By Brandon Bocanegra, May 12, 2026
Poly-Kroma 2026 occupied the entire W. Keith & Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery April 25 through May 17 with the entrance dedicated to senior portfolio booths filled with personal stories and free merchandise, and the back walls aligned with paintings and handmade sculptures.
The visual communication design and fine arts departments host the annual showcase to celebrate original works of graduating seniors, which featured three main events for students and the public to experience.
Industry Day showcased senior portfolio booths and invited respective clients to connect with them April 25. VCDstudent Yesina “Yesi” Dorado, based her booth off her slogan “Creating to be seen,” which she said means bright visuals, inclusivity and representation.
“When I was creating this, I wanted bright visuals because I am a very maximalist person, but also, I wanted people to see it like, ‘Oh, this is fun,’” Dorado said. “I think people coming in I wanted them to feel comfortable, basically being themselves, because I feel like I was finally able to be myself when it came to this.”
The second event combined the 2D3D+ showcase, which highlighted physical and digital work, with an award ceremony. The night ended with the third annual motion picture festival where short films and animations were projected on the lawn outside April 30.
Gallery visitors like VCD student Jose Carillo came in to view the work of his peers. An acrylic painting called “Teal,” in particular, stuck out to him. Carillo said the realism made the work so impressive, he enjoyed focusing on the skin tones of the subjects and the shadows cast from body parts and the surrounding environment.
“Art just takes so much work,” Carillo said. “It needs to be appreciated more, especially now that AI is coming up. It’s important to see how important human craft is and to appreciate it more.”
The artist behind “Teal” is VCD student Ellie Ridgeway who put nearly 150 hours of work into her painting, which she started in fall 2025. Ridgeway said she makes her pieces for people like herself who look at artworks very closely.
“This is my first official gallery,” Ridgeway said. “It’s really amazing to see people from all over being able to appreciate this piece that I put so much time and effort in to. Connecting with other people is the most rewarding part.”
Poly-Kroma 2026 was led by Jeffrey Ray, an assistant professor of the art department. Ray said the main producer role is given to junior faculty and considers it a “rite of passage” to spearhead the event.
Poly-Kroma takes two semesters of work, starting with designing the exhibit and creating posters in the fall to installing pieces in the spring, according to Ray. Although he said it’s a lot of work, Ray said it is a fulfilling and wonderful experience.
The Friends and Family Day will take place May 17 as the final event to celebrate for the seniors’ accomplishments with those who are close to them.
Poly-Kroma is a free exhibit open Monday through Thursday, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. until May 17.
“I just would love it if the entire university showed up,” Ray said. “This is for everyone. This is not just for art students or design students. This is for the entire university to be proud of.”
