The Academy Blog

Mike Smith, Operations Manager at the Academy, continues his Overview this week and will be updating us throughout the summer.

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by Aliene De Souza Howell (MFA 2011)

We have also explored Leipzig’s thriving cultural scene! The Fine Arts Museum of Leipzig currently is displaying half of a massive retrospective of the prolific local master, Neo Rauch, in honor of his 50th birthday, the other half being shown in Munich. I stood in awe of the vibrant colors and seamlessly combined compositions of personal and local political history. The Stasi Museum and History Museum here provided insightful and provocative insight into GDR era Germany. Together we attended a stunning performance of the Leipzig philharmonic performance as part of the Bach festival in honor of his 225th birthday.

Kylie Manning’s Thesis painting at the NYAA

We also had the opportunity to support one of the Academy’s own, Kylie Manning, at The Caps Lock Project gallery in Berlin. (http://www.liap.eu/de/) There we also enjoyed the phenomenal museums home to the country’s capital with an incredibly extensive Egyptian Art Collection. The breadth of the trip is difficult to convey and I dare say has been culturally rewarding and has had a strong artistic impact on us.

I am Aliene De Souza Howell, a current Academy student who received one of four residency grants to work in Leipzig, Germany for 2 months this summer. This opportunity was earned through hard work of course, in the form of strong grades, volunteer contributions to the academy and an attitude cognizant of an individual’s responsibility to a community. The other students who are currently here are Ian Yi Cao, Rabecca Signorello, and Tyler Vouros. My posts in this blog will detail the work and experiences being made here in Germany.

The Leipzig school is a vital and indispensable part of the figurative microcosm of the ever-expanding contemporary art world. It is amazing to be here, in the same converted cotton mill studio building as Neo Rauch, the forerunner of this narrative surrealist movement. It has galvanized all of us to experiment with our freshly acquired Academy skills.

More photos to come!

As you may know, the Academy began upgrading facilities at 111 Franklin Street to better enhance our curriculum. Last summer (2009), the classrooms and hallway on the 5th floor were renovated to be brighter and use space more efficiently. A new track lighting system was installed, too. In between the classrooms, the hallway was widened for a new gallery space. The Dean’s office (formerly on 5th) was relocated to 4th floor. The jogs and jags of the walls in the “Cast Hall” on main floor have been evened out in order to better exhibit artwork.

This summer, the Academy is embarking on the second phase of a major renovation, including an all-new fresh air ventilation system. New studio spaces with permanent walls and enhanced lighting on 2nd floor along with a new classroom will provide better workspaces for students and instructors. The fall semester of 2010 will see the opening of our new space at 105 Franklin which will house our new and improved library, an additional classroom and an expansion of the gallery space in the front entry on Franklin Street.

Mike Smith, Operations Manager at the Academy, will be updating us throughout the summer and has just uploaded three introductory videos on our YouTube channel giving you a sneak peek of the progress.

Follow our blog and see regular updates on the project!
Please click here to contribute to the project.