The CSU Summer Arts program, a staple of California State University’s arts education for nearly 40 years, has been discontinued. The decision follows months of uncertainty and comes as a disappointment to students and alumni who participated in the intensive, multidisciplinary summer program.
Founded in 1985, CSU Summer Arts offered college courses in a range of creative disciplines and provided students with the opportunity to learn directly from industry professionals. In 2024, the program was hosted at Fresno State, where students in visual arts courses showcased their work in the Phebe Conley Art Gallery.
Several students’ pieces were selected by Summer Arts administrators for inclusion in the CSU Chancellor’s Office gallery in Long Beach. In July, selected students were told the exhibit would take place in late October or early November.
However, the exhibit was never scheduled. In November 2024, CSU Stanislaus alum Katelyn Hawthorne emailed Summer Arts administrators for an update. On Dec. 9, Summer Arts program specialist Sonya Cabello replied, stating there had been “some issues involving the gallery,” and that updates would be shared when available.
The following day, students were notified that the Chancellor’s Office exhibit had been canceled. Their artwork, they were told, would be mailed back.
On Dec. 12, The Signal reached out to CSU Summer Arts for comment. The staff said the inquiry would be forwarded to the appropriate department, but no official response has been received as of publication.
Valentino Di Pietro Hernandez, a student whose four pieces were selected for the Chancellor’s exhibit, said he was never contacted directly by Summer Arts staff.
“It sounds like the whole thing was canceled,” he said. “I feel very left in the dark about this issue, and I don’t really know how to feel about it.”
“It makes me feel sad because Summer Arts is an art program. The whole point of this program is to foster creativity, so to see this kind of creativity be cut short because of unforeseen circumstances does hurt a little,” Di Pietro Hernandez said, adding that the cancellation disrupted the growth and exposure opportunities for participants.
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“Crimson Bloom” by Katelyn Hawthorne; tri-color gum bichromate print with Polaroid photos of displaying every color layer.
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“Sunlit Reverie” by Katelyn Hawthorne; a lumen print collection.
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“Untitled” by Valentino Di Pietro Hernandez; collage of cyanotypes.
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“Untitled” by Valentino Di Pietro Hernandez; triptych of gum bichromate prints.
Over the summer, the program announced that CSU Summer Arts would relocate to California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Their website reflected this change, but 2025 courses were not posted.
As of April 10, 2025, the CSU Summer Arts homepage includes this message:
“CSU Summer Arts has moved to a new campus: As Summer Arts enters a period of transition and growth, we have decided to pause and not offer a 2025 season. This break will allow us to regroup and explore the best ways to serve the CSU Arts community moving forward. We will share updates on our website as more information about our future plans become available.”
Despite the language suggesting a temporary pause, on April 10, 2025, Cabello told The Signal that the program will be discontinued entirely. A formal statement is in progress, she said.
The closure not only halts future opportunities for aspiring artists across the CSU system, but also casts uncertainty over how the university will continue to support arts education at a systemwide level. As students and alumni wait for formal answers, the legacy of CSU Summer Arts now hangs in limbo—its sudden end marking a significant loss for the state’s creative community.
