Rows of suspended vacuum-sealed packets filled with herbal broth glowed under clinical lighting in Sammi Wong’s senior thesis project, “Mother’s Broth,” as part of the Roski School of Art and Design’s fine arts major senior class thesis show.

The opening reception of the thesis exhibit was at the Gayle and Ed Roski Gallery in the Roski Studios Building on Thursday evening. The exhibit was produced entirely by the 18 graduating artists, and featured everything from wall text and printed labels to catalog design, studio lighting and social media promotion. 

Many artists, such as Wong, incorporated their own cultures and expressions of care into their works, tying into the overall theme of the show.

Ingredients submerged in broth that make up recipes associated with Wong’s memories hung on a contrastingly industrial gridded wall. Alongside the piece was a pamphlet describing the health benefits of each combination of ingredients. Through this duality, both warm and manufactured, Wong preserves acts of care that can be held onto in uncertain times that seem to take away the warm, loving nature of her memories.

“Everything is made out of love at the end of the day, just because of the time it takes in preparation,” Wong said. “It’s never the same, and so in these ways, I’m trying to recapture each of those moments because I know it’s never going to be the same again.”

The theme of this year’s show was “L*** During Wartime.”

“[The theme] seems to be a response to the world around us,” said Shea Noland, one of the featured artists. “It is this love, or joy, or just a response to the continuously degrading world around us, and us making art despite all of that.”

Noland, who is from Hawaii, also centers her work around her deep connection to her home. Her 200-pound sculpture, “Monuments,” holds a lei that her mother brought for her at an exhibition the year prior. 

“Even though [the flowers] are dead and falling apart, I just keep them around my house. … It’s all dead still, but it’s still beautiful,” Noland said. “For me, my art practice is a way for me to connect with my home.”

Wilha Duncan made a life-size nude painting of her friend sitting on a couch in front of the ocean over roughly two and a half weeks. Duncan said her piece is confrontational and vulnerable as it is both confident and shy at the same time. 

“One of my interpretations was having love and joy in our generation while there’s so much insane shit happening, and holding those two things at the same time,” Duncan said.

Duncan said the group show gave her more insight into her classmates’ ways of thinking. 

“Because this show feels really personal to us with the theme, and also it being a group show, I think I’m seeing people’s work as more emotional and personal,” she said.

Using various mediums, the student artists expressed themselves in new ways, like Ethan Castillo, who contributed an interactive piece featuring a child-like pink desk with a laptop and headphones, inviting a live experience of the online game he created.

Yoon Lee’s installation was composed of paintings and sculptural elements in which she designed the frames into a folding screen. Lee said she was glad to see such a wide range of art forms present in the exhibition. 

“This show is really special because you can see all the different media. We have paintings, ceramics and Ethan, who designed and made a game,” she said. “Everyone has their own specialty and their own style.”

Lee said when she looks back on her time at USC, she will remember nights in the studio with her friends and the feedback she received from professors.

“I learned a lot of foundational skills because, for example, I never imagined myself that I would do something like woodwork. I’m more comfortable with making sculptures now, not only from 2D, but 3D and 4D,” Lee said. “[USC] has opened my eyes.” 

Disclaimer: Shea Noland formerly served as Art & Design director at the Daily Trojan in Summer 2025. Noland is no longer affiliated with this paper.