Read Jenny Saville's Commencement Address*
View and Order the 2011 Commencement Catalog, with an essay by esteemed critic Donald Kuspit
Read Donald Kuspit's Essay*
View Previous Commencement Essays*
*To reproduce any part of an essay, please contact Peter Drake at the New York Academy of Art to obtain permission and proper credit information: 212.966.0300 x 970 / pdrake@nyaa.edu.)