Graduating Art Institute students to display portfolios

Tracy O’Bannon of San Bernardino is about to receive her bachelor’s degree in interior design from The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. She will present this design concept she created in one of her advanced courses, as will other soon-to-be graduates, on Tuesday March 24 at the Riverside Art Museum.


(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire will host its first off-campus Graduate Portfolio Show on Tuesday, March 24 at the Riverside Art Museum.

“This is an opportunity to present our students and programs to area employers that may be learning about us for the first time,” said Cindy Jones, director of Career Services for The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. “We also celebrate with our students and honor this important milestone as they begin their journey into professional lives.”

Employers looking for talented, newly graduated professionals in the fields of Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media and Interior Design are invited to attend this reception from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Riverside Art Museum, 3425 Mission Inn Ave, Riverside. They’re asked to RSVP with Brenda Medina at (909) 915-2192.

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the party continues its focus on the graduates, but with a different emphasis. The guests joining them during this portion of the event will be their own friends and family. These three hours are also open to the public

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire will serve hors d’ouvres and beverages.

The six Interior Design students who will be showing their work are the program’s first graduates. These students are Marissa Louden of Riverside, Cesar Bahena of Hesperia, Tracy O’ Bannon and Paige Petersen, both of San Bernardino, Alysha Cintas of Palm Desert and Bob Chen of Claremont.

Other graduates are Michelle Cossota of Highland, who is receiving her bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design; Marcia McClellan of Riverside and Richard Macias of Highland who are receiving associate degrees in Graphic Design and Mary Nina Gonzales and her brother Patrick Gonzales of Moreno Valley and David Dresner of Redlands, who are receiving bachelor’s degrees in Web Design & Interactive Media.


The Graduate Portfolio Show is now a quarterly tradition for The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. It began holding this event last December, when most of its first 10 graduates completed their degrees. Thirteen more students graduate in March, with the numbers growing even more rapidly the rest of 2009 and beyond.

“Our numbers of graduates could reach more than 100 per quarter a year from now,” Jones said.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. It offers an Associate degree in Graphic Design, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design.

The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers an Associate degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Management. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start a new term at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin April 6 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information, or to arrange a tour, call The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire at (909) 915-2100 or go on line to www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of the Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire), a system of more than 40 locations throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

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