The Art and Design Department launched its inaugural Summer Pre-College Portfolio Program in July 2026. This two-week intensive program introduced rising high school juniors and seniors from the Greater Lowell region to the creative process within a college-level studio environment.

UMass Lowell is the first New England university to partner with Braven, a nonprofit whose mission is to accelerate students’ careers and prepare them for strong first postcollege jobs.

A new UMass Lowell initiative, REPGOW, brings together faculty across disciplines to explore how housing, public spaces and shifting work patterns influence the livability and economic future of communities.

Associate Professor of Art and Design Yuko Oda has had three works in a Rome art exhibit focused on climate, including a sculpture for which she borrowed tree roots and leaves from a park in the city.

The annual James B. Francis Lecture on the Built Environment, featuring civil and environmental engineering alum Steven Fallon ’20, examined how artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics can help design more attainable and sustainable housing.

From the “Capybara Express” to the “Aluminum Falcon Experience,” UMass Lowell students and alumni brought engineering, art and community spirit to the annual Lowell Kinetic Sculpture Race.

Graphic design alumna and adjunct professor Kristin Morrissey Jordan ’14 draws on her user experience expertise to run Second Chance Ranch Rescue, a nonprofit dog rescue that she started with her husband, mechanical engineering alum Cam Jordan ’14.

As a 2D FX animator, UMass Lowell art and design alumna Katie Lucas ’20 has had a hand in some highly acclaimed projects, including the film “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” and Cartoon Network’s “Rick and Morty.”

Honors graphic design seniors Andrea Garcia and Daly Grogan created “Earth Nouveau,” a set of sustainability-themed greeting cards inspired by the university’s eco-friendly initiatives. Sales of the nine-card sets benefit the Honors College Fellowship program.

Spotify Wrapped and similar year-end recaps transform personal data into shareable highlights, fostering connection, brand loyalty and a sense of identity in an increasingly digital world, according to faculty experts

In recognition of Chancellor Emerita Jacqueline Moloney’s many contributions to UMass Lowell throughout her career, the university has renamed Durgin Hall on South Campus the Moloney Performing Arts Center.

Students can customize their studies to meet their personal interests and goals through the Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree. They choose two concentrations among 27 options in UML’s flexible, interdisciplinary program.

Kennedy College of Sciences Dean Noureddine Melikechi penned six children’s books on the five senses, most of which were illustrated by Art & Design Assoc. Prof. Ingrid Hess.

Assoc. Teaching Prof. of Art & Design Regina Milan was commissioned by the nonprofit Pollinator Partnership to create its 2024 poster, leveraging her extensive background in botanical and natural science illustration and her passion for nature and sustainability.

“Postcards from the Azores,” an exhibition of student photography from an annual study abroad trip to the Portuguese islands, is on display at University Crossing until May 12.

Studio art student Kara Cormier was ready for a change when she transferred to UMass Lowell.

In partnership with the Radiation Safety Office, Radiological Sciences in the Department of Physics and Applied Physics and Art & Design Assoc. Prof. Yuko Oda’s Sculpture III class, students competed in a radiation-themed sculpture contest.

A three-year, $140,000 grant from the Theodore Edson Parker Foundation is paying up to 12 students each semester to provide support to Lowell nonprofits – and paying for staff from 60 nonprofits to take an intensive UML class on grant-writing.

The exhibit of student photography "Postcards from the Azores" is now on view at the University Crossing through May 12.

Art & design alumna Anna Dugan ’13 was selected as the inaugural TD Garden House Artist and commissioned to paint a mural, “Celebration of Belonging,” inside the main entrance of the Boston arena.

A new interdisciplinary course, Adaptive Devices for Better Life, brings together students majoring in art and design, physical therapy and kinesiology, engineering and biology to create devices that assist disabled clients from the community.

Zipper Buddy, a clothing attachment that helps people with limited mobility to zipper their jacket, took the top prize at the Rist DifferenceMaker Institute’s Francis College of Engineering Prototyping competition at University Crossing.

Art & Design faculty members Caitlin Foley and Misha Rabinovich, who use artificial intelligence in their work, reflect on the technology’s impact on artists.

Assoc. Teaching Prof. Yuko Oda and 12 students from the Art & Design Department traveled to Japan for two weeks over the summer, culminating a course focused on the country's culture and influence on contemporary arts and game design.

The Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy granted fellowships to mechanical engineering major Caralyn Conrad, industrial engineering Ph.D. student Mahsa Ghandi and Art and Design Assoc. Prof. Kirsten Swenson.

Through the Emerging Scholars program, graphic design major Michael Page ’23 and Architectural Studies Program Director Marie Frank teamed up to document a revitalizing era in Lowell’s history.

Alumnus Terrence Masson '89, a pioneer of media and visual entertainment, returned to campus this spring to share his career experiences and insights on the industry going forward.

Distinguished University Prof. Robert Forrant held a “book party” to culminate a monthslong collaboration with a second grade class from Lowell’s McAuliffe Elementary School in which he helped the students write and publish their own books.

Two of the four Peters sisters, all UMass Lowell Honors students, are graduating together. Eleanora, an education major, has already started on her master's degree. Regina, a biology graduate, is tracking turtles.

Connecting through the UMass Lowell Art & Design Department, alumni Derek Kunze '16, Otto Setiajita '18 and Julien Saliba '19 used their graphic design skills to work on DraftKings' 2023 Super Bowl commercial.

Project Save Photograph Archives in Boston welcomed photographer and artist Pavel Romaniko, an Assistant Teaching Professor in UMass Lowell's Art & Design department, as its first Artist in Residence.

A group of UMass Lowell students and faculty created educational signs across campus to spread community awareness and knowledge of Indigenous peoples who were originally settled on the local land.

When students arrived back on campus, they were greeted by two colorful murals: a “chrome” hermit crab by internationally known artist “Bikismo” and six endangered species painted by New England muralist Sophy Tuttle. The murals were sponsored by ArtUp Lowell, a citywide coalition that brought nine muralists to the city in August.

This year, the Nancy L. Donahue Celebration of the Arts celebrated the Lowell philanthropist’s $2 million donation to renovate Durgin Concert Hall. It is only her latest gift to the university.

Art Assoc. Prof. Ingrid Hess is traveling to some of the world’s most beautiful places to make artwork that educates children about the natural world and environmental sustainability. She’s won grants, fellowships and artist residencies to visit national parks in Costa Rica, Australia, the U.S. and more.

Art Asst. Teaching Prof. Pavel Romaniko, who has roots in both countries, is divided by the war between Ukraine and Russia. Yet long before Russia invaded Ukraine, Romaniko was meditating on the diminishment of free artistic and political expression in Russia through his photographs of reconstructed, depopulated spaces.

Visiting Prof. Pedro Letria, a Portuguese photographer and writer, is teaching photography and documenting the Portuguese American community in Lowell for the university’s Portuguese American Digital Archive. His wife, journalist Cláudia Lobo, is also gathering oral histories for the archive.

The New England Undergraduate National Portfolio Day will be held on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021 from noon to 4 p.m., at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

The university’s new digital media major prepares students to become video, audio, corporate media and advertising professionals through classes that combine storytelling and technical skills. Students also get hands-on experience through internships.

Science education can help slow the pace of global warming, because people who understand climate science can make informed decisions, says Education Assoc. Prof. Jill Hendrickson Lohmeier. Lohmeier does research on using artwork in informal settings to educate the public about climate science.

“Integrating Climate Change into the K-12 Classroom,” a free professional development workshop hosted by EEAS Assoc. Teaching Prof. Lori Weeden and the university’s Climate Change Initiative, showed teachers how they can address the topic through a variety of educational lenses.

Her leadership on campus and advocacy for Black students won Fiona Bruce-Baiden recognition as one of “29 Who Shine,” an award given by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education to one student from each of the state’s public colleges and universities.

Honors College students are creating graphic novels about science and medicine in a new seminar. Assoc. Prof. of Art Karen Roehr says that during the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re more relevant than ever, because linking words and images helps people understand and relate to health and safety issues.

Like others around the world, Jason Reyes was horrified by the video of George Floyd being killed by Minneapolis police, as well as the Black lives lost before and after. He takes artistic action on a Lawrence street on Oct. 25.

Armed with a prestigious Burkhardt Fellowship, Assoc. Prof. of Art History Kirsten Swenson will spend the 2021-2022 school year researching and writing about a subject she calls an “obsession” – urban parks designed by artists.

For the first time, UMass Lowell’s animation program has cracked the top five among the state’s animation schools, ranking third in Massachusetts according to Animation Career Review’s 2020 listing.

The Art & Design Department transformed the opening of its annual end-of-the-year student art show into an online celebration for a class of 46 graduates whose last semester of college has been disrupted, but not defined, by the coronavirus pandemic.

With labs closed and all academic programs now online due to COVID-19, seniors are adapting their capstone projects. Some capstones have even taken on new relevance because they address aspects of the pandemic.

Going stir-crazy? Here are some suggestions from arts and humanities faculty on how to enrich and entertain yourself – all while staying safe.

A large gathering recently celebrated the unveiling of a student-painted portrait of late FAHSS Dean Nina Coppens. It is, say friends and family, exactly what she would have wanted.

Over two days, students from South Korea explored the worlds of virtual reality and 3D sculpting on their mission to Mars.

The Local Ecologies exhibit running now March 6 at Mahoney Gallery uses the Merrimack River to examine water and our relationship to it.

Artist Jonathan Monaghan paints a portrait of an increasingly angst-filled, technologically driven future.

Art historian, Assoc. Prof Marie Frank, talks about UML's first 125 years, what's changed and what has remained the same.

College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences students Jacqui Gallant, Sarah Galevi and John Fedirko competed as the Rowdy River Rovers in the fourth annual Lowell Kinetic Sculpture Race, a festive community event that merges the “STEAM” fields of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.

Increasingly, student art is enlivening buildings across the UML campus. Recently, Andrew Fournier '19 saw his "River" installed int he Pulichino Tong Business Center,

Under a new partnership, 20 high school graduates from Washington, D.C., are studying at UMass Lowell this fall with merit scholarships. It’s part of the university’s mission to support students from all backgrounds in getting a great college education.

For seven years, the Cool Science contest has asked children to communicate climate science through art, with the winning works displayed on Lowell buses. A $3 million National Science Foundation grant will expand Cool Science in Massachusetts and add two metropolitan areas in the Midwest.

When liberal arts alum Erin Reynolds ’18, coordinator of creative services and entertainment for the Lowell Spinners minor league baseball team, needed a video production intern this summer, she turned to her former classmate, senior graphic design major Sara May.

Pavel Romaniko, visiting assistant professor in the Art & Design department, has been busy lately. In addition to welcoming a baby son, he also welcomed a $15,000 fellowship from the Mass Cultural Council.

Eleven students who comprised the Documentary Image photography class finished off last semester with a trip to the Azores.

Education, psychology and art faculty worked with community groups to collect folktales from four Southeast Asian countries and turn them into a book that can be used in the Lowell schools.

The university marked two major milestones at its Earth Day celebration: the completion of its $23.1 million Accelerated Energy Program and its latest STARS Gold rating, which moves UML into the top 10 nationally.

For four years, History Prof. Robert Forrant and Assistant Prof. Ingrid Hess of Art & Design have quietly charted the history of immigration in Lowell. With the help of a team of UML students , they have built a unique website to help teachers and students understand the waves of immigrants calling the city their new home.

Anna Dugan '13 returned to the Art & Design department recently to design in chalk and encourage current students to use all of their skills in the world beyond the university.

Asst. Prof. Miko Wilford has won a five-year, $498,000 National Science Foundation CAREER grant to study an urgent issue for the justice system: Why innocent suspects plead guilty.

In its first time in the U.S., the 404 International Festival of Art & Technology is at UMass Lowell University Gallery and other sites across campus, through March 5.

Virtual reality, augmented reality, optical illusions and more are all on display at UMass Lowell through March 5 as part of the 404 International Festival of Art and Technology. This is the 16th annual installment of the festival, which originated in Argentina.