The 2025-2026 academic year was another dynamic year for the UCF Art Gallery, which hosted eight exhibitions showcasing the work of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and distinguished artists from around the country. As a cornerstone of the School of Visual Arts and Design, the gallery welcomed approximately 8,000 visitors, fostering connections between artists, students and the broader community while celebrating the diverse creative research and artistic innovation taking place at UCF.
In August 2025, the UCF Art Gallery kicked off the fall semester with …no place like home, an immersive experience exhibition by fiber installation artist Teneé Hart. Drawing from personal childhood memories, Hart explored the complex and often conflicting meanings of home through the lens of culture, gender and sexuality. Using wrapped fibers, organic forms and everyday materials, her work challenged traditional ideas of domesticity, transforming familiar spaces into reflections on comfort, discomfort and belonging. The gallery also hosted an exhibition reception and artist talk, giving students and visitors the opportunity to learn more about Hart’s artistic practice and creative insight. During her visit, Hart further engaged with students by leading a professional development and graduate school lecture for senior BFA Studio Art students and conducting individual studio visits with MFA Studio Art & Design students.
The UCF Art Gallery continued the semester with the annual SVAD Faculty Exhibition, a dynamic showcase of creative work and research by the faculty of UCF’s School of Visual Arts and Design. Featuring 26 nationally and internationally recognized artists, the exhibition celebrated the active artistic practices, scholarship and expertise that inform reaching and contribute to the school’s vibrant community. Participating faculty included Chuck Abraham, Alexander Alvarez, Stella Arbeláez Tascón, Owen Buffington, Jason Burrell, Larry Cooper, Lindsay Deifik, Brooks Dierdoff, Matt Dombrowski, Lorna Ruth Galloway, Kevin Haran, Nicholas D. Kalemba, Njeri Kinuthia, Amer Kobaslija, Shannon Rae Lindsey, Theresa Lucey, Justin Nolan, Carla Poindexter, Robert Rivers, Ericka Sobrack, Debi Starr, Ashley Taylor, Megan Thomas, Michael Tole, Stephanie Toth and William Truran.
The semester concluded with Fall 2025 BFA Exhibition: Penumbra, featuring the work of 16 graduating seniors in book arts, ceramics, drawing, animation, illustration, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture. Showcasing a variety of media, techniques and perspectives, the exhibition celebrated the culmination of each artist’s undergraduate journey. The opening reception coincided with SVAD’s annual Art Knight! event, drawing more than 1,800 guests and marking the largest attendance in the event’s history.
The gallery opened its spring semester with Deep Futures: Sites of Toxic Land Use by Amanda Leigh Evans, an exhibition that featured ceramic sculptures, collected raw materials, large-format collages and research materials from several Superfund sites the artist has visited over the years. The project grew from Evans’ discovery that her maternal family, many of whom experienced chronic and neurological health issues, had been raised on the Bunker Hill Mine Superfund Site in northern Idaho, one of the nation’s largest and most complex Superfund sites. Throughout the exhibition, Evans engaged with the UCF community through opening and closing receptions, a public artist talk, a hands-on workshop with ceramics students, and individual studio visits with MFA Studio Art & Design students. The exhibition was also featured in the Orlando Sentinel, with arts writer Matthew J. Palm examining the pressing questions about environmental responsibility and our shared future at the heart of Evans’ work.
In February, the gallery presented The Rooms We Build: 2026 MFA Exhibition, showcasing the thesis work of MFA Studio Art & Design candidates Albert Alonso, Stacie Becker, Alissa Burch, Nelson Garcia, Kenyari Gil Rosario and Angelina Palmisano. The exhibition provided a professional venue for these emerging artists to present their culminating research and studio practice to the public. In addition, the gallery hosted each candidate’s thesis defense, offering faculty, students and community members an opportunity to engage directly with the artists and gain deeper insight into the ideas informing their work.
Next, the gallery presented the first of two BFA exhibitions, More Than One Way Home: Spring 2026 BFA I Exhibition featuring the work of 16 senior undergraduate students working across in book arts, ceramics, drawing, illustration, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. The exhibition highlighted the breadth of artistic practices and perspectives emerging from SVAD’s undergraduate programs as students presented their culminating work.
The UCF Art Gallery closed the 2025-2026 academic year with Singularity: Spring 2026 BFA Exhibition II, Part One and Part Two showcasing the work of senior undergraduate students in Animation & Visualization. Together, the two exhibitions highlighted the talent, technical skill and creative vision of the graduating class, while the combined opening receptions drew more than 1,000 attendees to celebrate their achievements.
