Third Annual Juried Student Exhibition highlights talent across the Peralta Colleges
The June Steingart Gallery at Laney College was buzzing with energy on Thursday, April 16, as students, faculty, and community members packed the space for the opening reception of HERE & NOW: The Third Annual Juried Student Exhibition.
The exhibition, on view through May 14, features work from 50 student artists across the four Peralta Colleges—Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College. Selected from more than 250 submissions, the exhibition showcases a wide range of mediums including painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, and printmaking, and was juried by a panel of faculty experts from across the district.
Jurors included Jennifer Braman (Berkeley City College), Cynthia Horn (College of Alameda), Carolyn Martin (Berkeley City College), and Mo Storm (Laney College).
The exhibition was curated by Susanna Stromberg, Art Faculty and Director of the June Steingart Gallery, with support from student artists Raha Banoo, Finn Jordan, and Hilda Wang.
The reception itself reflected the spirit of the exhibition—lively, diverse, and deeply engaged. Guests moved through the gallery in conversation, taking in the work, connecting with artists, and celebrating the creativity coming out of Peralta’s classrooms right now. Many of the pieces are available for purchase, offering direct support to student artists.
Awards for excellence, supported by the Norma Hongisto Scholarship Fund through the Peralta Colleges Foundation, were announced during the reception—marking a meaningful moment of recognition for student achievement.
This year’s Hongisto Awards recognized outstanding student work across disciplines, including Terra Wong for Best Painting and Jillian Freiheit for Best Ceramic. An additional Excellence Award, provided by the Laney Art Department, was awarded to Stephanie Thames.
Curated by a panel of respected jurors from across the district, the exhibition highlights not only technical skill, but also the perspectives, identities, and lived experiences shaping contemporary student art.
This year’s show also carries added significance. After nearly three decades as a cornerstone of artistic expression at Laney College, the June Steingart Gallery is preparing to close as the Tower Building is decommissioned. That reality made the strong turnout and celebratory atmosphere of the evening feel even more impactful—a reminder of the gallery’s long-standing role in uplifting student voices and building creative community.
HERE & NOW lives up to its name. It captures a moment—what students are thinking, making, and expressing in this exact time and place—and invites the community to witness it.
The exhibition remains open through May 14. Catch it while you can—this is the last chapter in a space that’s shaped generations of Laney artists