Revisiting the 2024–2025 Deborah and Kenneth Novack Creative Citizens Series
The 2024–2025 CCA@CCA program explored the theme "Where do we go from here?" During a time of instability and conflict in the world around us, our programs modeled ways to come together for discussion, reflection, and growth.
This year’s program achieved unprecedented levels of community participation, with 3,400 people attending 21 exhibitions and events—nearly double the previous year's attendance. This growth was driven primarily by successful voting activations in the lead-up to the U.S. Presidential Election this past November, and the TAKE ACTION exhibition, which opened in October at the new Deborah and Kenneth Novack Gallery on CCA’s expanded campus and showcased work by CCA faculty and alumni working as creative citizens in their communities.
I am most proud of the effective and collaborative work led by the CCA Voting Coalition, a team of staff members from across the college working to support democratic engagement. Our democratic engagement efforts resulted in 773 people voting at CCA’s polling location or by mail, achieving an exceptional 88.95% turnout rate that exceeded both district and citywide average, and we received multiple national and state level awards recognizing our efforts that are detailed in the voting section below.
The 2024-2025 CCA@CCA program successfully fulfilled its mission to promote creative activism on campus. Through community feedback sessions we gathered insights for future iterations, and we will continue to ensure that our programming remains responsive to evolving needs as we continue to map where we go from here, together, as a creative community.
Voting work organized by the CCA Voting Coalition
A message about voting from President David C. Howse.
In 2024, the CCA Voting Coalition, part of CCA@CCA, significantly expanded its democratic engagement efforts across campus through strategic collaborations with college leadership, departments, and national organizations. President David C. Howse endorsed the initiative by signing the ALL IN Presidents' Commitment, also appearing in a promotional video viewed nearly 4,500 times. This institutional backing boosted participation across campus and contributed to successful large-scale events like the National Voter Registration Day/Constitution Day celebration on September 17. Held in the Nave, the event featured screen printing workshops, a mobile “Art and Politics” library, and voter registration support that drew broad participation, especially from first-year students.
CCA’s Voting Coalition collaborated with Student Life, Libraries, ETS, and other departments to embed voter engagement in both academic and social spaces. These efforts contributed to CCA receiving a “Highly Established Action Plan” seal from ALL IN, and inclusion in its 2024 cohort of “Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting.” CCA@CCA Student Fellow Elisabeth Cobb Hughes was named to the 2025 ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll for her leadership.
CCA also maintained its Voter Friendly Campus designation through 2026 from NASPA and the Campus Vote Project. Additionally, the college earned top honors in the California Secretary of State’s 2024 Ballot Bowl competition, receiving the “Best Civic and Voter Empowerment Action Plan” award in the AICCU category, with a perfect score. These recognitions affirm CCA’s commitment to fostering civic learning, student voter participation, and a culture of creative, informed engagement.
TAKE ACTION on view at the Novack Gallery during our campus expansion opening day.
TAKE ACTION: A CCA@CCA Exhibition
TAKE ACTION was a group exhibition highlighting work by CCA faculty and alumni working as creative citizens in their communities. Timed to coincide with the U.S. Presidential Election, the inaugural exhibition in the new Deborah and Kenneth Novack Gallery celebrated six years of CCA’s Creative Citizens in Action initiative. Featured artists included Arleene Correa Valencia, Chris Johnson and Hank Willis Thomas, Maia Kobabe, Michele Pred, Michael Wertz, Neeraj Bhatia / THE OPEN WORKSHOP, Sarah Bird, and Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik.
Borrowing its title from the original TAKE ACTION exhibition held in CCA’s former Hubbell Street Galleries in 2018, this second iteration reintroduced the popular TAKE ACTION Card Wall, inviting visitors to browse and take home prompts for real-world civic action, like “Volunteer for Fabulosa Books' Books Not Bans program” and “Learn about the Save the Redwoods League.”
On view from October 19 to November 16, 2024, the show was a key part of CCA’s Expanded Campus Opening. The opening reception drew hundreds, and nearly 1,000 people visited during its run—making it the most attended teaching gallery exhibition at CCA in recent memory.
Students discuss the power of art over refreshments and snacks in The Nave.
2025 CCA@CCA Symposium: Where do we go from here?
On March 6, the 2025 CCA@CCA Symposium brought together faculty, students, and community members to explore the power of art as a tool for inquiry, activism, and collective care. The evening featured a panel and hands-on workshops moderated by CCA faculty, including Aaron Gach, Melinda Luisa de Jesús, Janette Kim, and Sara Dean. The symposium also included an exhibition of large-scale installations by CCA students across disciplines. Notably, Chibuzor Darl-Uzu’s (MFA Design) (Re)Assembly Room was praised for its interactive and inclusive design. Student reporter Gabrielle Kedziora (Writing and Literature 2026) described the piece as a "neutral living space" inviting reflection on sustainability, aesthetics, and rebuilding trust. Visitors were prompted to consider questions such as “How do we rebuild?” and “What do we salvage?” Darl-Uzu's project was later selected for a $10,000 Impact Award from CCA's Center for Art and Public Life.
Students stop by the Gensler Family Courtyard for a sweet treat and reflection.
Cake & Conversation
On May 2, CCA@CCA Faculty Coordinator Pia Zaragoza set up tables in the Gensler Family Courtyard beside the entrance to CCA's main building to offer an end-of-year treat. Community members received slices of cake in exchange for writing down answers to the question posed by the 2024–2025 theme, "Where do we go from here?" Seventy faculty, staff, and students participated, submitting a vast range of responses. Many expressed a need for more opportunities to build community and develop ways to support the most vulnerable among us. Such responses include: "I feel isolated from the city—I hope CCA can be more connected with SF," "More resources for POC and queer students," "Community building, mutual aid, collaborative effort, helping hands," and "Support International Students." This "food for thought" will be used to help shape 2025–2026 CCA@CCA programming.
— Jaime Austin, director of Exhibitions and Public Programming
July 2, 2025