Academy of Art University

Juneteenth celebrations include honoring the enduring legacy of Black artistry to shape culture, ignite conversation, and redefine what’s possible. Today, we celebrate the Black creatives at Academy of Art University whose diverse disciplines illuminate history, give voice to the modern experience, and design a more inclusive future.

Donzhane Lyans (MA Fashion Art Direction)
Clothes are stories with history, meaning, and a legacy. This blend of education, cultural empowerment, and art has revived what it means to use one’s talents and turn them into power.

Janay Minor (BFA Illustration)
Janay Minor, a passionate Atlanta-based artist known as Blaze. Blaze succeeds in creating vibrant illustrations and crafts, showcasing her strong conceptual vision and keen eye for color. Her artistic focus lies in digital and mixed-media illustration.

Zoe Arnold (BFA Fine Art Painting)
A multidisciplinary artist, born and raised in Southern California. She pulls inspiration through abstraction or surrealism.

Erik James Montgomery (MFA Photography)
Erik James Montgomery is a fine art photographer, educator, and "Art-ivist" whose work centers on the beauty, complexity, and resilience of the Black experience.

Nasir Dowdell (MA Fashion Art Direction)
Inspired by the Last Supper. What a fabulous feast? Have a seat and enjoy the serve. A story dedicated to the black sheep and outcast. This story serves as a reminder the minority is the commodity. Although often left in the shadows, our shine cannot be dimmed.

Keon Washington (MFA Animation & Visual Effects)
3D character animator focused on storytelling and worldbuilding. Bringing characters to life has always been his goal.

Zamaria Pace (AA Illustration)
A digital artist who fuses authentic cultural representation with sharp, high-energy illustrative styles.

Sean Blanchard (MFA Industrial Design)
An industrial design 2026 graduate with 16+ years in Mechanical Engineering. His goal after graduation is to work professionally as an Industrial Designer and eventually teach courses in Product Design.

🏆 Our School of Graphic Design -- AAU Graphic Design -- earned an incredible 38 awards in the 2026 Graphis New Talent Awards, including 1 Platinum Award, 11 Gold Awards, 17 Silver Awards, and 9 Honorable Mentions!

A special congratulations to Tomás Britos and instructor Thomas McNulty for receiving the Platinum Award for Rutini Wine. Winning Platinum at Graphis is an extraordinary achievement and a testament to the strength of our Graphic Design program.
Congratulations to all of the students and instructors whose hard work, creativity, and dedication were recognized.

🥇 Platinum Award
Tomás Britos

🥇 Gold Awards
Craig Fowler • Kayla Allen • Sol Stern • Evelyn Kim • Ren Wang • Jasmine Chang • Brenda Barrera • Ursula McCarthy

🥈 Silver Awards
Camile Ariole • Fei Wang • Bryant Zhang • Jasmine Chang • Kate Griffin • Evelyn Kim • Goodness Okoro • Charles Q Duong • Ursula McCarthy • Shivom Patel • Xiao Yun Yang • Ningyi Xu • Tiarne Liu

🏅 Honorable Mentions
Goodness Okoro • Svetiana Shubina • Jin Young Jang • Amy Burke • Camile Ariole • Ningyi Xu
View more from the winning projects here: https://graphis.com/competition/new-talent-awards-2026/archived

You’re invited to see the future of creative excellence up close.

The Graphis Best100 Exhibition is coming to Academy of Art University, featuring 100 of the year’s top works in Design, Advertising, Photography, Illustration/Art, and New Talent from around the world.

Explore award-winning work from global professionals, students, and schools — and get inspired by what’s happening at the frontier of the creative industries.

📍 The Cannery
2801 Leavenworth St, San Francisco, CA 94133
📅 June 26 – July 25, 2026
🎟️ Free & open to the public

Open Tuesdays & Saturdays, 11AM–4PM
Thursdays, 11AM–8PM

Come for the inspiration. Stay for the connections.

Event page here: https://www.academyart.edu/news/events/graphis-best100-exhibition-2026-jun-jul/

What does it mean to design with intention, atmosphere, and a strong sense of place?

Two Academy of Art University students are being recognized by the prestigious Julia Morgan Awards for work that explores exactly that through interior architecture, fine art, and classical design principles.

From a hotel concept inspired by Oakland’s cultural identity to a series of paintings capturing the quiet presence of artisanal spaces in Sonoma, Shweta Shiravadekar and Mark McDowell are creating work rooted in storytelling, craftsmanship, and experience.

Read more about their award-winning projects and creative process in the article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/academy-art-university-students-honored-2026-mn97c

Image credit:

1-6: Shweta Shiravadekar, The Oakland Athenaeum
7: Mark McDowell, "Kate's Studio"
8: Mark McDowell, "La Haye II"
9: Mark McDowell, "No Glory"