Art+Design students, faculty land 23 Addys at annual advertising gala

The honors were announced during the chapter’s 2021 gala event held virtually on March 20. The awards were given in gold, silver and bronze categories each for students and professionals. The department celebrated as spring quarter commenced in the following weeks with students providing insights into their thoughts about winning the noted recognitions. Many of the awardees graduated in June and also exhibited their work in senior shows in Brandstater Gallery in May. Art+Design chair Terrill Thomas won silver and bronze Addys and assistant art professor Tim Musso received a silver Addy.

“Just submit work, don’t think too much about it, because you’ll never know if you would even win if you don’t try submitting work in the first place." Michelle Hwang, Gold ADDY winner, BFA, Graphic Design

Michelle Hwang, who graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design said she was surprised and grateful to have won the prestigious student gold ADDY for her Umami illustration-campaign, in addition to two silver medals. The inspiration for her Umami creation derived from her love of food, specifically “Asian food,” she said. “However, I’ve been wanting to work on my illustration skills so I decided to push myself and create a magazine that showcases my illustrations of the food that I love and enjoy eating.”

She advised students who desired to submit their work to awards competitions but who felt intimidated by the process – “Just submit work, don’t think too much about it, because you’ll never know if you would even win if you don’t try submitting work in the first place,” she said. “Just go for it and submit work to any competitions or galleries that are opened up for submissions.”

This year’s ADDY Award-winning students included the following: Cole Gabriel-Rebmann, Jackie Hernandez, Louise Celle Blay, Veronica Ramirez, Blake Walker, Serena Williams, Laura Cruz, Adrianna Rodriguez, Aaron Partida, Micah Buller, and Michelle Hwang.     

Q: Was this the first time you entered work in a competition?

“No, this was my third year!” - Blake Walker, BFA Graphic Design and BS Marketing

“This was my first time submitting work for the ADDY’s but not for a competition.” - Serena Williams, BFA Graphic Design  

“This kind of work, yes. I had never submitted any illustrations or photographs.” - Laura Cruz, BA Film and BS Marketing  

“Yes, as a first year majoring in both Graphic Design and Fine Art this was just the beginning.” - Adrianna Rodriguez, BFA Graphic Design and BFA Fine Art

“Yeah, first time entering.” - Aaron Partida, BA Art

“Yes, it was.” - Angela Childs, BA Art

“This is the first time I have ever entered a competition with my work.” - Micah Buller, BA Computer Science

Q: How do you feel about winning an award? 

“Grateful that there is an opportunity to be able to have a space to be able to enter and show work and see what other local creative students are doing.” - Blake Walker

“I am pretty surprised that I won an award but very thankful. I am also happy that I submitted something because there might not be a lot of art students who have such a supportive department to encourage you to share and get the chance to see other peers work.” - Serena Williams

“Great! I really didn’t think I would get an award for both of the works I submitted but I am very thankful for being given the opportunity to have a place where student work is taken seriously and cherished.” - Laura Cruz

“At first I was shocked to have my work awarded. I felt the relief of hard work paying off in the end.” - Adrianna Rodriguez

“Honestly a little shocked, but thankful and proud. We’re all our own worst critics and I didn’t think I would win anything, so it was a nice surprise.” - Aaron Partida

“I am very thankful and happy for the award. It was also inspiring to see the amazing works that other students did.” - Angela Childs

“I feel appreciative of Terrill Thomas (my teacher) who was very knowledgeable about the programs that he was teaching, and I attribute how well I did to his instruction. I think the project was fun and the award was just a cherry on top.” – Micah Buller

The American Advertising Awards Inland Empire competition is part of the national American Advertising Awards, the world’s largest advertising competition. The local event involves a student competition and an event for professionals with 200 categories covering all aspects of advertising.