DV&C Presents: Signal in the Noise (in-person)

Join a live conversation hosted by SVA’s new graduate department, MPS Data Visualization and Communication (DV&C), on designing trust in data, where artists, journalists, designers, and developers show how to communicate clearly, counter misinformation, and collaborate creatively across disciplines.

Featuring special guest Marco Hernandez - New York Times graphics editor, two-time Pulitzer winner, and Society for News Design’s 2021 “World’s Best Designer” - alongside incoming DV&C faculty, to discuss how to counter misinformation and collaborate creatively across disciplines.

Can’t join us in person? Click here for a ticket to the livestream event on YouTube.

Featuring:

Marco Hernandez - Graphics Editor, The New York Times.

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and 2021 Society for News Design “World’s Best Designer,” Marco Hernandez leads ambitious visual journalism that fuses reporting, data, and design to create clarity at a global scale. His work exemplifies the craft of rigorous newsroom storytelling with an audience-first approach.

Ben Welsh - Founder of the News Applications Desk, Reuters

A veteran data and investigative reporter, Ben Welsh founded and is editor in charge of the News Applications Desk at Reuters, specializing in reporting with code, leading cross-functional projects that combine analysis, design, and editorial skills.

Jeff Lewonczyk - Cartoonist, Illustrator, and Writer.

A visual communicator versed in the various forms of storytelling, Jeff Lewonczyk teaches visual rhetoric at the School of Visual Arts, focusing on how tropes, perception, and cultural references shape meaning and opinion. His work helps communicators translate complex histories of information into accessible stories for diverse audiences.

Kelsey Nanan - Creative Storyteller and Data Visualization Developer.

Building interactive and collaborative workflows, Kelsey Nanan merges design and engineering, showcasing how teams scale credibility through shared process and reusable systems. Her practice emphasizes inclusive, testable design that delivers clarity in real-world products.

Jen Ray - Multidisciplinary Artist, Data Vandals

Jen Ray is a multidisciplinary artist whose performances, paitings and drawings celebrate female confidence and self‑determination. Drawing on feminism, sci‑fi, dystopian theory, glam rock, and layered histories, her meticulous Amazonian worlds move from paper to lavish live performances.

Jason Forrest - Chair, MPS Data Visualization and Communication, The School of Visual Arts.

A globally recognized data visualization leader and DV&C program founder, Jason Forrest previously directed McKinsey’s Data Visualization Lab and co-founded Nightingale, the Journal of the Data Visualization Society and is half of the art duo Data Vandals.

About SVA’s new MPS Data Visualization and Communication (DV&C) program:

The DV&C program trains hybrid communicators who combine design, code, visual aesthetics, and ethics to make information trustworthy and actionable. Professionals can immediately apply workflows for collaboration and credibility; students graduate with a thesis and portfolio that translate complexity into visually stunning outcomes.

Our 10-month program, starting in September 2026, combines design, coding, and professional practice, enabling students to transform complex data into clear, persuasive stories that drive action. Professionals level up with systems, collaboration, and leadership skills; students build a portfolio that showcases valuable skills for real-world impact.

Apply now: https://sva.edu/academics/graduate/mps-data-visualization-and-communication/apply