The School of Visual Arts MFA studios are located at 133 West 21st Street in Chelsea. In both the Fall and in the Spring, the studios are open to the public.

I spoke with Yaya Brown, a second year MFA candidate.

Monica Moran reporting in Manhattan, 3/19/2026

I looked around the studio. The walls were wrapped in a Keith Haring-like — full, wall‑to‑wall explosion of lines and figures.

I asked him if he was embracing the immersion craze. He replied “no” and articulated that it was “just a four wall mural”. I didn’t mistake his easygoing manner for uncertainty — when he talked about his art, he was precise.”

Yaya Brown, a second year MFA candidate, standing next to his wall mural.

A sculpture in the center of the installation at first appeard random in its placement. However, I soon discovered an interplay with my mobile device that seemed deliberate.

“Looking at it, I wondered if you made the installation with mobile screens in mind — the way people would first encounter it through a phone?”

His answer was vague — a non‑committal kind of response.

Gallery visits are one of the major features of the SVA program. “Which galleries are your favorites? do you have one?” I asked. “Mmuseumm,” he said without hesitating. “Two m’s in the beginning and end.”

Detail of Yaya Brown’s four wall mural.