School’s out, but the Hop never stops. 🎨 Join us TOMORROW, May 15, from 5-8 p.m. in the Gray Design Building Gallery for Making Sense, a student work exhibition featured as part of the LexArts Hop presented by VisitLEX.
Stop by, explore the show and celebrate the creativity of our students as we kick off summer with one more night of art, design and community.
📍 Gray Design Building Gallery
🗓 Friday, May 15
⏰ 5-8 p.m.
Commencement is underway and our first ceremony is complete! Welcome to the Alumni family, Class of 2026. 💙
A full gallery from the commencement ceremonies is available at the link in our bio.
🎓 Caps off to the Class of 2026.
Today, we celebrate the designers, makers, thinkers and future changemakers who shaped the College of Design with their creativity, curiosity and care these last few years. From late nights in studio to community partnerships, research, exhibitions and design-build projects across the Commonwealth, your impact is already being felt far beyond the classroom.
Congratulations to our graduates! We can’t wait to see where your work takes you next. 💙
See you at the opening of Making Sense TODAY 4-6 p.m. in the Gray Design Building for an evening of celebration, conversation, community and FREE ice cream! 😋
Bring your friends and family and celebrate the end of another great year in GDB! 🎉
"Making Sense" opens TOMORROW 👀
This end-of-year exhibition brings together student work that explores how design shapes (and is shaped by) the ways we experience the world. From tactile materials to sensory-driven thinking, the work invites us to reconsider how we perceive, process and create.
📍 Gray Design Building
🗓 Opening Reception: Thursday, May 7, 4-6 p.m.
🔗 Read more at our link in bio.
From first-gen student to future architect 👏🎓
In our latest UKNow spotlight, May 2026 graduate Kauner Shacklette shares how he carved his own path and found purpose, mentorship and opportunity along the way.
From his experience in College of Design and time as a UK Gaines Center for the Humanities Fellow, to UK Education Abroad programs across Europe and Ethiopia and mentorship through the Lewis Honors College, Shacklette reflects on the people and programs that helped shape his journey.
Read his story at our link in bio!
Photo by @ellakphotography_ .
There are a lot of reasons to be smiling in the College of Design this week as the semester wraps up: projects finished, milestones reached and another incredible year in the books.
And if you’re an admitted student… this could be you. 😆
Confirm your spot as a UK design student by 11:59 p.m. tomorrow, May 1 and get ready to join a community that works hard, creates boldly and celebrates every step along the way.
Sign up for your Big Blue Nation Orientation to confirm your spot at our link in bio!
@interiors_uky Professor Patrick Lee Lucas has been named the 2026-27 University Research Professor for the College of Design. This is one of UK’s highest faculty honors recognizing excellence in scholarship and creative work. 👏
As a University Research Professor, Lucas will receive a one-year award of $10,000 to be used to support the “Language and Home” project, which combines linguistic research with the study of homes and material culture to explore how Kentuckians describe and experience their living spaces.
Learn more about his work and what this honor means at our link in bio.
Thank you to everyone who showed up for the College of Design on #OneDayforUK! 💙 Whether you gave, shared, liked, commented or helped spread the word, every action helped amplify our students, our work and our mission.
Because of you, we can continue supporting hands-on learning, real-world research and the experiences that prepare our students to make an impact far beyond the studio. 👏
We’re grateful to have you as part of the CoD community.
College of Design community, meet Kevin 🐾💙 Kevin is a @uk4paws service dog who trained alongside one of our interiors students, attending classes and becoming a familiar face in the studio. He’s now moved on to advanced training, but we sure do miss him.
Now it’s your turn. For this #OneDayforUK challenge, post your pet in their UK gear on Instagram, X or Facebook before 8 p.m., tag the College of Design, and use #OneDayforUK for a chance to win $200 toward our fund.
Swipe for a peek at Kev's exclusive tie-dye @interiors_uky bandana 👀
We’re throwing our hat in the ring for the #OneDayforUK Share Your UK Family Challenge 💙 Meet some of the newest members of the College of Design family who attended Merit Days back in March.
Already part of the CoD community? Show us your Big Blue pride. Post a photo of you or your family in UK gear, tag the College of Design, and use #OneDayforUK before 8 p.m. for a chance to win $200 toward our fund.
Accepted but not part of the family just yet? There’s still time. Register for orientation by May 1 and join us this fall.
P.S. It’s Power Hour at 12 p.m. ⏰ Make your gift at our link in bio then to help the College of Design compete for an extra $1,000.
