Features

Welcome back to “Portraits of Identity,” an ongoing series from SVA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion that lifts voices from the diverse, global and multicultural body at the School of Visual Arts. Spotlighting individual SVA students, staff and faculty, “Portraits of Identity” invites the College’s community to share aspects of their lived experience on campus and in New York City. 

This third episode focuses on Dr. Catherine Rosamond, an education leader, changemaker and chair of Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Art Education programs at SVA. Rosamond earned BA and BS degrees at Boston University, a BFA at the Parsons School of Design and MA and EdD degrees at Columbia University. She comes from a multicultural background, with a Portuguese-Japanese father and a Japanese mother, and says that her family’s “otherness” made her stand out as a child.

“And maybe that’s sort of the reason I do what I do. Because there is a sense that I never quite fit into a certain mold.” 

Growing up, Rosamund said she felt somewhat marginalized at certain points of her life, but welcoming inclusivity at SVA was inviting and already in line with her values. “Here, [at] SVA, [people] would listen to what I think and my ideas and no one considered me an outsider,” she says. “And that’s really important, just like how you feel like to be part of a community is when people around you listen to you.” 

As the MA/MAT Art Education chair since 2018, Rosamund’s mission is to increase cultural awareness, technological literacy and accessibility across all education sectors. Issues of DEI have always been at the forefront of her teachings and in 2020, she ran a first-of-its-kind workshop with the Museum of Art and Design (MAD) on Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Rosamund says art education can have a vital role in conversations about diversity and making students feel like they are heard, seen and included.

“Regardless of what age they are, students want to see themselves represented in the curriculum. SVA is a really great place to be at. It’s a place where your creativity and your ideas matter, and I try to share that sort of same disposition when I engage with my colleagues, staff, faculty, and students.”

Rosamond also serves as the director of Art for Kids, a studio program for K–9 students. She has taught undergraduate- and graduate-level art education courses at Queens College, City University of New York; University of the Arts in Philadelphia; and Teachers College at Columbia University.

See below for Rosamund’s video profile, and stay tuned for updates by following “Portraits of Identity” on the SVA YouTube channel; Instagram, @sva_dei; and Facebook, facebook.com/svadei.