Around this time every spring, parents and students alike gather inside the Fullerton College Art Department’s gallery to see a showcase of student artwork ranging from drawing and painting, illustration, printmaking, graphic design, 3D modeling, sculpture and ceramics to art disciplines new and old. Free and open to the public, the Fullerton College Art Gallery, located in the 1000 building on the community college campus, is currently exhibiting student-made work in the college’s 2025 Student Art Exhibition, which runs until Wednesday, May 21.

Before the show opened, I had a chance to interview Seija Rohkea, Art Gallery Technician, and Jasmine McNeal, Adjunct Professor in the Fullerton College Art Department’s Fine Arts Division, about what it’s like working at the gallery, how they plan for the show, and how they’ve collaborated with student artists and gallery assistants on this exhibition.

“My favorite part about working with the students and Seija is the community that we’ve built,” said Jasmine via email. “I think we have a unique advantage since we’re one of the few Museum Studies programs [at the community college level] in California, and I honestly feel like we do great work. I love to see the students get excited about a show and see how their minds work when they are installing and curating. And I love that Seija advocates for all of us and puts in the extra work to make sure that things run so smoothly.”

Seija explained, “I work as a gallery lab tech, and what that means is that I make sure that the gallery is stocked at all times and ready to go for exhibitions with our students. And then I get to work with the students putting the exhibits up on the walls. Jasmine, she curates the exhibit and themes, and helps the students figure out placement on the walls, and how artworks speak to each other…So we all work together.”

Throughout the academic school year, the Gallery features both student and faculty artwork. “We do feature faculty who actively work in the industry while teaching our students their special techniques,” said Seija. “We have a permanent collection here that is largely based on our artist-in-residency program that’s been going on since 1973. And every fall, we feature some artworks from that collection that the students curate…They put a theme together; they pick out the artwork, we get things framed, and they get to do it from beginning to end. So it’s a wonderful experience.”

“We also intern with other public entities like Fullerton Museum Center, Brea Gallery, all the way down to the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, so we have these wonderful internship programs that our students who go through our program get to tap into, and some land into careers. It’s just a great way to teach the people who are actively in the museum studies program that you can do it too,” said Seija.

Jasmine explained that the Museum Studies program at the community college has been collaborating with the Gallery since its inception. “Working in a gallery setting keeps you on your toes. It teaches you that things can change, but that you can overcome anything, and at the end of the day, you have collaborated with wonderful people around you to make something bigger than yourself,” said Jasmine. “Art is healing, art is teaching and art saves us from ourselves sometimes. And I get to learn every single day how the people around me contribute to a message so much bigger than we can imagine.”

Seija explained that a student art exhibit means not knowing what you’re getting into. The gallery received a total of 316 submissions, but the jury ended up selecting 210 from them to be in the show. So, in preparation for receiving artwork, they had to create space, which meant having blankets down on the floor and having everything painted in advance, including every pedestal and every shelf.

“Everything has to be painted in advance, whether we’re going to use it or not, because you may need it,” said Seija. “So, we’ll end up with some extra materials, which will be fine. But at least we’re not painting last minute because a lot of the pedestals need at least three days to what we call ‘off gas,’ so you could put a heavy object on top, otherwise it could stick. So that’s the most challenging: not knowing what we’re getting.”

The Fullerton College Art Gallery got a laser level this year, which they say has been a game changer. Seija explained that it helped them lay out whole sections of the gallery when planning and preparing for this year’s spring student art show.
Jasmine loves being a curator at the Fullerton College Art Gallery because it allows her the opportunity to teach the Fullerton community how important education and art truly is. “One of my biggest joys is being able to teach the Museum Studies class,” she said. “I think about them when I’m away from them. I look forward to showing up and teaching every Tuesday and Thursday, and on some level, I feel like it saved my life. This program gives me hope and joy and I’m just so grateful to be a part of anything that we create together.”

To both Seija and Jasmine, the most fulfilling part of seeing this end of the school year art show is watching how much work that goes into it behind the scenes. Finally seeing the show at the end always brings them joy.

“It starts out a little chaotic and big and energetic, and then as the opening happens, you get to see the students be so proud of the work that they’ve been working on all year,” said Jasmine. “I like to see their excited faces get awards. I like to see their excited faces support their fellow students. And I like to see them hopeful about being able to submit something the next year. I think this is the beginning of them building their confidence as artists, and the student art exhibition is a little taste into what their futures might look like.”

I got to attend the Fullerton College Art Gallery’s opening reception for the show on May 8, and it was great seeing all the student art pieces on display for Fullerton community members to view and potentially buy. This year, the gallery is allowing students to sell their artwork. The student gallery assistants were very helpful, and I couldn’t help admiring how excited the college students were showing off their pieces of artwork on display to family members.

The Fullerton College Art Gallery is free to access and open to the public during regular campus hours. Gallery Hours are Monday through Thursday from 10am – 12pm and 2pm – 4pm. For further gallery information, contact fcartgallery@gmail.com or visit their social media page at instagram.com/fcartgallery.

To learn more about the Fullerton College Art Department, visit their website at art.fullcoll.edu.