UCF’s School of Visual Arts and Design (SVAD) continues to thrive as a hub for innovation, artistic excellence and community engagement. During the 2024–25 academic year, SVAD’s commitment to fostering creativity and scholarly rigor was evident across student achievements, faculty accolades, landmark events and powerful partnerships. With strong growth in faculty and student recognition, impactful outreach efforts and nationally ranked programs, SVAD remains at the forefront of visual arts and design education.
Celebrating Student and Faculty Excellence
SVAD played a central role in this year’s UCF Celebrates the Arts, once again showcasing the dynamic talents of our students and faculty. Lobby exhibitions brought to life the work of advanced painting, 3D design, MFA Studio Art, character animation and visualization students, as well as architecture program displays and creative contributions from the Florida Prison Education Project. Audiences enjoyed a rich array of public events including the Architecture Showcase and Awards, Creative Clash, the Graphic Design and Animation Showcase, and Character Animation and VFX Premieres. These collective efforts earned UCF a second nomination for the Golden Brick Award from the Orlando Downtown Partnership — a recognition of the program’s artistic influence and community impact.
The third annual Art Knight! open house expanded upon its successful formula, welcoming over 1,400 attendees to the Visual Arts Building on the Friday before Thanksgiving. This vibrant evening of music, food and visual culture featured DJs from Knights of the Turntables, gourmet offerings from local food trucks and a special appearance by Knightro. The event also coincided with the opening reception of Atmos: Fall 2024 BFA Exhibition at the UCF Art Gallery, showcasing the creative power of graduating seniors.
National Recognition and Rankings
SVAD’s Distinguished Artist Series enriched the academic year with visits from acclaimed contemporary artists Elizabeth Allen-Cannon, Wendy White and Noelle Mason. These events introduced students and community members to new perspectives across artistic disciplines. Additional guest speakers included international ceramics artist Janina Myronova, animator and director James Parris, and design professionals from Counter Brand & Type, reflecting SVAD’s interdisciplinary reach and global outlook.
SVAD faculty secured significant funding and honors this year. Keri Watson was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Laughing Gull Foundation and a $750,000 Mellon Foundation grant for her work with the Florida Coalition for Higher Education. Matt Dombrowski continued his pioneering work with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the State Department and presented his research at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest gathering for interactive media. He was also honored with UCF’s 2024 Luminary Award. SVAD Pegasus Professor Stella Sung received the prestigious Pabst Steinmetz Foundation Arts and Wellness Innovation Award, reinforcing her standing as a leading figure in contemporary music and media arts.
SVAD’s Emerging Media Animation Tracks continued to earn national distinction, ranked No. 4 among the top 40 public animation schools in the U.S. by Animation Career Review. UCF also ranked No. 6 among public colleges for illustration and No. 4 for visual effects programs, reinforcing SVAD’s role as a leader in creative media education.
Community Engagement and Outreach
SVAD’s advocacy efforts were recognized as well. The student organization WIA@UCF (We in Animation) was recognized as the Advocacy Organization of the Year at the 2025 RSO (Registered Student Organization) Impact Awards, reflecting the group’s strong leadership and positive impact within the campus community.
SVAD welcomed nine new faculty members and conducted five faculty searches in areas including architecture, animation and graphic design. Notable faculty achievements included:
- Ashley Taylor designed a custom canvas presented to Olympic gold medalist Kelley O’Hara during a USWNT match in front of 17,000 fans.
- Njeri Kinuthia presented a solo exhibition, Je, Niko Huru? Threads of Freedom, at the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens.
- Bobby Aiosa showcased his solo exhibition Eternal Landscape at the Art Center Sarasota.
- Dr. Ilenia Colón Mendoza delivered a compelling public lecture on Puerto Rican cultural identity in art.
- Lorna Galloway’s work was featured in a cutting-edge AI and virtual photography exhibition.
Nine SVAD faculty and staff were honored as 2025 Founders’ Day recipients, and four faculty members — Larry Cooper, Michael Cabrera, Matt Dombrowski, and Keri Watson — earned promotion and tenure this year.
Student Achievements and Research
SVAD students continued to impress with creative and scholarly excellence. Architecture senior Chase Scholze was named the recipient of the 2025 Undergraduate College Founders’ Award. Art History major Percy Brashear received a Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Award under the mentorship of Ilenia Colón Mendoza.
Design students earned multiple accolades this year: six SVAD students received awards at the 2025 Orlando American Advertising Awards, and 19 students participated in the AIGA mentorship program, with five receiving honors at the Mentorship SPOT Showcase Awards. Undergraduate students also presented research at the UCF Student Scholar Symposium, with multiple winners demonstrating the school’s commitment to integrating academic rigor with artistic practice.
Graduate students in the MFA Studio Art and Emerging Media programs contributed meaningfully to the Central Florida art community. The Casselberry Arts Center hosted The Art Show, an exhibition exclusively for SVAD MFA students. Stacie Becker presented a solo exhibition, Catch and Release, at SoWhat! Arts at FAVO. SVAD students also showcased work and presented at Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC) 2024 and were honored during UCF Research Week.
Exhibitions and Events
The UCF Art Gallery hosted eight exhibitions this academic year, attracting more than 8,000 visitors and spotlighting the work of SVAD undergraduates, graduate students and visiting artists. Atmos: Fall 2024 BFA Exhibition, held during Art Knight!, welcomed over 1,400 guests, while Kaleidoscope: Spring 2025 BFA II Exhibition for Animation and Visualization students brought in a record 675 attendees, demonstrating the gallery’s growing role as a cornerstone of UCF’s creative ecosystem.
SVAD deepened its community ties through a robust program of outreach initiatives, including:
- Distinguished Artist Series and public symposia
- Guest lectures co-sponsored with UCF CREATE and UCF SIGGRAPH
- Continued partnerships with Adobe, Limbitless Solutions, and the TEAAS Symposium
- SVAD’s presence at Adobe MAX and other national creative conferences
These events enhanced UCF’s reputation as a collaborative, forward-thinking academic institution and provided students real-world engagement with professionals and community leaders.
The 2024-25 academic year was marked by expanded opportunities, artistic breakthroughs and a reaffirmed commitment to excellence in education, research and service. As SVAD prepares for the next academic cycle, the school remains dedicated to supporting student innovation, faculty scholarship and meaningful connections across disciplines and communities.
For more updates, visit cah.ucf.edu/svad and cah.ucf.edu/gallery/.
