By Zacharias Quintanilla, September 15, 2026
A six-month exhibit planned from spring and summer 2026 opened as a “mock up” named the “University Permanent Collection: A Proposal in Real Time” at the W. Keith & Janet Kellogg Art Gallery Aug. 24.
The collection is being presented for the first time in over a decade and will change its selections in response to student and staff concepts, thus the current naming of a “progressive exhibit.”
If successful, the gallery will to move to the Student Services Building and other possible locations.
This project is a unity of collections, with gallery walls of objects, writings and plaques. There are also sun studies, building schematics and mock-ups. While the exhibit is changing, the gallery staff encourage visitors to audit their interest, monitored by staff. Gallery and Collections Curator Michele Cairella Fillmore said, though on display, some exhibits are waiting for updates for text and research.
After the selections have been approved, the next phase of the proposal is to install the gallery’s exhibited artworks in the Student Services Building, East, floors 1-3 from the “mock-ups,” designed, updated and conceptualized by students-staff assistants.
Fillmore notes that ultimately, Cal Poly Pomona President Vanya Quiñones must approve the proposal and possibly make recommendations prior to installation.
Quiñones recently requested some university permanent collection artwork from this exhibit for viewing at the Manor House, so replacements are being selected by student assistants employed at the gallery.
“This gallery made me feel that everyone should have their expression,”said industrial engineering student Carmen Magallon. “I really like the diverse range of different art styles and different ways for artists to express themselves. This can really build the community on campus.”
Magallon’s statement is the plethora of contributions to the collection. According to cpp.edu, the University Permanent Collections’ sources come from several individuals and endowments, such as the Col. James H. Jones Collection, Raymond Burr & Robert Benevides Collection, and Ink & Clay Collection, as well as independent donors.
Since 1962, the collection has grown to more than 2,100 artworks. Pieces were either purchased or donated, and some items date back to the 1800s. There are other spots on campus for further consideration to be assessed and expanded with the same collection.
Fillmore said in her gallery memo that the exhibition is still in progress, with students and staff continuing to work on elements of the exhibition, including, but not limited to, the inventory, research, writing and designing for the exhibition walls as part of student learning outcomes.
Selected works placed in the SSB will theoretically be housed as a long-term installation, using the gallery as a test space for aesthetic decision making, according to Fillmore. Fillmore also said it is of utmost importance for the artwork locations to be safe and secure.
There is a video-projected schematic made by gallery assistants to preview how the art will be displayed in the SSB.
According to the mission statement on the website for the gallery , its purpose is to serve the CPP community by “bringing diverse, multicultural and innovative exhibitions to our campus.”
“CPP is represented and provides these spaces to enjoy art and other enrichment,” gallery assistant Riley Earl said.
The theme is a variety of subcategories, like geometric forms, natural environments and landscapes, and sociopolitical and ethnic art. Fillmore says there is no number one takeaway, but rather promotion to bring in students to spend 10-20 minutes looking at the gallery artworks.
Selections for the SSB is an ongoing process, as pieces are being actively reviewed and could change before gaining approval.
“You can just bring a group of friends and separate and walk around and collect together and talk about what you saw,” Magallon said. “It’s an inspiration. You can build community on campus.”
