The current exhibition on view in the new gallery space of the Pomerantz Art and Design Center is groundbreaking in more ways than one. The Future Is … The Human Experience is one of the first shows in the new, expanded space, and it’s the first to embrace the gallery’s innovative mission. Unlike at most university galleries, the work of students, alumni, faculty, and outside artists will be displayed together—rather than in separate shows.

“We’re disrupting the business-as-usual exhibition model,” says Austin Thomas, exhibition manager. “Why not give students agency and connection to outside artists? Why not show faculty with them? Put the mentors with the students.”

The lobby features figurative paintings and sculptures. The student art is the result of class assignments, and new work will be added throughout the semester. In the spirit of the exhibition’s forward-thinking theme, one forthcoming sculpture only exists in the digital world—you’ll need the accompanying VR headset to see it. Also on view are pieces by Raisa Nosova, Fine Arts ’11; Julia Jacquette, assistant professor of Fine Arts; and sculptor Elisa Soliven.

The back gallery houses a complementary photography exhibition, Inside: A Human Experience. It showcases six bodies of work, and Thomas scouted the four student pieces at a pop-up show this summer. One highlight is three images by noted street photographer Arlene Gottfried, an FIT alumna. And a special treat for the student artists is the work of Curtis Willocks, adjunct instructor of Photography, who explores his own life through images—from the Coney Island beach to a rodeo. “The students are so close to Curtis, but they had never seen his work until they showed with him,” Thomas says. “They were ecstatic.”