Campus Collaborations

CTL AI Artist Talk and Screening

Hosted by the AI Faculty Learning Community, in collaboration with Arts Alive SDSU.

Transing the Archives: Generative AI Against the Grain
In this talk, multidisciplinary artist and SDSU Professor Ava Aviva Avnisan (she / they) will speak about the intentional misuse of generative AI technologies as one of the critical / aesthetic strategies deployed in the making of her short film Specters of Home – Prologue. The film follows the writings of an unnamed female time traveler whose personal and family histories are fatefully entangled with the State of Israel’s Declaration of Independence in 1948; the Jewish Exodus from the Muslim World; and the Palestinian Nakba. The film is comprised of a wide range of visual materials including footage sourced from both family archives and the Israel Film Archive; ghostly renderings of the Palestinian village of Lifta created from 3D lidar data scans; and generative AI animations created in collaboration with artist Doug Rosman.

The Crisis Carnival

A multi-disciplinary arts showcase featuring work from SDSU students was hosted for one night only at the Mingei International Museum.

The Crisis Carnival, an annual event, celebrates the dynamic interactions between MA and MFA students in Arts and Humanities. In collaboration with Arts Alive SDSU and various campus departments, the redesigned event showcases work from SDSU student writers, painters, musicians, filmmakers, actors, and dancers. Its aim is to foster connections and collaborations across disciplines, ultimately strengthening the creative community. Photo credit: Xavier Vasquez

SDSU ReBorder Conference

In Fall 2019, SDSU launched an annual binational conference called RE:BORDER, which addresses critical issues in the transborder region of California and Baja California. Working with the Office of the President, Arts Alive SDSU serves on the Steering Committee and arranges the participation of faculty and students in the arts whose work offers creative and compelling perspectives for the conference sessions. In Fall 2023, student artists from both San Diego State University and Universidad Autónoma de Baja California were invited to work on teams on site. Themed "Post Borders," this event encourages artists to produce original pieces that resonate with the conference's core themes. The artists envisioned a world liberated from conventional and conceptual boundaries, prompting them to create works that capture the perspectives deliberated at the Symposium.

Lalo Alcaraz Pop-up Exhibition

In the Spring of 2023, in collaboration with School of Art and Design (College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts), and the MALAS Program (College of Arts and Letters) we hosted

SDSU Campus Benches

Scattered across San Diego State University, the Art Benches brighten the campus and invite passersby to sit, reflect, and engage each other in conversation. Designed and painted by students under faculty guidance, these unique benches address themes relevant to campus culture and offer vibrant, compelling, and functional art for the entire SDSU community.

SDSU Campus Murals

In the Spring of 2021, a mural competition resulted in five new pieces of art for the SDSU campus. Each work focuses on a specific social justice issue, and were completed by teams of SDSU students and alumni. Hosted by the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity, the School of Art and Design, and Arts Alive SDSU, the Social Justice Mural Project Teams from the Mesa Campus and the Imperial Valley Campus were encouraged to apply, and all teams had access to a mentor from the School of Art and Design, SDSU student Sabrina Davidson.

Through the summer of 2021 and the 2021-22 academic year, the five selected artworks were produced and installed on campus.

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