Your #1 Fans

Saturday, April 11 – Saturday, May 16, 2026

Reception: Thursday, April 16, 2026, 6:00 – 8:00pm

School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents “Your #1 Fans,” an exhibition of prints, videos, photographs, costumes, and merchandise by 55 BFA Animation and BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects students and faculty members, co-curated by Ash Suh (MFA 2024 Computer Arts), BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects front office manager; and Angelica Vergel,

BFA Animation director of operations. The exhibition will be on view Saturday, April 11, through Saturday, May 16, 2026, at the SVA Flatiron Gallery, 133/141 West 21st Street, New York City. 

“Your #1 Fans” celebrates animators’ inspirations and their nostalgia through fan art and fandom alongside personal stories of their emotional connections to these beloved works. Creating fan art is an entry point to art making for so many young artists, as it shapes and commits them to practicing their craft. The exhibition will also feature a merch table, often known as an “artist alley table” at conventions, highlighting independently made works inspired by fandoms. 

Highlights from the exhibition include Courtney Davis’ (BFA 2018 Computer Art) Sonic the Hedgehog fan art, which is an original drawing from when he was 13 years old and where he learned the importance of adding a background to his work. Mirabelle Lapenna’s It’s Over, Isn’t It is a reanimated tribute to the TV series Steven Universe and features participation from over 20 current SVA students, which has garnered over 700K views on YouTube in less than six months. Violet Lu’s Two Violets,

One Link are photographs of herself cosplaying as the character Link from The Legend of Zelda in 2016 and again in 2022. Vien Zheng’s Vocaloid and UTAU Taiyaki Charm are custom charms that will be available for purchase at the merch table. 

Other artists featured in this exhibition are current BFA 3D Animation and

Visual Effects student and faculty: Valerie Chen,Marcy Fiorentino,Sana Kakumanu,Marin Kim,Elliot Lee, Matthew Leung, Inji Lim, Kimonye Mays, Adam Meyers, Ryan Mierzejwski, Ginger Nguyen,Tom Nguyen, Ahram Oh, Katie Tschang, Kiara Tyler-Cooper, Nicole Wynters, Vinh Vo,and Kaiming Zhang; BFA Animation students and faculty: Tin Tin Abrogena, L Aquilone, Leisha Bhosle, Tessa Biggerstaff, Ava Blanco, Ari Ceppi, Sachio Cook, Micheal Cottone, Nicole Coveney, TRINITY Curtis, Ari Espada, Dave Galarza, Mira Giuffre, Rich Gorey, Stephen Hanhan, Jaiden Hawkes, Sydney Howard, Sedef Sho Iz, Lauren Kaufman, Stella Kim, Justine Lee, Kat Llewellyn, Yuding Nie, Katt Pontevedra, Quella Marie Samante, Clara Urcullu, Valerie Valentin, AJ Walsh-Corbett, Norea Watson, Chloe Williams, Izabela Zajac, Selina Zhao, and Sarah Zhou.

The BFA Animation program’s creative environment allows students to use the art form of 2D animation and imagination to tell stories with a unique vision, style, and intent. Students in the program are challenged to be curious and open to collaboration and experimentation, while following the high standards of academic performance and professionalism. The curriculum—taught by industry professionals—covers all aspects of the production pipeline, from ideation to completion including creating, directing, and producing individually and collaboratively. 

BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects students have access to the most advanced applications and are guided by faculty at the top of their fields to develop the capabilities necessary to succeed in highly competitive creative industries. Using a production-based curriculum, students create portfolios and gain the experience necessary to launch them into professional careers of their own design or at many of the top digital agencies, animation studios and visual effects houses around the world working in the fields of commercial film, television, and video game production. 

The SVA Flatiron Gallery is open Monday through Saturday, 10:00am– 6:00pm. The SVA Flatiron Windows is open Monday through Saturday, 10:00am–6:00pm and are viewable from the sidewalk.

School of Visual Arts has been a leader in the education of artists, designers, and creative professionals for more than seven decades. With a faculty of distinguished working professionals, a dynamic curriculum, and an emphasis on critical thinking, SVA is a catalyst for innovation and social responsibility. Comprising 6,000 students at its Manhattan campus and over 44,000 alumni from some 130 countries, SVA also represents one of the most influential artistic communities in the world. For information about the College’s 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, visit sva.edu.