Discovering art at USD

Exploring the current art in different galleries and exhibits on USD’s campus 

Lizzy Jennings / Arts & Culture Editor / The USD Vista

The art scene at the University of San Diego is an ever-cha  exhibits a year. However, many students fail to realize how much art they actually have access to. Being a university that prides itself on aspects like its business school and Catholic identity, USD’s art and galleries on campus can easily be overlooked. In order to truly take advantage of all the campus has to offer, students could learn more about the various art and exhibits housed at USD every semester. Here’s a look at what our campus has to offer. 

Permanent collections

USD currently has three active galleries on campus that all host a variety of exhibits during the academic year. Additionally, the school is home to two permanent collections, featuring prints, Native American art, and historical artifacts. The prints collection is located in Founders Hall, adjacent to the Hoehn Art Gallery, and is an open resource for all who want to examine or simply enjoy the prints housed in the collection. With a wide range of styles and subject matter, the nearly 3,000 graphic art resources in the collection can be an important tool for students. 

The May Gallery, located in Saints Tekakwitha and Serra Hall, is the university’s other permanent collection. This collection also features Native American art and artifacts such as woven baskets and handcrafted pottery, with pieces spanning nearly a half-century. The May Gallery collection highlights the urgency of the issues faced by this population by putting its history on display. The exhibition aims to document political action in the South and Southwest of the United States, giving it a local relevance as many of the artifacts were created or discovered in the state of California. This gallery is open from November to May, allowing students opportunities to see the important and thought-provoking exhibit.

Upcoming exhibitions

USD doesn’t just offer these fixed collections, however. Thanks to Katherine Noland, Operations Coordinator of the university’s galleries, and the rest of the gallery staff, students at USD have access to a variety of exhibits every year from both established and up-and-coming artists. The Hoehn Family Gallery, located in the main foyer of Founders Hall, is the main display place for these rotating exhibits. A quiet place amidst a busy campus, the gallery is a hidden gem for USD students. This semester, the gallery will be hosting an exhibit featuring rarely displayed Renaissance drawings and prints from the British Museum in London, England. 

Though the main feature of this carefully curated exhibition is the inclusion of a Michalangelo drawing, the exhibit as a whole is special. Many of these prints have never been displayed in California, or even in the United States. In fact, many of these prints and drawings are so sensitive to the elements that they are hardly ever displayed at the British Museum itself. This Renaissance print and drawing exhibit will give USD students and the public alike a unique opportunity to study and enjoy these pieces of art that are rarely displayed or seen. 

For students with a stronger interest in contemporary art, the rotating exhibits at the Humanities Gallery, located in Saints Tekakwitha and Serra Hall alongside the May Gallery, feature a screening series once a semester. This fall, the video art of up-and-coming artist Ja’Tovia Gary will be shown from September to mid-October. Gary, who is the recipient of several renowned grants and has a work included in one of the Whitney Museum of American Art’s permanent collections, is known for using her art as a platform to give insights into Black-American culture and experience in modern times. This semester’s screening will include two of Gary’s award-winning videos played on a loop during the gallery’s opening hours. 

Here for the students 

Making sure that students know this art is available is one thing, but motivating them to take advantage of these resources is another matter entirely. As the average college student gets busier and more overbooked every year, they may not feel the need to take time out of their day to walk through one of USD’s galleries. However, Noland urges students to take the time to see the art housed on campus. 

“Students are the reason we do this,” Noland said. “If you need a pause in your day you can walk into a gallery and look at something else for a minute and be present.”