Cal State San Marcos School of Arts

🎨✨ You’re invited to an afternoon + evening full of art, music, and celebration!

Join us for our 2026 Arts Showcase featuring student exhibitions, live performances, interactive activities, and our main event honoring David Avalos

🕑 Starts at 2 PM
🎶 Live music, dance, and performances throughout
🚶‍♀️ Don’t miss “Let’s Walk” + gallery experiences
💚 5–6:15 PM: Main Event + Plaque Dedication
🌙 Ends at 8 PM
Bring your friends, explore the Arts Building, and celebrate creativity in all its forms 💫
LiveArt CampusEvents

Senior Spotlight!!!

Zane Jillo

Double major in Economics & Music

1. My favorite college memory is meeting my lifelong friends and spending time in the studio, jamming, rehearsing, and recording.

2. Something I will miss is the direct support from my professors and the tight community of students.

3. I am headed to SDSU this fall to pursue a masters in Jazz Studies, thanks CSUSM!

Senior spotlight!!!

Charles Taylor III
Graduating May 2026, BA in Art, Media, and Design.
 
1. My best memories from college were my time spent with my peers, collaborating on projects and being surrounded by like-minded creatives who love to experiment and push the boundaries of artistic mediums. From simple still life drawing to experimental avant garde student films, collaborating with the talent in the AMD program helped sprout my creative spirit, and I will cherish the memories I've made with my classmates for the rest of my life. 

2. I will miss the Professors and colleagues who have pushed me to break out of my comfort zone and try new things. The encouragement I have received over the past four years has fostered confidence in my work, and I am forever grateful for each Professor I've had in my time at CSUSM. 
 
3.  My plan is to go into themed entertainment, specifically as an Imagineer for Walt Disney Studios. Here, I will utilize the skills and techniques that I have learned throughout my time as an AMD student to create experiences that will excite future generations about art and creation through immersive guest experiences and attraction design. My goal is to create fantastic art pieces that encourage wonder and reinvigorate the public's love for artistic expression.

Senior Spotlight!!

Amber Miller, Major in AMD (DAMA) and Minor in Visual Arts, Spring 2026

1. One of my best memories here at CSUSM was when I came back to campus in Fall 2025, and hearing all the motivational things my professors had told me after congratulating me for coming back to finish my degree. Hearing them have support for me was very encouraging.

2. I'll be missing the bond I have with my professors. They always had my back and had the best critiques for my artwork, which inspired me to do my best. They saw me at my lowest, and now my highest as I get ready to walk on the stage, and I feel honored to have their support.

3. After I graduate, I'll be moving to Boston to further my education at MassArt, and begin to work on my journey towards receiving an MFA in the hopes of becoming a contemporary artist.

Tomorrows last artist event!

Arts 240 at 530pm- Abraham Ávila is a visual artist and filmmaker interested in stories that explore the intersections of migration, exploitation, and workspaces, and how these themes shape marginalized communities' experiences and narratives.

New Gallery work up today!!!

After a semester of exploration and making, students from AMD 419 "Research to Production" are proud to present [DIS]COMFORT: Art for Uncertain Times.

Featuring works in digital media, photography, and installation, this new exhibition explores the tension between stability and uncertainty, and how these experiences shape who we are.

May 7–16

Save the date! CSUSM Arts Building Lobby Gallery
Join us for the Opening Reception on May 7 from 4–7 PM, with live music by the band Cougar Jazz.

Senior Spotlight!

Jack O’Brien
Digital and Media arts
Class of 2026

1.Honestly, some of my favorite memories was shooting sports and creating content, whether it was filming, editing, or being around that environment. That’s when I knew I wanted to stick with this field.

2. Something I’ll miss about college is all the friends I made throughout my classes.

3. I plan to continue building my career in the media industry, focusing on content creation and production after I graduate.

ONE SPACE/MANY STORIES
COLLABORATIVE DANCE WORKS
FEATURING STUDENT PERFORMANCES AND GUEST CHOREOGRAPHY BY
SAFOS DANCE THEATRE & DAUNTÉ FYALL

THURS 4/30 & FRI 5/1 | 7:30 PM ARTS

Today!! Arts 240!

Eva Aguila is an
interdisciplinary artist whose work examines the complexities of diasporic identity through video, sound, and installation.
Inspired by ephemerality and Indigenous Futurism, Aguilaconstructs alternative histories and reimagine cultural narratives of the diaspora.

Senior Spotlight Erin Wilcot

Name, Major in Sofa and graduation year:
Erin W
Art, Media, and Design
Spring, 2026
 
1. What is your best memory from your college experience?
University has been such a whirlwind of adventures—banter with my professors, forming friendships with people from all walks of life, learning in ways I never expected, attending shows with my incredibly talented peers, experiencing inspiring guest lecturers, and going on field trips filled with laughter (and usually coming home with some kind of souvenir). I’ve loved finding hidden nooks in the extension library and getting into thoughtful debates that continue long after class ends.
Two memories that stand out the most are the studio workshop with Professor L. Foster and the LA studio field trip with Professor N. diBenedetto (along with pretty much all the field trips from her classes).
 
2. What is something you will miss most about college?
I am so grateful for all the wisdom and skills my professors have passed on to me—I will absolutely miss their guidance and expertise. I’ll also miss the camaraderie of university life: being surrounded by so many different personalities, backgrounds, and perspectives.
And I’ll definitely feel the loss of the incredible camera and video equipment at the Arts Checkout (and the lovely humans that work there)— like having an all-access pass to a Michelin-star kitchen and then being sent back to instant noodles.
 
3. What are your plans for the future after graduating?
After graduation, I plan on catching up on sleep and finally finishing all the shows I’ve put off. Once I’ve resurfaced from my gremlin era and rejoined society, I hope to use all the skills and knowledge I’ve gained to fully tap into my love of art—painting, photographing, designing and filming as much as I can.
I want to really immerse myself in creating, exploring new ideas, supporting fellow artists and continuing to grow as an artist in whatever direction feels right.