The Duncan Anderson Gallery looked like a club on Monday night; dimmed lights, funky music and the smell of classy finger food appetizers filled the air.
This week, senior design students showcased their works-in-progress from last semester and this semester in an exhibit called Act III.
“It’s a show to celebrate what we’ve been doing,” said Megan Deguchi, who is one of the 24 senior interior design students whose work is on display.
Deguchi said the students composited all their work together on their own personal poster boards and displayed designed work.
Abstracts of the students’ thesis statements attached onto wooden beams were displayed around the room; the theses explained what each student would be working on next semester.
Some seniors displayed a design of a visiting center, which was one of the most recent projects they had created for an Interior Design & Architecture class.
Half of the class went to Los Angeles, and the other half went to New York City, to work and get inspiration for their ideas. Deguchi said the metro in New York inspired her idea for the model.
“It was really confusing to find your way in New York; it was our first time,” Deguchi said.
Her model showed a visitor center that describes how the metro works. It also displayed how people could be directed by different kiosks lined up in the center to see specifically where they want to go.
David Pullido, senior interior design major, said he helped design panels and templates for board setups, and he helped organize the show.
“We work together as a team,” Pullido said. “We’re 24 close people, we all sort of collaborated.”
Deguchi said the process of transforming the gallery into the showcase exhibit required time and effort.
“We like to go all out! They were up all weekend, cutting and carving these woods, and throwing everything together,” Deguchi said.
Deguchi described the program as an intense design course. The Interior Design and Architecture class in the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design program is a selective program that requires an application process.
Ed Perez, Bachelor of Fine Arts Program Coordinator and Advisor, said the seniors would transition into their final semester project and outline what their thesis would be in the spring semester.
“[I’m] incredibly proud,” Perez said. “You get to see these kids as freshmen, and now they’re on their last [semester].”
As the seniors come to the end of their time at CSULB, Deguchi said they have had an amazing connection with one another throughout the process.
“I literally have loved it, we’re all really good friends, and it’s been a really great experience.” Deguchi said. “We can all just be ourselves.”
The event kicked off on Monday and will continue through Friday at the Duncan Anderson Gallery located in the Design Building from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.