Student Creators and Creativity
Creators start here
The College of Architecture, Arts, and Design is the hub of student creativity at Virginia Tech. It’s where you’ll discover how far your talent — and passion — can take you. You’ll build a strong foundation in the fundamentals and, from there, it’s all you. We’ll provide the mentors, makerspaces, and hands-on classes. You bring the curiosity and drive.
Creative technologies grad student Ben Hornyak received a college research grant to turn his idea into an impactful project. He developed his own brand of animatronics to grow technically and artistically. “My work illustrates that you don’t need the security of perfection or polish to make something,” he said. “There is value in something ramshackle and flawed.”
Try something new—or dive deeper
Maybe you’ve always known that you wanted to be a designer, pianist, or painter and have spent years honing your craft. Or maybe you’re still searching for that space where you shine, looking for a new creative outlet, or studying in a different college but want to keep your art alive. Wherever you’re coming from, AAD has opportunities:
- Audition for a music ensemble
- Apply for a Student-Initiated Research Grant
- Enroll in an art class for non-majors
- Try out for a theatre production
- Join the Marching Virginians
- Find your people in a student club
Creativity in action: Posters of the People
Inspired by Works Progress Administration posters, when artists were commissioned to educate Americans about the basic tenets of citizenship, printmaking students had their own chance to engage in a nonpartisan outreach effort to help get out the vote.
Students spent approximately three weeks learning and executing the intricate, hands-on process of traditional printmaking. They created powerful, poster-sized artworks that brought history, design, and democracy together.
"As cheesy as it sounds, I think I was only supposed to do one thing with my life."
For recent graduate Rhea Perdue, it’s acting. The moment she sat down in her Introduction to Theatre class, she knew she had one option for her future. She changed her major from journalism to theatre arts the next day.
As a Hokie, Perdue took advantage of every opportunity to perfect her craft. She performed in five shows, crafted in the costume shop, practiced dramaturgy, and served as the usher leader at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech. After graduation, she moved to New York City to entertain as a comedic tour guide with The Ride NYC, a traveling theater where the streets are her stage.
Architecture student explores the meaning of home in exhibit
While pursuing a Ph.D. in architecture, Camila Mancilla was also an artist, utilizing found objects, cutouts from books and magazines, and digital drawings and paintings to create her original works.
In fall 2024, her solo exhibition “Homesick,” premiered at the District Architecture Center in Washington, D.C. Mancilla’s work blends surrealism and architectural theory to reveal the complex nature of home.