Fresno State’s 2026 Bachelor of Fine Arts senior exhibition titled “Fus!on” took place on March 12 with its opening reception. The showcase of senior portfolios contained multimedia, graphic design and illustration students’ work over the course of their degree.
A professional night was newly added on March 13, allowing professionals in the graphic design industry an opportunity to better view students’ work without having to be crowded among other attendees.
The showcase itself is not only a way for students of the program to learn how to put together an appealing design for the show, but also to learn how to fundraise, advertise and work with companies in order to provide goods for the show.
Louella Clark of “Nigh Chai”, a graphic designer major with a path in illustration, stated how things just had to get done.
“A lot of sleepless nights, a lot of consistent days,” Clark said. “I’d say every day of winter break on top of working full-time I put about 6 to 8 hours into my art.”
This mirrors the sentiments in the award ceremony by Angelica Sibrian, an assistant professor at Fresno State for graphic design.
“Tonight is a celebration of dedication, experimentation, growth, late nights, early mornings, and the unwavering belief that graphic design matters,” Sibrian said.
Awards were given out to students for their respective work within their track. Caleb Carrillo won the award for the Dean’s Medal nominee, an award given to a student who demonstrates exceptional scholarship and leadership.
Giselle Gamez won the award of excellence within the graphic design track, Camille Amezcua won the award for interactive multimedia and Pilli Lopez won the award for illustration.
Molly Ruiz of “Zuzu’s Creations”, a graphic design major, explained that some of Fresno State senior graphic design shows do happen in March instead of May due to a rotation on when students graduate.
Ruiz also explained that while she leans more towards just illustration, the fundamentals of graphic design and advertising were things learned that will help out in the long run.
“Every project we get there’s always market research. That’s one of our requirements for every single project we do,” Ruiz said. “We actually have a period of just searching before we even design or put anything to paper.”
Students have the chance through the “Fus!on” senior show to present their work to friends, family and professionals. The exhibit will be open from March 12 through March 20.
