In 1970, the art gallery at Cal State San Bernardino displayed its first-ever exhibit of student art. Exactly 40 years later, the art museum continues the tradition with the 40th annual student art exhibit now through July 31 at the university’s Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum. “We are very proud of our students and our alumni,” says Sant Khalsa, chair of CSUSB’s art department. “This year it is especially important to reach out to our art alumni, and to all those students whose lives have been enriched by the experiences they’ve had in our department and through the annual art exhibit.”

Since 1996, the art museum has been collaborating with the CSUSB art department to carry on the tradition of the student show. Previously, the exhibit was organized by the art department and displayed in the art gallery. The art department, now housed in the campus’s Visual Arts Center, is considered to have among the best art facilities in the 23-campus California State University system, and is a vital creative force, educating emerging artists, designers, educators and historians who energize and influence the Inland Empire and beyond.

The show features more than 70 pieces across 13 different genres, including painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, sculpture, glass, ceramics, wood, furniture design, art education and graphic design.

Each year a juror from outside the university selects the works to be included in the highly competitive exhibition. Students who submit their artwork for admission into the show face a 30 percent acceptance rate. This year’s show was judged by internationally known art critic and curator Peter Frank.

Frank is editor for THE Magazine Los Angeles, curator consultant at the Riverside Art Museum, and past critic for Angeleno magazine and LA Weekly. He has also organized many theme and survey shows for placement at institutions throughout the world, most notably, "19 Artists – Emergent Americans," at the Guggenheim Museum. He has taught at colleges and universities and he has lectured all over North America and Europe. Frank received his B.A. and M.A. in art history from Columbia University.

The Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum is a nationally recognized museum, accredited by the American Association of Museums. Located on the campus of Cal State San Bernardino, the RVF Art Museum has accumulated a permanent collection of nearly 1,200 objects focusing on Egyptian antiquities, ceramics and contemporary art. With more than 7,500 square feet of gallery space, the museum magnificently displays a wide variety of art work from its permanent holdings to a dynamic schedule of visiting exhibitions.

The exhibit runs through July 31. The RVF Art Museum will be dark from August through late September. It will open its new season of shows Oct. 9 with an exhibit not only of woodworker Sam Maloof’s own creations, but displays from his own collection as well as stories from his life. Maloof died one year ago at the age of 93.

Admission to the museum is free. The suggested donation is $3. Parking is $5 per vehicle.

The museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and is closed Sunday and Monday. For more information, call (909) 537-7373 or visit the RVF Art Museum website.