The San Diego State University School of Art and Design presents Staying Power, a major exhibition celebrating the university’s long-standing legacy in craft. Staying Power is SDSU’s contribution to Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, a nationwide Semiquincentennial initiative, led by Craft in America, the Los Angeles–based nonprofit known for its Peabody Award-winning PBS documentary series spotlighting the importance of the handmade in American history and culture.

Staying Power will showcase the past, present, and future of the School of Art and Design’s craft legacy spanning more than five decades, with a special focus on work from the Southern California region. The exhibition is curated by Barbara Paris Gifford, Senior Curator at the Museum of Art and Design, New York, and features exceptional work in metal, ceramics, wood, and other craft media made by emeritus faculty, current faculty, and selected distinguished alumni from our Applied Design areas.

The exhibition will run Feb. 3–April 11, 2026, in the University Art Gallery, located in the School of Art and Design’s 4th-Floor Courtyard. Gallery hours are Tuesday–Thursday from 12–4 p.m. and by appointment. The gallery will be closed March 31–April 2.