SAN FRANCISCO – Determined to highlight its students' best work from this past school year, Academy of Art University adapted amid the COVID-19 pandemic to present its annual Spring Show event online in 2020. Throughout 40+ areas of art and design, more than 40 ART U student-athletes had the opportunity to showcase their talents and portfolios for the whole world to see in this grand finale to the 2019-20 academic year.

Starting in the School of Architecture, softball alumni Katie Tablada's senior thesis project delved into a pedestrian mall known as Maiden Lane and specifically how to utilize its acoustics to promote a more pleasing environment and atmosphere. Through determined research on examples and precedents of sound in architecture and in the face of challenges with working remotely, she was nevertheless able to successfully rethink the area as a more cohesive space for communal gatherings, creating an atmosphere that engages the public in a multi-sensory experience with social interaction and a community aspect that may be lacking within the busy city.

"Having my work in the show was such an experience," said Tablada. "Knowing that my work would be viewed by so many people, even more because it was online this year, was almost overwhelming. It was nice to see all of my hard work had paid off and was on display for all to see. I think my biggest takeaway from this project was that we can really take architecture and look at it in different perspectives in order to better equip it to fulfill the needs of the people and the surrounding area in ways that may have not been thought of or considered before."

For his Architecture senior thesis, men's golf alumni Oskar Frick (portfolio), around the color green almost exclusively in his athletic competitions, applied research revealing office settings that incorporate greenery, social spaces, and sustainable design can boost productivity and wellness. Inspired by the software campus example, his project aimed to create a repeatable model and adapt it to a densely populated downtown setting.

Two award-winning projects were featured in the portfolio of men's soccer alumni Dylan Ingle. Both collaborative designs, Ingle worked with four others on the "Kid of Parts at the Bayview Commons Apartments" and nine others on the "UNITY Pavilion for Northridge Cooperative Housing." Through live and online workshops with the building's residents, the first collaboration sought to develop a "vibrant gathering and imagination space for all the residents, especially the 29 children" with an outdoor furniture installation in an existing outdoor courtyard. The second project helped provide a space for cooking, eating, and storytelling within the NCH Community garden in the Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco. It included a raised deck with a view of the bay, counters, benches and a movable kitchen table for cooking demonstrations.

From Architecture to Interior Architecture & Design, softball's Gabi Hirsch deftly joined a design team to produce an integrated campaign for "Citroën Aura." Alongside students from the Schools of Web Design & New Media, Graphic Design, and Industrial Design, she collaborated on a uniquely customizable car concept driven by the intention of creating an emotional and personal experience.

Within the Interior Architecture & Design space, volleyball's Michaela Charrette also found herself in collaboration with others on an "Audi Morpheus" integrated campaign. Inspired by the statement "Shaped by the Wind," the adaptive design employs a Meta-link system that creates a secure and seamless connection between one's vehicle and their home.

The extensive portfolio of women's golf alumni Maria Fernanda Traboulsi was on display in the School of Interior Architecture & Design as well. Out of seven separate projects, two featured were her work with "Papillon," a senior housing concept aimed at restoring the life of residents suffering from dementia, and the "Audi Experience," creating a holistic life experience for clients in 2040.

Earning "Best In Show" honors with Landscape Architecture, men's soccer alumni Jake Walter exhibited a successful Campton Place alleyway activation in coordination with the Union Square Business Improvement District. With the goal of rehabilitating and brightening a dark underused area, Walter's work transformed the identity of the urban landscape into a warm and whimsical environment for all visitors.

A former teammate of Walter, men's soccer alumni Dominic Payerchin saw his collaborative Space Jam 2 integrative campaign on display with the School of Advertising. With the purpose of building hype for the movie's 2021 release, Payerchin and his team visualized a public relations stunt of crop circles appearing around Indiana farms. With Indiana set as the location of NBA All-Star Weekend in 2021, the stunt would seamlessly lead to a Space Jam takeover of the annual NBA event, gaining tremendous publicity for the film. 

"It was a very exciting moment to have my work showcased in the Spring Show," said Payerchin. "I am grateful for my team members Carly Schmidlin and Kassi Coronado; they are great at what they do and I enjoy working with them both. We always begin with writing or drawing any ideas that we may have in the first couple days to get the creative juices flowing. Eventually we landed on this stunt idea and just ran with it. The tricky part was making it into an integrated campaign and that's where we got to thinking about the fans that originally grew up with the first Space Jam film and where they are at in their lives now."

Also in Advertising, men's basketball alumni Kiel Long's "Taylor Guitars" commercial featuring former teammates Victor Ruiz de Carranza and Cobe Williams was highlighted in addition to Long's "Sharktoberfest" collaboration. Click here to read more about those award-winning projects as well as the "Juno" multi-functional design that serves as an app, baby monitor, and lamp simultaneously from Web Design & New Media men's soccer student-athlete Kris Jensson (portfolio) and the 2-D animation layout design from Animation & Visual Effects women's cross country/track & field student-athlete Giulia McIsaac (portfolio).

The School of Animation & Visual Effects also featured the work of men's track & field alumni Michane Ricketts (portfolio) whose interest in logo designs, special effects, practical effects, and dynamic simulations was sparked by the Harry Potter films. Emerging from the exploration of a diverse imaginative world fraught with explosions, elemental aspects, textures, and lighting was the striking impact of a purple slash on a logo.

Within the "Foundations" section of the Spring Show, which focuses on the core skills of drawing, painting, and sculpture from various majors, four student-athletes had pieces featured. Volleyball's Game Development major Zoey Kister offered an intriguing self-portrait and Animation & Visual Effects teammate Jillian Wheaton had three creations including a colorful mandala, a shadowy nighttime "two point perspective," and an enigmatic self-portrait of her own. Women's track & field Animation & Visual Effects major Mia Avila explored "three point perspective" with her dynamic depiction of Batman and The Joker above a cityscape.
 
Representing women's soccer in "Foundations," Visual Development major Nicole Peoples had two projects on display. Her first was a series of detailed thumbnail sketches telling a short story "of a kid and a monster having a journey separate at first then eventually meeting up together and exploring together" which helped her "create composition and quick environment designs." Her second piece, inspired by the animated film "Princess Mononoke," cross compared color schemes with humans portrayed as warm and welcoming through their lantern while a mythical bear creature remained more mysterious by way of its cooler shades.

"I felt really happy and excited for my work to be included into the Spring Show," said Peoples. "It was an honor that not only one but two of my art pieces were picked to demonstrate Academy Art out of an entire college full of talented artists. For my Color and Design final, I wanted to do a painting in a nature setting with a little fantasy in it. With the color scheme, I wanted a clear contrast with the humans and the bear so there is this feeling that they are from different worlds." 

Gorgeous artistry was also on display in the tattoo design of Illustration major Rian Young-Werner from women's track & field. With Egyptian royalty at the forefront of her creative process, Young-Werner heavily incorporated snakes into her intricate design of a queen's silhouette.

Among a select group of photographers in the "Photographic Storyteller Gallery" section of the School of Photography, Baylie Christensen of women's soccer contributed a piece from her "Location Lighting" class. Embracing her environment at Urban Ore, an eco-friendly salvage yard in Berkeley, she had her model grab a nearby suitcase and captured him "jumping like he was late for something." In that same gallery, , which challenged students to "use the language of photography to tell a visual story," Christensen's teammate Sydney Cooke was the subject of men's soccer Photography major Mykal Mason's award-winning "Orange Country Fair" piece. His colorful "Orange Candied Brush" shot also made a delightful appearance.

Two student-athletes had their work featured in the "Fine Art Non-Course Student Gallery" which highlighted talented and hard-working designers from various majors who created the fine art. Among the work was that of softball's Game Development major Lauryn Henderson whose intricate "Expressive Heads and Hands" class creation of "The Girl" captivated audiences. In addition, former women's cross country/track & field Art Education major Emma Johnson offered an abstract progressive "Figure Drawing Series."

From the School of Industrial Design, women's golfer Elan Hawkins (portfolio) had two projects highlighted including a shoe line called "Embrace" from RARE by Goodwill. Following the objective of creating a secondary means for textiles that would otherwise be sent to landfills, the use of "upcycling" (taking clothing and making it relevant for more modern purposes) results in a sustainable and stylish end result. Additionally, Hawkins' second piece, a toy playset called "Legend of Hydra: Castle Falls," drew inspiration from "Hot Wheels" and followed the story of a "beautiful warrior who travels the land in search of her father's trident... [coming] head to head with a dangerous serpent." In a literal sense, she revolved her project around encouraging narrative on the racetrack.

Honored at NXT UP Fest 2020, an awards ceremony hosted by the Schools of Entertainment, a trio of student-athletes had their portfolios linked throughout the Spring Show landscape. Men's track & field alumni Michael Houston (portfolio), winner of 'Best Actor' in a drama ("Enemy of the State") as well as a comedy ("Mr. & Mrs. Smith"), represented the School of Acting while baseball alumni and Motion Pictures & Television major Mason Verhees (portfolio) showed off his complete documentary "Primal" which explores the life of big wave surfer Chris Mashburn. Along with her individual portfolio available, fellow Motion Pictures & Television major and women's golfer Han-Chuan "Vicky" Kuo had her music video "On My Own" and her 'Best Director' work "Confessions" both featured. Click here to read more about this highly talented trio and their NXT UP Fest highlights.

Resiliently completing their respective senior thesis projects this past spring, women's soccer alumni Alice Michell (portfolio) and Makayla Godden (portfolio) proudly stood out in the School of Fashion. Michell's work blended her European heritage with sportswear while Godden's textile series was inspired by Japanese arcade games. Click here to read more about Michell and Godden's collections.

"To be chosen to be in the spring show was such an honor," said Godden. "It really solidified that I'm finally where I'm supposed to be. My journey at Academy of Art wasn't easy as I went into the university not too sure what I wanted to do. With a lot of trial and error, I finally found my favorite thing and that was textile design. I felt freedom to express my feelings and messages in whatever way I wanted and had amazing professors who pushed and led me to be better each day. Now all I can do is remember each lesson I've learned and take them into the real world. I will always be eternally grateful."

A wide variety of projects emerged from the School of Communications & Media Technologies. The editing skills of women's basketball junior Sankia Braxton came forth in a heartfelt haiku while Adrian Byrd-Jelinek from men's basketball highlighted his trip to "Soap Plant + Wacko," a megastore for the pop connoisseur. Baseball student-athletes from the past and today were both included as alumni Caden Spilsbury employed slow-motion in "Target Practice on the Open Range" and junior Cannon Secrist offered a cleverly-titled teaching episode of "Cannon's Cannon." Volleyball's Ashley Pawlak utilized her drone skills with her "Documentation of USS Hornet" and women's tennis alumni Klara Thell-Lenntorp made her second straight Spring Show appearance with a creative use of shapes in her music video and book intro.

Representing men's soccer, fellow Communications & Media Technologies major Armando Rivera saw his piece on "Joanie Char" displayed. Thoroughly enjoying the logistical process of setting up shots, coordinating the interview, and editing, he skillfully told the story of a clothing designer who owns a retail store with a line of women's special-occasion and everyday clothes.

"It was really cool," said Rivera. "It was a great experience to get to speak to Joanie and get to hear her stories because, as much research as you do on these subjects and their businesses, it doesn't beat the human interaction and the details they give you in person. It was a really cool process. It's definitely a piece I'm very grateful I got the opportunity to make because I think it's a very important story to tell. It was one of my first pieces that was really big and I looked back on it and said, 'Wow. This is a big story.' It was a fun experience and I look forward to continuing to create here at Academy of Art."

Out of the numerous Communications & Media Technologies student-athletes featured, five were among the 11 who received 2020 COM Awards. Women's cross country/track & field's Natalia Novak explored the "Silhouettes of the San Francisco Skyscrapers" while fellow track & field teammates Ombretta Picciolie Minkue Meye ("Bretta Beauty" ) and Merlica Faustin ("Unexpected Shift") each had their personal projects available. Rabah Houali of men's cross country/track & field had three pieces to his name including "Traditions" and baseball's Ryan Gamboa ventured into Melinda Speer's figure skating career in one of his two projects. Click here to read more about this award-winning quintet and others.

Whether entering their respective design industries as 2020 graduates or continuing to build their portfolios in the coming years, these 40+ student-athlete Spring Show honorees represent some of the best and brightest artists Academy of Art has to offer.