Spring Show

Peony by Mo Zhan

The most exciting art & design exhibition of the year.

Welcome to Spring Show, the annual art and design exhibition showcasing the achievements of graduating students across 22 different schools at Academy of Art University. 

Throughout its history, the Spring Show has remained to be a consistent reflection of our commitment to provide hands-on learning; opportunities for networking, industry participation, and interdisciplinary collaboration; mentoring, and real-work experience for our students. All the attributes that make the Academy special are on grand display in this exhibition. 

The result: an impressive array of paintings, sculptures, fashion and jewelry, architectural and landscape designs, and even fully developed video games and car models—all created by our skilled and talented students.

700 +
Student work presented
1000 +
Industry leaders attend every year
72
Creative disciplines

What to Expect at Spring Show

Enjoy

  • an easy, one-stop gallery featuring the best of the best student work spanning all 22 different schools at Academy of Art University.

Learn

  • how an accredited degree from the Academy can help turn your idea into a final product, your passion into a profession. 

Grow and Expand

  • your network and your perspectives as you meet industry leaders and recruiters who will review your portfolios and provide feedback on your work. Be ready, companies have been known to hire graduating students on the spot!

Spring Show is the most important day of our year. Students get to see a lot of people in a relatively casual setting. We spend quite a bit of time coaching them about how to present their work. Throughout the program, students are asked to speak about their works, define their choices, document their process.
Phil Hamlett / Director of School of Graphic Design

Meet the future of art & design

Spring Show 2021

Explore 2021 Spring Show Now

Why is Spring Show important?

Our goal at Academy of Art University is student success—your success. We want you to get good jobs when you graduate from your program. We want you to make the most out of your degree, get the most out of your career, and pursue a life of purpose driven by your own choosing and making.  Spring Show is just one of the things that help us take one step closer to achieving this goal for you.

Network with Leading Companies

Spring Show is one of the best opportunities to connect with industry professionals and recruiters from hundreds of leading companies, including Apple, Facebook, Louis Vuitton, Pixar, and Tesla.

Get One-on-One Portfolio Review

You can get your portfolio reviewed by industry professionals to receive one-on-one feedback, so you can elevate the quality of your work to the next level.

Collaborate Across Disciplines

Collaborate with other talented students across the university to work on real-world projects for actual real-world companies as clients.

Get Inspired

Explore the best of the best student work in art and design from across 72 creative disciplines. See for yourself and be inspired by the works that made it through the rigorous selection process for this exhibition, embodying the culmination of years of hard work by our talented students.

Career-Prep Opportunities

Spring Show brings industry professionals and students together. Industry partners and recruiters at Spring Show may review your portfolio, and get to know you and your work. In some cases, they have also been known to hire new talent on the spot. As a student, you can get valuable feedback, gain industry insights, and explore internship and job opportunities. 

Pixar
Samsung
Nike
Company Logo
Apple
Google

Companies that hired our graduates

We look at Academy of Art University as one of the premier design schools especially on the west coast and we’re always trying to have close ties with those schools and find talent for our future design programs.
Andre Frey / Mercedes Benz Advanced Design

I come to Spring Show every year. There are such diverse skill sets here that I have never seen in any other school. We are looking for people who stand out and games that stand out, and Spring Show is the best place to actually find all of. It just blows my mind how creative everybody is here.
Dave Markowitz / Lead Animator at Jam City

We love seeing new talents and we can help them navigate the beginning of their career.
Ralph and Diane Waterhouse / Owners of Waterhouse Gallery

Meet the future of art & design

Spring Show 2021

Explore 2021 Spring Show Now

Look Closely

Discover how hours of hands-on training in practice-based, industry-centered classes help turn your passion into a profession. Look closely at the student work. You will see work steeped in rich tradition and an understanding of the fundamental rules of art and design. You will see the influence of industry experts and instructor-mentors. You will see job-ready skills and experiences that have prepared them to enter their professions with a distinct advantage.

Spring Show is our opportunity to highlight the best of our students’ work to the industry and allow them to get direct feedback from the industry, and hopefully placing them in internships and jobs.
Antonio Borja / Director of School of Industrial Design

Student Work

What Alumni are Saying

1/4
Alpa Sheth
MFA Jewelry and Metal Arts
Getting into Spring Show is very exciting because it’s presenting the work that you’ve worked hard on and you’ve spent nights and days working on, and people are actually coming to see it. It boosts your confidence and elevates your artistic sense.
School of Jewelry & Metal Arts
Ruqayah Baroudi
BFA Interior Architecture & Design
It’s a real honor. I am really grateful to be here. There is a lot of preparation that goes into it and we honestly cannot do it without our instructors. They really put a lot of time and effort into helping us make this possible. It is a great privilege to showcase your work to the public.
School of Interior Architecture & Design
Hugo Ugaz
MFA Graphic Design
You can talk to the people in the industry so that they can take a look at your work and see if you could be a good fit for their agency or a design studio.
School of Graphic Design
Juan M. Corredor
MFA Graphic Design
You see the different levels of design. Different classmates have different talents — some are illustrators, some are better in color, some are better in type. And it’s helpful when you come and look at all their work and you get inspired as well.
School of Graphic Design
1/4

Past Spring Shows

Meet the future of art & design

Spring Show 2021

Explore 2021 Spring Show Now
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