One week, one gallery, one unforgettable transformation

The clock is ticking. You and your entire senior cohort have seven days. The mission: transform a quiet university art gallery into a vibrant, one-night-only rave. This was the real-world challenge facing our senior Graphic Design BFA students in the project “180: A Matter of Perspective.”

They weren’t just earning credit; they were learning how to build a community from the ground up, under pressure.

The goal of the workshop, led by Paul Sizer from the Design Center and instructor Eric Howes, is to push students into a new environment and challenge them to react, create and collaborate. This year, they turned their focus inward to the Richmond Center for Visual Arts’ student gallery, an on-campus space brimming with unexplored potential. The entire senior class was tasked with a comprehensive challenge: work as a single team to concept, design, fabricate, promote and launch a full-scale event.

“We’re so used to working in groups of like three or four people, so working in a room of 20 people is a little overwhelming,” said senior Nahjae Moseley.

The students had to navigate the complexities of a large-scale collaboration, merging dozens of ideas into one cohesive vision. With guidance from their faculty mentors, they created custom animations in their Special Topics class, designed promotional materials and physically built out the immersive installation.

“We only had one week, and we had everybody's ideas to rapidly go through,” explained Kylee Castillo. “We really had to come together and, like, read each other's minds of what needs to happen.”

The hard work culminated in a stunning success. That Friday night, the gallery doors opened at 8:08 p.m. to a crowd of over 150 students from across the university. With sets from DJ DazzleShip and DJ Nowhere, the space was alive with music, light and energy. Custom art, including massive painted banners, hung from the ceiling, transforming the traditional gallery into something new.

“Seeing what we had created truly come to life, and seeing everyone kind of enter the space and activate the space, was like thrilling,” said Castillo.

More than just a successful event, the project was a powerful lesson in professional readiness. It simulated the high-pressure, deadline-driven environment of a creative agency, demanding teamwork, communication and problem-solving.

Design mentor Paul Sizer saw the project as a direct link to professional practice. "It was so gratifying seeing the students come together on all aspects of this project," he said. "We hope that it showcases to them the potential and power that exists in collaborative community building that is essential to those in the creative field."

By pushing students beyond the classroom, projects like “180: A Matter of Perspective” build leaders, collaborators and resilient creative professionals ready for any challenge.

“It definitely prepared me for one day when a client comes in and is like, 'Oh my gosh, I need this done now,' and working with a team of people to get what they need done as fast as possible,” Castillo reflected.

For Mosley, the impact was also personal. “This project reminded me that it's okay to be a creator and to change your perspective sometimes.”

See where a degree in Graphic Design can take you. Learn more about the program at the Frostic School of Art.