Columbia College Chicago’s 24 Favorite Photos of 2024

students at 2024 new student convocation dance in the parking lot in front of the curious bunny muralStudents dance in front of the 'Curious Bunny' mural at New Student Convocation 2024.
Columbia College Chicago alum and staff photographer Julie Lucas ‘96 compiled the 24 best action shots, portraits, and landscapes she captured over 2024.

Columbia College Chicago alum Julie Lucas ‘96 is back at her alma mater as a photographer for Strategic Communications and External Relations. Her creative career started here, and now she gets to capture the beginning of many others. Although the college has changed since her time as a student, she finds the same inspiration from the creatives she meets on campus.

The year 2024 provided Lucas with plenty of opportunities to flex her creative muscles and capture the vibrance of the city, campus, and creative community. Of the many thousands of images Lucas has captured over the year, these are 24 that stand out.

 

students dance at new student convocation in front of a colorful muralNew student moves

This photo, taken at New Student Convocation, captures two of the best things about Columbia: energetic students and vibrant art. The college welcomed new students and numerous new murals on the Wabash Arts Corridor, including "Curious Bunny," by Assistant Professor Cheri Charlton.

A Columbia student dances with their arms wide to the sides during a hip hop demonstration. A large crowd watches from behind. B-Series beats

Each semester B-Series events become a gathering space for the Hip Hop and Street Dance community. With a jam or battle as the focal point, these events provide priceless opportunity to picture dancers in motion.  

 

A little boy with sun glasses looks over a NASCAR activity book made by Columbia studentsLearning to race

This year Columbia students created interactive activities for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. Young race fans like this one learned about the sport and drivers through activity books and online games. 

 

In a movie set of a bathroom bathed in red light, film students work on a horror film, graffiti covers the walls, and two people look into a mirror.Don't look back

Photographing Columbia College Chicago film students gives Lucas a behind-the-scenes look at the production of student films. Students make films of all genres, including the romantic horror film pictured here. 

Columbia senior Eli Dennard leans against the wall of the Student Center while posing for a photo.Strike a pose

Columbia students are always ready for their close up. This portrait of Arts Management senior Elisha Dennard was taken as a part of the Power of Persistance Gala. The fundraiser supports scholarships for students like him.  

A Columbia student poses on the floor during a dance class. The room is bathed in pink light.Right on cue

A big benefit of working at Columbia College Chicago is stopping by all the unique classes offered at the school. The School of Theatre and Dance offers a minor in Hip-Hop Studies. 

a model stands surrounded by three designers who work on a wedding dress designDesigners, make it work!

Columbia students get experience at all stages of the creative process. The School of Fashion class works on a wedding dress for client Varca. They fit it on a model as they work toward their final product. 

Two Columbia students dance and smile at the front of a crowded room.Nights to remember

There's more to Columbia College Chicago than just classwork. Events like the Blood Ball gives students a chance to get to know each other and let down their hair.  

A group of students stand in Grant Park in front of a Columbia Chronicle banner to watch the solar eclipse in April 2024.Total eclipse of our hearts

Columbia students viewed history in Grant Park in April when they took in the total solar eclipse. Although Chicago was not in the path of totality, a crowd gathered to learn and share in the experience together.

A performer on stage raises their arms and shouts toward the sky on stage. A large ribbon stretches across the stage above them.Festivals galore

Columbia College Chicago brings working professional creatives to perform for and alongside students. The Chicago Artist Spotlight Festival at The Dance Center showcased the vibrance and diversity of Chicago's dance landscape. 

A portrait of an artist leaning near their work. They are sitting with one leg bent and their elbow resting on their knee.Portrait of an artist

At events like the School of Visual Arts' Open Studios, students display their work and discuss their processes. It gives a valuable chance to get to know artists at the beginning of their creative careers.

A group of students dance together on stage bathed in orange light. Group project presentations

Group work comes in many forms at Columbia. One day there's a presentation to a real-world marketing client and the next a group concert. Both prepare students for the next steps in their careers.  

On a Student Center balcony a photography student captures a fashion student jumping off a block for a modeling photo.Collaboration across disciplines

Columbia creatives are always finding on ways to combine their talents. Photography students get to hone their fashion photography skills with designs from the School of Fashion.

A student looks up at ink tributes of victims of police violence made by alum Marlon West.Inspiration from alumni

The Columbia community is lucky to include a throng of active alumni. This fall award-winning animator Marlon West '85 brought his "Ink Tributes," which delves deep into themes of injustice and resilience and pays homage to those affected by police and racial violence.

A dance student poses on toe at Maggie Daley Park surrounded by wildlife. Our kind of town

Columbia's location at the heart of Chicago's South Loop provides beautiful backdrops for photos and inspiration of creatives of all disciplines.

A student with a camera is silhouetted in a dark room. Behind them is a red lit up presentation screen with "TEDX Columbia College Chicago" displayed. Ideas change everything

There are unique opportunities every year to capture Columbia students on stage and behind the scenes. This May, students planned and produced a day of inspirational ideas with TEDx Columbia College Chicago. Students, alumni, and faculty took to the stage to share their expertise and ideas.

A group of students dance in a a group in a pink lit room. The student dancing in the middle smiles widely and the others look on in joy.Joy in creating

The exhuberance and joy that creating and learning brings Columbia students is palpable. Even every day classes are filled with laughter, joy, and passion.

A NASCAR crew member sits on a tire in the pit lane during downtime at the NASCAR Chicago Street Race.A moment to rest

Being a part of the Columbia community provides unique access to all kinds of activities on campus and off. With students providing interactive activities for race attendees and cars racing past buildings on Michigan Ave., NASCAR was embedded into the Columbia summer experience. 

A lift carries artists high in the air as the work on an orange and white base to a mural on the side of the student center. The sun shines out from the buildings in the background.On the way up

The Chicago skyline is ever-evolving, and that includes the art around campus. Columbia College Chicago, in strategic partnership with Behr Paint, The Home Depot, and One Summer Chicago, is transforming the Wabash Arts Corridor with vibrant new murals.

A wooden housing frame holds up a variety of black and white pieces of artwork. A student stands within the framing looking at the art Manifesting greatness

Every year Manifest Arts Festival captures the creativity of Columbia students, shows capstone pieces of their work, and gives the public a chance to take in all that these creatives have learned as they start their creative careers.

In a dark crowded room, a woman bathed in green light and surrounded by bubbles uses her cell phone and smiles.Tell all your friends

Student organizations provide an opportunitity to capture students with their peers. Columbia students have fun in groups related to their majors, their personal identity, interests outside the classroom, or organizations that plan events for all students to have fun and meet one another.

Standing among a sea of dress forms of different sizes, a student maps out a pattern in red.  It fits just right

The Columbia facilities provide unique spaces to picture students in their creative elements. The Fashion Lab offers everything a burgeoning  designer may need to bring their creations to life.

A dancer leaps in the air on stage bathed in purple light. Take a leap of faith

Some of the most photo-worthy events of the year are the end-of-semester final concerts. This choreography concert gives groups and individuals their moment in the spotlight. 

A student stands in the middle of a long hallway looking down at photo prints laying organized on the floor before they are put on the wall.  

Getting everything in order

Sometimes the best moments to capture is what happens in the days, weeks, and months prior to show time. This student is laying out artwork in the Student Center prior to the Power of Persistence Gala, a student-powered event that fundraises for scholarships. 

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