Photos provided by Catherine Cavallo, Sabrina Castro, Fatema Tuz Zohora, and Kristy Caldwell.
On May 12, the undergraduate literary journal Utopia Parkwaylaunched its Spring 2026 issue in the Q-Side Lounge. The event began with an introduction from editor in chief Randy Vilchis and co-editor Catherine Cavallo, both graduating Design BFA students. In attendance were President Frank Wu and Provost Patricia Price, who took photos with the student editors. Each contributor received a copy of the 106-page publication, which features a wraparound cover illustration by Catherine Cavallo and Joshua Young. The event included readings from several creative writing contributors, including Charles Jacobus and Anna Radford (pictured), and a slideshow of visual art from the issue. Thank you to everyone who participated!
If you’re interested in becoming involved with the journal as a student editor, email one of the faculty advisors to be added to the mailing list: Ryan Black at [email protected] or Kristy Caldwell at [email protected]. Everyone on the list will be contacted before the first meeting of Fall 2026, where you’ll have a chance to learn more about the role.
Look out for these among your Fall 2026 course offerings! This post will be updated with more information as it becomes available.
City Myth by Seoyoung Lee (used with permission).
Visual Worldbuilding (new course!)
Course Title: DESN 370 (003) / VT: Special Topics in Design — Visual Worldbuilding Day & Time: Wednesdays 1:40pm–5:30pm Course Code: 28955 Classroom: KP263 Instructor: Kristy Caldwell (questions? [email protected])
What makes a fictional place feel real? In this course, we explore how imagined worlds take shape through visual details—environments, objects, signage, materials, and other evidence of everyday life. These details can form the foundation for a variety of visual storytelling and communication design projects.
A world can be a whole universe or a single room. Through visual research, exercises including sketching and short reflective writing, and applied projects, you’ll develop a purposeful approach to building worlds informed by place, culture, and social life.
By the end of the course, you’ll create a blueprint for your own fictional world along with a set of finished pieces that show how it works in practice. Final pieces can connect to illustration, animation, or other communication design work, and you’ll be encouraged to tailor your approach to your own interests and strengths.
Animation Hotline
Course Title: DESN 370 (005) / VT: Special Topics in Design — Animation Hotline Day & Time: Tuesdays 2:00pm–5:50pm Course Code: 40306 Classroom: KP263 / Hybrid Instructor: Dustin Grella No prerequisites – All majors welcome – Permission of instructor required
Animation Hotline is a web-based series of micro-animations that use crowd-sourced voicemail messages for content. People call an open phone line and leave a message on any topic — a story, an observation, a poem, whatever they want. Those messages get selected and animated, usually in a single day, using whatever experimental technique best fits the story. The project has screened at the Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals, MoMA, and has been featured in the New York Times.
In this course, students work as a production team to build their own branded project using the Animation Hotline model. The class will develop an original identity, select messages from the voicemail archive, and produce 12–16 short animations over the course of the semester. The full arc is covered — concept development, brand building, animation production, sound design, post-production, and public release.
This is not a traditional animation class. The production needs designers, illustrators, programmers, sound artists, writers, editors, social media strategists, and project managers. You don’t need to be an animator to have a real role on the team.
The course is offered as a hybrid class — QC students work in person in KP263, students from other CUNY colleges can participate remotely. This is a working production studio, not a lecture. Expect to collaborate, make creative decisions, and ship finished work.
The course is led by Professor Dustin Grella, whose animated work has screened internationally and who has collaborated with Lars Von Trier, Amazon Studios, and the Intrepid Museum.
To request permission, email [email protected] with a brief note about who you are, your major, and what you’d bring to the team. Students from other CUNY colleges may enroll through ePermit via CUNYfirst. The Fall 2026 ePermit deadline is August 21, 2026.
“Voices of Harlem” by Alliima Belton, Spring 2025Calligraphy by Oliver Siedlik, Fall 2025
Lettering & Calligraphy
Course Title: DESN 370 (004) / VT: Special Topics in Design— Introduction to Lettering & Calligraphy Day & Time: Thursdays, 10am–1:50pm Course Number: 28954 Classroom: KP481 Instructor: Amy Kim Delahanty
New to typography, or already love letters? Unique and beautifully crafted lettering makes for stand-out portfolio pieces and is a useful asset for a multitude of projects. In a digitally saturated field, handskills are becoming increasingly rare and valuable. Calligraphy is perfect if you’re looking for a break from the screen, and interested in learning a meditative practice to enhance your design process.
This is a beginner-friendly course for letter enthusiasts that are looking to express themselves through hand-crafted letterforms. This is not a type design course that results in a digital font, but rather explores the artistry and bespoke qualities of hand-drawn lettering and calligraphy. We will study them separately, and you will leave the course with a solid understanding of the difference between calligraphy, lettering, and typefaces.
You can expect a variety of exercises and projects that progressively build hand skills with various tools and mediums. Lettering projects will combine analog and digital techniques, whereas calligraphy work will all be completed by hand. Supplies are provided for in-class work (pens, ink, paper, iPads).
AI x Design
Course Title: DESN 370 (006) / VT: Special Topics in Design — AI x Design Day & Time: Mondays 1:40pm–5:30pm Course Code: 40308 Classroom: In person Instructor: Danne Woo
In the rapidly evolving landscape of design, generative AI stands at the forefront, offering groundbreaking possibilities and posing new challenges. This course is designed for design students seeking to explore the potential of AI in the creative process. Students will delve into a comprehensive exploration of various AI tools, including Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, DALL-E, MidJourney, Stable Diffusion, Eleven Labs AI, Runway ML, and others, learning to integrate them into design workflows.
The course combines theoretical learning with hands-on projects, enabling students to not only grasp the functionalities of these tools but also understand their practical applications in real-world design scenarios. As they progress, students will be encouraged to develop a critical perspective on the use of AI in design, particularly focusing on the ethical considerations such as bias, authorship, and the societal impact of AI-generated content.
Through lectures, workshops, guest speaker sessions, and collaborative projects, students will gain a nuanced understanding of how AI can augment, transform, and sometimes challenge traditional design methodologies. The course culminates in a final project where students will apply their learned skills to create comprehensive design works that reflect their mastery of AI tools and their thoughtful engagement with the ethical dimensions of AI in design.
Excerpts from the Spring 2025 issue. Clockwise from top left: art by Farhin Puspita, Aryan Manas, Joshua Wong, Shaday Anderson, and Thais Mendez.
The student-led undergraduate literary journal Utopia Parkway is accepting submissions for the Spring 2026 issue through end of day Monday, March 9. Accepted contributions will be published in the printed journal and on the journal’s website.
The journal accepts a wide range of visual art, including photography, illustration, animation, comics, and more. If you’re excited about it then please submit it!
It’ll be with Professor Cohen. He’ll go into detail about what a portfolio should include, how to start, where it should be posted, tips on how to track the amount of view your portfolio gets, and you can volunteer to have him go over yours at the meeting! If you haven’t started a portfolio yet, this would be a great way for you to get an idea of how to start!
The event is focused on helping artists build sustainable income from their work, covering practical ways to monetize art through digital platforms, subscriptions, commissions, and more. It’s designed to be approachable, educational, and supportive, especially for those navigating the early stages of their creative careers.
🎨 Event at a Glance: How to Make Money from Your Art
🗓 Date/Time: Thursday, Nov 6 · 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
📍Location: Wix Playground – 100 Gansevoort St, New York, NY 10014
Course Name: DESN 370-VT: Special Topics in Design – Entrepreneurship for Designers Class Number: 42398 Day & Time: Thursdays 6:00 PM – 9:50 PM Classroom: Online Instructor: TBA
This course is designed for students interested in establishing their own design practice. Through personal reflection, analysis of existing design studios, and practical business skills, students will develop a foundational understanding of what it takes to launch a design-focused business. Topics include business structure, accounting, taxes, contracts, marketing, and project management. By the end of the semester, students will have crafted a personalized toolkit and action plan for beginning a sustainable studio practice.
Introduction to Lettering & Calligraphy
Course Name: DESN 370-VT: Special Topics in Design – Lettering & Calligraphy Class Number: 40362 Day & Time: Thursdays 10:00 AM – 1:50 PM Classroom: KP 481 Instructor: Amy Fortunato
This is a beginner-friendly course for letter enthusiasts that are looking to express themselves through hand-crafted letterforms. This is not a type design course that results in a digital font, but rather explores the artistry and bespoke qualities of hand-drawn lettering and calligraphy. Unique and beautifully crafted lettering creates stand-out portfolio pieces and is a useful asset for a multitude of projects.
A variety of exercises and workshops build hand skills with various tools and mediums that combine analog and digital techniques.
Character Animation
Course Name: DESN 370-VT: Special Topics in Design – Character Animation Class Number: 42396 Day & Time: Mondays 8:10 AM – 12:00 PM Classroom: IB 203 Instructor: Elliot Cowan
Looking to improve your character animation skills and learn traditional “acting with a pencil”? In this class you’ll take the animation principles you learned in your Intro To Digital Animation class and push them further to start delivering animated performances. Using Adobe Animate, you’ll create characters that think and emote and make the audience believe they exist. This class is perfect for anyone who wants to expand their animation skills, might want to pursue a career in the animation industry or simply wants to express themselves through the powerful medium of animation.
Image generated using Midjourney with prompt “an illustration of a class learning about generative AI”.
AI x Design
Course Name: DESN 370-VT: Special Topics in Design – AI x Design Class Number: 42397 Day & Time: Mondays 6:00 PM – 9:50 PM Classroom: Online Instructor: Dustin Grella
In the rapidly evolving landscape of design, generative AI stands at the forefront, offering groundbreaking possibilities and posing new challenges. This course is designed for design students seeking to explore the potential of AI in the creative process. Students will delve into a comprehensive exploration of various AI tools, including Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, DALL-E, MidJourney, Stable Diffusion, Eleven Labs AI, Runway ML, and others, learning to integrate them into design workflows.
The course combines theoretical learning with hands-on projects, enabling students to not only grasp the functionalities of these tools but also understand their practical applications in real-world design scenarios. As they progress, students will be encouraged to develop a critical perspective on the use of AI in design, particularly focusing on the ethical considerations such as bias, authorship, and the societal impact of AI-generated content.
Through lectures, workshops, guest speaker sessions, and collaborative projects, students will gain a nuanced understanding of how AI can augment, transform, and sometimes challenge traditional design methodologies. The course culminates in a final project where students will apply their learned skills to create comprehensive design works that reflect their mastery of AI tools and their thoughtful engagement with the ethical dimensions of AI in design.
CUNY Cultural Corps provides students with paid work experience in NYC’s arts and cultural sector, creating a pipeline for students to have successful careers, while diversifying NYC’s cultural institutions. Partnering institutions include non-profit cultural organizations involved in the visual, literary and performing arts as well as public-oriented science and humanities institutions including zoos, botanical gardens and historic and preservation societies.
Applications for the undergraduate Spring 2026 cohort are open until October 31, 2025.
When completing an application, students will need to select one (1) of the following five departments they wish to work for:
💬 Communications & Marketing
📚 Education & Public Programs
👐 Development & Fundraising
🖼️ Curatorial & Exhibitions
🎭Production Management (Performances & Events)
Candidates with strong applications will be invited to a Pre-Screening Training Session. Those who perform well in this session will move forward to apply for internship positions within their selected department.
Applications for the Spring 2026 cohort are now open! Click here to apply!
Application Period: Best Chance Deadline Oct. 7th Last Chance Deadline Oct. 13th (closes at 11:59 p.m.)
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis— the earlier you apply, the earlier you may be invited to interview. Applicants who submit by the Best Chance Deadline have a better chance of being interviewed; the Last Chance Deadline is the final cutoff to apply.
With a CUNY Spring Forward internship you are paid to pursue your future career and learn on the job! Internships are designed for CUNY undergrads who have had no prior paid internship experience.
Are you wondering what sets us apart from other programs?
Spring Forward is open to current CUNY undergraduate students
Spring Forward does not have an age cap! We accept students aged 18+
Priority is given to applicants with Freshman & Sophomore status
Priority is given to Community College applicants
Applicants must meet all of the following criteria in order to qualify for the program:
Have you had NO prior paid internship experience during your CUNY career? (including previously participating in Career Launch, Spring Forward, College Bridge and Reading Corp)
Will you be a CUNY undergraduate student this Fall 2025 AND Spring 2026 semesters?
Are you at least 18 years old as of September 9th, 2025?
Do you have a grade point average of at least 2.0?
Are you eligible to work in the United States?
Do you want a career in one of these fields: • Marketing, communications, or public relations • Community impact, non-profits, or social services • Science, technology, engineering or environmental preservation • Healthcare services
If you answered “yes” to all of the questions above, you can apply to a future cycle of the CUNY Spring Forward Program!
Since its founding by DreamWorks alumnus Mike de Seve, Baboon has expanded to become one of the most accomplished animation screenwriting teams worldwide, with story editing and writing credits on dozens of the most popular animated films and series for families and teens. Please send resumes and portfolios (for Art and Audiovisual Interns) to [email protected].
Below are the internship roles we offer: Animation Writing Intern:
Taking notes at meetings
Exploding outlines into full scripts
Editing bibles and other pitch materials
Other administrative tasks as needed
Art and Audiovisual Intern:
Assisting in pitch deck creation
Assisting in animation production
Assisting in character design
Pro Tools Intern:
Editing content for multiple international series in the thick of production
Making selects and sound reels
Synching audio to video
Mixing
Opportunities to shadow voice directors if interested
We require that interns work for a duration of 40 days. The schedule is up to the student, whether it’s 2 full days over ~19 weeks or 3 half days over 26 weeks. Our office in Brooklyn is open M-F, 9-5, and we allow hybrid work. This is an unpaid internship that offers college credit.
Need help with the Commons?
Email us at [email protected] so we can respond to your questions and requests. Please email from your CUNY email address if possible. Or visit our help site for more information:
