BY MARYANA AVERYANOVA
The NYU Production Lab felt warm and busy on Saturday evening, November 22, as people walked through the International Student Arts Incubator Showcase. Bright screens, drawings, music, and short performances filled the room, each shaped by the students’ own backgrounds and personal journeys. Many of the artists spoke openly about their experiences studying far from home, adding a quiet layer of meaning beneath the creative work they shared.
According to NYU’s Creative Career Hub, the incubator helps students practice their craft, create portfolios, and understand what steps artists need to take after school. But the heart of the program was obvious when students performed and explained how their projects grew out of their own experiences.
One graduate student from Ecuador showed the first part of a documentary she filmed in the Amazon rainforest. She has worked with Indigenous communities before, and she wanted to show how environmental damage is affecting their lives. She explained that Ecuador does not have a large documentary industry, so studying in New York taught her how filmmaking, producing, and festival distribution actually work. “Learning the process is important,” she said. “It will help me share these stories with more people.” Her full film will be around forty minutes long.
Nearby, artist Odalia Zubarev from Toronto presented her first personal art project, a series of drawings that combined Sámi-inspired “Seven Rings” patterns with soft, organic shapes. Odalia moved to New York about seven months ago for a one-year MBA program at NYU’s Stern School of Business. Even though business is her main field, she explained that she has always cared about making art. “It started as a hobby,” she said, “but it’s something I want to keep doing.” She hopes to stay in the U.S. through OPT after graduation and said that life as an international student can feel lonely, especially without close family support. Still, finishing this project gave her confidence and reminded her why she wants to build a future in New York.
On the other side of the room, a music student from East Asia talked about his goal to bring the popular music of his home country to a wider world audience. He studies composition and songwriting, and he believes New York is the best place to grow creatively. Being an international student, he explained, makes him work harder because his time in the U.S. is limited. “You feel pressure, but it helps you focus,” he said. “You don’t want to waste the chance.”
A theatre student from China shared a piece based on a character he first created while studying abroad in London. He worked with film and design students at NYU to bring the character to life. The piece explores identity and masculinity, and how people sometimes feel the need to perform roles that don’t fully match who they are. He said creating art while far from home feels emotional, but it also gives him a sense of purpose.
Although their backgrounds and mediums were different: film, illustration, music, and theatre; the four students shared similar feelings about the showcase. Many said the incubator gave them a safe place to experiment, learn, and meet people who understand what it is like to study in a new country. They also spoke about working under pressure, missing home, and trying to make the most of their time in New York.
By the end of the night, the room felt calmer. The showcase proved how meaningful it is when students from around the world are given space to tell their stories through art.