The Book Show

November 24, 2025

This past spring, I stepped down from my teaching position in the Illustration as Visual Essay MFA at the School of Visual Arts. It was a heart-wrenching choice given that I am a graduate of the same program. Years ago, I was asked to join the faculty by its founder, the late Marshall Arisman, who was a mentor to me and countless others. It has been an honor to be a small influence in the careers of so many burgeoning artists over the years. But I’ve struggled to find the time for my own work, so this year’s “Book Show,” now on view in the SVA Gramercy Gallery, is my last.

And what a show it is! The Class of 2026 created a diverse array of picture books, children’s books, comics, visual essays and we’ve even got one pop-up book. I hope you get a chance to see it before it comes down on December 13th. Also on view in the front room is the work of Lillian Ansell, who was my student a few years ago.

The SVA Gramercy Gallery is located at 209 East 23rd Street. For more information on the exhibition and the MFA Illustration program, click here.

Images from left to right, beginning with top row: Bernardo Bagulho, Casey Grenier, K Downs, Mansai Patankar, Kailee Finn, Nancy Xi Nan, Yiou Zheng Miki, Yuan Peng, Sitong Liu.

The Book Show at the School of Visual Arts

December 2, 2022

Illustration by Tae Kim, MFAI ‘23 | @jjangga_tjk

A scholarship has been established in honor of MFA Illustration as Visual Essay founder and longtime chair, Marshall Arisman, to provide financial support to future MFAI students. To make a donation, visit the Visual Arts Foundation website and include “Marshall Arisman Scholarship Fund” in the comment field.

This year marks my 5th teaching in the MFA Illustration program at the School of Visual Arts, and my 4th year curating “The Book Show,” an exhibition of work by our students. But it is also a first, as we forge on without the calm, steady guidance of our program’s founder, Marshall Arisman. A few weeks ago, as I helped the Class of 2023 install their work—the last group he taught—I tried my best to channel him. As I advised each student, I found myself repeating the same words I’d heard Marshall say so many times at big moments like this (and on occasion to me): “You should be proud of yourself.” And now I have to say it—I am proud. Proud of myself, but mostly proud that this group of kind, talented, thoughtful artists pulled through, presenting an enormous, impressive body of work. Their dedication is reflected on the walls and in the pages of each book.

The signage for the exhibition says, “Curated by Anna Raff”, but my teaching partner, Marshall had as much to do with the quality of the students’ work as I did. I was overruled when I asked to have his name added before mine as curator, as was our usual way. But I’m very happy that the next line reads, “Dedicated to Marshall Arisman.” I think Marshall would be proud too.

“The Book Show” is free to the public and open to through January 14, 2023. If you would like to attend, visit the MFAI Eventbrite site for times and vaccine requirements. To learn more, here’s a link to the SVA website.

Helen Ji, *Mural of Akabalon*, MFAI ‘23 | @helenjeeeee

Katy Freeman, *The Reunion*, MFAI ‘23 | @katyfree

Junjun Che, *Moonlit Night*, MFAI ‘23 | @junjundraws

Weston Wei, *Ignite*, MFAI ‘23 | @westonweiart

Xinyue Chen, *The Big Girl*, MFAI ‘23 | @maiyashu

SVA Summer Residency 2018

July 6, 2018

This month marks my fifth summer teaching in the School of Visual Arts Residency. Each year, a diverse group of students from around the world gather to immerse themselves in the New York illustration scene. As usual, this year's crop produced a stunning array of work. Here is just a small sampling from this terrific group. [Links to their instagram pages can be found with each image.]

Teaching at the SVA Summer Residency

July 9, 2017

This week brought to a close another June of teaching Illustration at the School of Visual Arts Summer Residency. Now in it’s tenth year, the residency gives artists a chance to immerse themselves in the New York illustration world through a rigorous program of coursework, as well as visits with professionals, organizations, and exhibitions.

Focusing on narrative illustration, my class guides students through the creation of a series of images inspired by a text of their choosing. As a teacher, it’s incredibly rewarding to see the development of these projects, from sketches to finished art, culminating with their Open Studios exhibition at the end of course.

Below is just a small sampling of work from this talented group.

For more information about SVA’s Summer Residency, click here.

The SVA Summer Residency in Illustration

June 30, 2016

Yesterday marked the completion of my third year teaching in the Illustration Summer Residency at the School of Visual Arts. Led by coordinator Viktor Koen, illustrators Paul Hoppe, Andrea Tsurumi, Lisel Ashlock, and myself, students absorb all they can from the New York illustration scene, while honing their skills in an intensive month-long program.

My class focuses on narrative illustration, for which students come armed with a short text of their choice to develop into a series of images. As in past years, they were a very international group—with only two from North America—and created projects that were as diverse as their home countries. All in all, the residency makes for a very rewarding gig for me. The photo above shows us celebrating all their hard work at last night's open studio reception, and below is a small sample of their work.