bella savignano
education
BFA, Design History & Practice
Pathways: Fashion Studies and Fine Art
Awards: Dean’s List, Honors, Merit-based Scholarship (four years)
Thesis: “FLASHBANG: Amplifying a Revisionist History of Glam Rock in New York’s Art Underground”
New York, NY
experience
Fine Art Administrator & Sale Coordinator
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Led research initiatives to write essays and additional text for offered lots, catalogued art and ephemera, and organized works within RFC, an art management database for auction houses.
- Managed consignments in the Fine Art department from initial inquiry to auction, including art transport logistics, file management, and client care.
- Led outreach and publicity initiatives for annual Subculture auction, created blog posts and social media content for Fine Art sales.
New York, NY
Creative Development Assistant
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Wrote meaningful interview questions, managed archival imagery, and worked closely with an editing team to create an award-winning short documentary, “Chasing Light”.
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Originated creative directions and produced visual and textual pitch decks for client projects, for clients including Spotify, Con Edison, and Chinatown Partnership.
- Researched innovative concepts and strategic approaches to turn creative ideas into achievable processes.
New York, NY
Assistant and Archive Manager
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Corresponded with gallerists, collectors, and press on the photographer’s behalf.
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Managed the photographer’s digital archive and created systems to maintain an organized collection.
- Advised the photographer’s press engagements, ensuring confidentiality and professionalism.
New York, NY
internships &
volunteering
Curatorial Intern
- Researched and explored gallery archives for relevant artwork for exhibitions, including “Hotel Chelsea” and “Women Who Rock”.
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Managed outgoing art by maintaining precise records and coordinating with clients.
- Supported the planning and execution of gallery receptions and exhibitions, including hanging artwork, curating invitation lists, and creating public programming.
New York, NY
Cataloguing & Special Projects Volunteer
- Scanned/photographed and catalogued physical materials, including t-shirts, flyers, and photographs, to be included in the archive’s online database.
- Conceptualized and created an edition of 100 fanzines commemorating the launch of the archive, using artifacts and oral histories, to be distributed at an inaugural party.
New York, NY
Collections Working Group Volunteer
New York, NY
leadership
Co-founder & Editor in Chief
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Co-created and led The New School’s largest Registered Student Organization (over 200 students), including planning group engagements and executing student programming.
- Founded The Lamb, WNSM’s independent music blog, assigned stories, liaised with record labels and management companies, and edited works to be published.
awards
2023 — Webby Honoree, Dumbo Film Festival, Video Consortium, and Justice Film Festival Official Selection, 1.4 Awards Shortlist, Chasing Light
engagements
2025 — Speaker, Ephemera Society of America Conference
2024 — Elected student speaker, Art & Design History & Theory Commencement, The New School
2024 — Speaker, Design History & Practice Capstone Symposium, The New School
exhibition
selected
publications
2025 — “The Importance of Fashion Illustration”, Swann Galleries
2024 — “Movement on Paper: The Work of Abraham Walkowitz”, Swann Galleries
2023 — “On Prairie Girls: The Endurance of Pastoral Romanticism”, Blumenhaus Vol. 4
2023 — “Turn On, Tune In, Freakout: An Odyssey Into Seattle’s Psych-Punk Underground”, Cynosure Vol. 3
2023 — “Nothing Can Stop Anton Newcombe’s Sound”, CLASH