Recent News
Clone of F/6 | Photography and Video BFA Exhibition--
May 30, 2025
Join us for a photographic BFA show, “F/6”, celebrating six graduating photographers. An opening reception will be held at the University Art Gallery on May 22 from 5 – 7 p.m. The show will run through May 29.
Act Natural | Studio Art BFA Exhibition
Apr 29, 2025
Join us for the Studio ART BFA show, Act Natural. An opening reception will be held at the University Art Gallery on June 6 from 5 – 7 p.m. The show will run through June 15.
File format .grad | Graphic Design BFA Exhibition
Apr 29, 2025
The exhibition “File format .grad” will feature the work of 32 graduating seniors in Cal Poly’s graphic design program. A reception for friends, family, alumni, and the community will be held on Saturday, May 10 from 5:00pm until 6:30pm. Show runs from May 9 - 15
2025 Juried Student Exhibition
Apr 2, 2025
The juried student show is a time for the department to celebrate the art we make here by displaying it for Art and Design classmates and the public to view. Selected student work will be displayed in the gallery from April 4th through April 25th.
In the Garage, I Feel Safe. No One Cares About My Ways
Jan 22, 2025
James Edmondson is a type designer based in Oakland, California. In 2015, he started OH no Type Co., an independent font foundry that creates bespoke and retail typefaces. With a background in lettering, and a deep appreciation for lively typefaces that are uniquely beautiful, and fun to read, Edmondson’s goal has always been to create quality work that highlights underappreciated genres. He respects history without reinventing the wheel—organic over geometric, lively over perfect, and good spacing above all else.
Strange Birds | Heidi Neilson
Oct 22, 2024
Satellites, nicknamed “birds” in aerospace and ham radio circles, are critical to our lives but are essentially invisible. Heidi Neilson’s exhibition Strange Birds uses video, electronics, prints, photographs and book works to investigate our relationship with satellites. The different works expose the relationship from different angles—our history and future visions—as well as how these orbiting devices extend our sensory capacities and allow us to participate in environments which we would be unable to perceive well, or even survive at all, ourselves.
Alumni Show
Aug 27, 2024
The Art & Design Department is Celebrating its 55th Anniversary!
2024 BFA Exhibition
May 21, 2024
The 2024 BFA show features the culmination of these student’s hard work here at Cal Poly in the Department of Art and Design. This year features two concurrent events:
“After All, I Exist” is the Photo/Video component and is located in the Dexter Foyer right outside the gallery. “Safety in the Hot Shop” is the Studio Art component, located in the University Art Gallery.
Juried Student Exhibition
May 15, 2024
The juried student show is a time for the department to celebrate the art we make here by displaying it for your classmates and the public to view.
This year we wer fortunate to have Alicia Piller as our juror. Alicia Piller was the solo artist behind, "Reconstructing Ruins," the latest show at the University Art Gallery. Piller is also faculty member at CalArts and University California of Irvine.
Alicia Piller : Reconstructing Ruins
Mar 20, 2024
Moving backwards then forwards in time, the sculptural works in Reconstructing Ruins tackle the legacy of Americana. Mimicking forms of cellular biology as a method to locate the root of human histories; this selection of works equally fixates on materiality and content. An exploration of history, examining the pathways through which we all got here today; the present, with its anxiety ridden energy; and the future, represented as objects in a liminal space of transition. Elements of nature are purposefully infused into almost every work, emphasizing the vital connection between humanity and the Earth. Glimpses of hope are seen through this integration, the hopes of planting new seeds that nourish the future for everyone.