This special all-day Alumni-focused event hosted by AANYAA at the Academy celebrates our alumni community, strengthens our connections and careers.
10:30a: Meet & Greet and Brunch Bites - 5th Floor
11:00a - 3:00p: Life Drawing - 5th Floor
Please bring your own favorite drawing, painting, or sculpting supplies. We will have two models, one in each drawing room.
12:00 - 2:00p: Visiting Critics / Gallerists - 5th Floor
Sign up at the event for one individual appointment with a gallerist, curator, or critic to review your artwork.
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Sign Up will begin at 10:30 on the day of the event in the Academy Lobby
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There are a limited number of appointment slots: sign-ups are first-come, first-served on the day of the event for Academy Alumni only. We cannot guarantee a spot (but don't worry- there are more crit events throughout the year!)
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Alumni will have 12 minutes for their conversation
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We recommend that you present your work in the most efficient way possible. The Alumni Association or The New York Academy will not provide any computers, tablets, or other electronic devices for displaying your art. Please bring your own device. We advise avoiding the use of your phone for displaying artwork because of its limited size. You may choose to bring your original work, but individual pieces should not exceed 18” x 24” inches in size. Any original art cannot be stored at the Academy; neither the Alumni Association nor the New York Academy of Art will be held liable for any loss or damage to electronic devices or physical works.
NANA LEE - Blank Space Gallery
Nana Lee is the founder and director of BLANK SPACE, a contemporary art gallery and consultancy based in New York City. Since establishing BLANK SPACE in 2009, she has collaborated with both U.S. and international artists on numerous solo and group exhibitions, as well as private and corporate projects. Her work includes curating art collections for luxury hotels, cruise ships, and corporate spaces. She also oversees exhibitions, manages major art fairs worldwide, and advises on corporate art acquisitions. With a background deeply rooted in the arts, Nana studied fine art throughout her early education before earning a Master of Arts in Design Management from Pratt Institute and a BA in Fashion Design Womenswear from Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design in London. Her expertise seamlessly bridges the worlds of art, design, and business, shaping BLANK SPACE into a dynamic platform for contemporary artistic expression.
ELLERY WHALEY - Jeffrey Deitch Gallery
Ellery Whaley is an Art History graduate from Pace University with a minor in Film & Screen Studies. She is an avid supporter of all art forms, and passionate about the upkeep and future of arts programing. Whaley joined Jeffrey Deitch in 2021 and is Associate Director, Events and Exhibitions in New York. Ellery manages the gallery’s communications and co-manages the gallery’s social media. She has co-organized and managed exhibitions such as Wild Style, curated by Carlo McCormick, Alexandre Diop: Hood Rich, and Haroshi: DIVE INTO THE PIT. She also manages various special projects and fair programming for the gallery in Miami.
BRENT AUXIER - Co-founder, Auxier Kline Gallery
Auxier Kline is a contemporary art gallery focusing on emerging and mid-career artists established by co-founders Brent Auxier and Kate Kline located in New York, NY. Auxier Kline curates individual artist and group exhibitions on a rotating basis in the gallery and offers an ongoing selection of works from their flat files.
MATT ROTA - Overall Chair, New York Artists Equity
Matt Rota is a graduate of The Maryland Institute College of Art and the School of Visual Art, Matt is an illustrator, author and instructor. He has spent the past 15 years working with clients in print and online including the New York Times, the New Yorker, Penguin Books, The LA Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, The New Republic, Smithsonian, Variety, Buzzfeed, and many others. His illustrations focus primarily on global politics, criminal justice, social inequality, immigration and poverty. Over the past ten years he has taught illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art and The School of Visual Arts. Matt has written two books on drawing, has an extensive exhibition career internationally, and is senior curator at Artreprenuer.com.
AUDRA LAMBERT - Antecedent Projects
Audra Lambert is a Socially Conscious Cultural Producer, and independent curator. She / They have successfully written for and reported on an awarded NEA Grant, curated 60 exhibitions with art nonprofit and museum galleries, university spaces, commercial art galleries, mixed-use spaces and public art initiatives. She is / They are integral to the production and realization of performance by artist Dread Scott (Chicago/New York), "On the Impossibility of Freedom in a Country Founded on Slavery and Genocide" while working at More Art. She has / They have executed over 3 arts organization fundraisers with a small team, with net incomes totaling $50,000+. She / They published written work in Texte zur Kunst Magazine, Whitehot Mag, Americans for the Arts and more, and have copywritten for BMW and Creative Circle as well as various brands & cultural institutions.
LIZ GARVEY - Garvey | Simon
Elizabeth K. Garvey is the Co-Founder and Director of Garvey | Simon, NYC. With over 30 years of experience, Liz began her art career in 1989 at a contemporary gallery on 57th Street. In 1999 Liz started EKG Art Advisory, a boutique consultation and advisory firm which she ran for a decade and now is incorporated into Garvey | Simon Art Access, Inc. Liz currently represents a roster of emerging and mid-career artists, regularly curates exhibitions and manages private collections. Liz is also active in the secondary market, assisting clients to sell their work privately and with discretion. An interest in circumventing the norm is at the core of Garvey | Simon’s mission. Liz is constantly looking to identify and expand into alternative markets and collaborate with other seasoned dealers and galleries. Liz is a member of Art Table as well as the Association of Women Art Dealers.
SIYANG WONG - Director, New York Artists Equity
Siyan Wong is a New York City based painter and worker rights lawyer. Born in China but raised in New York City, Wong is also a first generation immigrant.
The subjects in her paintings are the working poor, elderly, women, and homeless. Siyan has shown her paintings at theNew York Arts Center, theNational Arts Club, and Equity Gallery. She has given talks about her art and social justice at theAsia Society, universities, and other venues. Her painting projects have received support by grants from the New York State Council for the Arts (NYSCA), the Asian Women Giving Circle (AWGC), and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC).