Students packed in front of the mainstage for one final dance, jumping and singing along as alternative rock band Mistrophia helped close out Manifest after a day of exhibitions, performances and celebrations across campus.

The Columbia student band, which won this year’s Biggest Mouth competition, opened for Manifest headliner Mikayla Geier.

In previous years, the winner of Biggest Mouth would be the headliner for Manifest’s closing performance. However, this year, artists were competing to be the opening act. Guitarist Matthew Flynn clarified this was always the plan. 

“We were always supposed to just be the opener for the headline,” said Flynn, a junior performance and songwriting major. 

Flynn spent part of the day exploring student exhibitions, including Open HAUS at 623 S. Wabash Ave., where Mistrophia performed during Manifest last year.

“There were some really good performances,” they said.

Junior fashion design major Adelaide Hendrix said that Manifest was a needed energizer after finals, adding that seeing her fashion designer friends walk the runway was “inspiring.” 

“It makes you want to immediately go home and create whatever you want to create,” Hendrix said.

Parents and friends also enjoyed the festivities. Jim Jones, dad to a senior film and television student, was impressed by the opportunities Columbia gives its students. 

“You get the life experience before even leaving the school. I didn’t get that,” Jones said, whose daughter was helping to film performances on Manifest’s Mainstage.

Shortly after, headliner Mikayla Geier, a Canadian singer-songwriter, took the stage. 

She said to Columbia students, “shine brighter than the Chicago Bean.” 

What followed was an energetic, crowd-pleasing pop performance that continuously told Columbia college students that they are “divas.” 

Senior film and television student Natalie Tadda said Geier had an “incredible stage presence,” with a performance that had a “Lollapalooza” feel. 

She repeated Geier’s sentiments about Columbia students.

“Oh yeah, we’re divas all the way,” Tadda said. 

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Audience members packed into performances at 72 E. 11th St. as student actors, playwrights and theater designers used Manifest to showcase original work developed throughout the semester.

The performances included student-written sketches, musical theater pieces and advanced playwriting showcases featuring original scenes performed by the writers and actors themselves.

“This is everything I’ve learned, and I get to show it off,” said Ani Bulleit, a senior acting for stage and screen major, who performed in a western-themed sketch.

Junior acting for stage and screen major Caleb Conver, who worked with Bulleit on the western sketch, understood the sentiment, saying Manifest was “a wonderful opportunity to get your work showcased in front of a big audience.”

Senior Jason Sullivan, a theatre design and technology major, said Manifest allowed performers to share projects they spent the semester developing.

“I love performing at Manifest,” Sullivan said. “It’s a nice, quick way to get people interested in everything we do.”

The advanced playwriting showcase featured original work created and performed by students throughout the semester. Students both wrote and acted in the performances presented at Manifest. 

“It’s been incredible,” said senior musical theatre major Isabella Rios. “As a senior, it feels like a nice final-chapter closing moment.”

At the solo performances showcase, students presented individual monologues developed over the course of the year. The series of short, student-created pieces were based on personal experiences and real-life moments performed in front of a live audience. 

Senior acting for stage and screen major Finn D’Alessio said the pieces were written over the course of the year and based on personal experiences. According to D’Alessio, the showcase served as a final opportunity to perform at Manifest and to bring those personal monologues to an audience. “This is the last thing that I’m doing at Columbia,” D’Alessio said.

Junior acting for stage and screen student Cris Montero said the performances allowed students to share personal moments in front of a live audience as part of the end-of-year event. “It’s a good way to bring people together at the end of the year and see what we work on,” Montero said.

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Students in the “Animation Production Studio” class, a two-semester course where students create a concept and then complete a fully-finished animated short film, produced three short films shown at Manifest. 

The class replicates the time constraints and workflow of a real animation studio, giving students the opportunity to grow as crew members and as a community of animators, said senior traditional animation major Aylin Carmona. 

“I love the whole community. I’ve made a lot of friends around it, like I’ve made long term friends here and people I hope to see in the upcoming years,” Carmona said.

Carmona worked on the storyboards for “Penguin With a Sword,” a film that follows a penguin with a sword on a revenge mission against the evil Mrs. Claus. 

Senior traditional animation major AJ Juriga brought cords to give to seniors who worked on the film to celebrate, saying that, “through the ups and downs of animation production, the crew became very close.”

The team behind “It’s Giving Damnation” also brought cords for their senior crew members and had two life-size cardboard cutouts of the films’ main characters for photos. 

“I think I’m off to bigger and better things with my team and my friends. We have so many different concepts,” said director and senior traditional animation major Sabrina Barrow-Bailey.

Jason Hopkins, assistant professor in the School of Design, noted that “It’s Giving Damnation” is notable for its many firsts. It features the course’s first Black female director, first Latina art director and first transgender producer. 

“We’ve got our three main credits sharing voices of incredible uniqueness and diversity,” he said. 

Hopkins said he was impressed by what his class pulled off, believing they are ready to tackle such a competitive industry after graduation. 

“They are on track and we’re very proud. It’s kind of unique among schools in the Chicagoland area, and I’ve taught at many of them, to see students be able to independently create, rally and produce from script to composited completion a film that’s worthy for the big screen.” 

The third short film was “Junk Food Job,” which follows three small critters attempting to steal food from a restaurant. 

Senior film and television major Sam Martinez, who helped outline the story, is looking forward to graduating this year, but said it’s going to be hard to say goodbye to their team. 

“I feel like we’ve really built a bond over the years. So, it’s going to be really hard to leave because it’s like we have such a tight group.” 

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At Manifest’s School of Communication and Culture exhibition, students turned classroom projects into public-facing campaigns aimed at improving life in Chicago.

Ashley Milon, a senior communication major, worked with her group to find solutions for high school students who, due to budget decreases by the Chicago Public School system, have had important resources cut out. 

“They’re losing access to afterschool programs and academic resources that are essential to having a higher quality of life,” she said.

Milon created an informational pamphlet to go along with her Chicago flag-themed posterboard to inform students about the different options they could pursue if they needed additional assistance. 

Throughout the exhibition, Milon wanted to help students find resources that cater to them by answering the QR code questions under paper flaps.

“The goal for this is that we want to advocate for Chicagoans,” said Milon. “This is our city. We’re here for the long term, and we want to increase the quality of life for everybody that lives here.”

Henna Zamurd Butt, assistant professor in the School of Communication and Culture, reached out to Milon to be a part of Manifest three weeks ago after Milon and her group created the project in her class around midterms.

In her teaching, Butt focuses on experimentation and creative practice as a way of learning. She encouraged Milon and her group to take in the feedback received from other students after presenting to make small, instant improvements to the installation. 

Through these immediate small changes, students were able to further develop their projects while keeping in mind the visions for the impact. 

“I want people to have a broad range of skills so when technology is no longer relevant, as all technologies go out of fashion, they will still be able to do the work,” Butt said.

In another project, students used QR codes to encourage Chicago residents to give feedback on public transportation. 

“The students are able to stand by their work and say this is what we put out, and I’m happy with that,” said Butt. “I think that’s the greatest output you can really have.”

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The HAUS was filled with performers of all different genres and majors, and their supporters, as Sessions @33 had their final live showcase of the school year.

Ava Burns, a junior music business major and social media manager for Sessions @33, said the showcase puts the spotlight on smaller artists.

“It’s a chance for Columbia students who maybe aren’t on the main stage to showcase their work at Manifest,” she said.

The showcase also helped promote Sessions @33, a live music showcase and multimedia series produced by students at Columbia in partnership with the campus radio station WCRX.

“We are the school’s music series, and Manifest is a big music event, so I think it’s really important that we have our own show to showcase to some students who haven’t been at our live events before,” Burns said. 

Mel Eagleson, a sophomore music business major and the recruiter for Sessions @33, hopes the Manifest showcase will bring in more performers.

“Manifest helps put a spotlight on sessions and helps people know about it so we can find more people to bring in for sessions next semester,” Eagleson said.

It brought in new and returning performers like Phoebe Davis, who graduated last year. 

Being back at Manifest felt “a little surreal and a little bit strange,” she said, adding that she was excited to see the diverse range of genres the showcase had to offer. 

“I mean, it’s such a varied sort of lineup,” Davis said. “There’s really no other place where you could see someone like me and then see someone like Aiden or 180 mindset.”

Tom Joyce, a career advisor at the Career Center who manages Sessions @33, said he purposefully aimed for a diverse line-up.

“I got the input from a lot of the students about the different bands that submitted and I feel like we’re hitting every genre,” Joyce said. “We had an electro pop artist, we had hip-hop, we had full bands, and we had a singer-songwriter, so the energy is great.”

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Student actors performed choreographed knife fights, broadsword duels and hand-to-hand combat during the School of Theatre and Dance’s annual combat showcase at Manifest.

The performance featured students demonstrating techniques they spent the semester learning, including small sword, quarterstaff and unarmed combat routines.

Junior acting major Lana Howell performed in multiple pieces, including a knife fight with fellow student Jamie Kashaka that the pair first developed during the fall semester.

“I really love performing at Manifest,” Howell said. “It’s fun being able to go around and see other people’s art and show what Columbia students can achieve.”

For David Woolley, a professor in the School of Theatre and Dance, this year’s showcase also marked the end of an era. After 40 years at Columbia, Woolley is leaving the college at the end of the semester, making this his final Manifest performance.

“It’s been a good run,” Woolley said. 

Woolley said the annual showcase gives students a chance to move beyond classroom exercises and perform for a live audience after weeks of rehearsals and finals.

Comedy performances across campus carried a similar energy as improv troupes packed the Courtyard Theatre throughout the evening.

Junior comedy writing and performance major Daniel Connolly performed with Full Rider, a long-form improv troupe that drew laughs from a crowded audience during its set.

“There have been a lot of cool opportunities to perform comedy here at Manifest,” Connolly said. “I’m excited to keep trying stuff.”

First-year comedy writing and performance major Emma-Jean Perry performed with the improv troupe The Third Chairs alongside sophomore film and television major Luca Dattilo.

Dattilo said Manifest gave student comedians a chance to connect across different groups within Columbia’s comedy program.

“Manifest is bringing people together, especially with improv since it can be so fragmented,” Dattilo said.

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Students and families crowded around the School of Visual Arts derby race, cheering as handmade cars raced across the course during one of Manifest’s more unconventional competitions.

The annual derby featured vehicles designed in introductory design courses, giving first-year students a chance to showcase their work during a festival often centered on graduating seniors.

The crowd reacted loudly to each race as attendees rooted for favorite cars throughout the competition. A staff-designed vehicle created by Duncan MacKenzie, Interim Director for the School of Visual Arts, ultimately won the event.

Sophomore illustration major Jay Roberts said the atmosphere around the derby stood out from other Manifest events.

“I feel like everybody was getting loud and it was crazy,” they said. “Everybody was putting bets on cars. I think it was really fun.”

Nathan Carder, associate director at the Makerspace, said the derby gives first-years a space in what is a traditionally senior focused event. 

“Manifest is traditionally for seniors, and so this gives first-years an opportunity to see their work too,” Carder said. 

Mackenzie said the derby is a unique way to unite the community in celebration. 

“I think that it is an important part of bringing the community together in a fun, silly, delightful, whimsical way,” he said. 

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Hundreds of attendees got a peek into the creative process of the 11 thesis collections made by senior fashion design students as they awaited the “MADE@COLUMBIA” senior BFA fashion show.

The walls of the fifth floor of the Student Center exhibition held detailed recreations of the pinned wall spaces found inside senior BFA studios. Each student arranged sketches, fabric swatches and any source of inspiration toward their collection, including a collaboration with assistant professor Biddy Tran‘s “Figure Drawing” courses, featuring various works from other Columbia students. 

Director of the School of Fashion Colbey Reid opened the show by highlighting the hard work of the students and the challenging industry they will enter upon graduation. 

“We start with a number, and that number is 2.5 trillion, the global net worth of the fashion industry,” Reid said. “
We anchor ourselves in that number because we know and we want to be certain when fashion is trivialized.”

Reid said it takes daring to express creativity.

“This world that we create has one purpose, and that purpose is, obviously, to slay,” Reid said.

There was only one rule for this fashion show: support loudly and proudly.

“I want to hear your claps so that everybody who’s standing backstage, who designed it, who did the makeup and fixed the hair, who’s wearing those outfits when they walk today, knows about your encouragement and approval. Deal?” Reid said. 

The audience erupted in applause at every look created by the fashion design students.

First-year music business major Chelsea Gonzalez overheard talk of the fashion show while exploring the exhibitions in the Student Center. Her and her friends could not pass up the opportunity to see the show.

“Even though it’s not my major, I love looking at new things in fashion,” Gonzalez said.

Accompanied by friend Janel Limardo, Gonzalez found herself enamored by the wall displays in anticipation of the fashion show.

“I think that a lot of them have really unique ideas and like designs, and they seem very personal to the artists,” said Limardo.

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Film and television students showcased more than 20 films from their thesis projects, ranging from tales about siblinghood through the lens of Vietnamese folktales in “A Leaf From the Moon” and stories about addiction in “Hit.” 

Senior film and television student Patrick Demitras made the film “Roundabout,” which follows a man who must protect a family heirloom from a league of evil jewelers. 

The concept came from Demitras’ love of his late grandmother, and the tough decision of what to do with her jewelry after she had passed. 

“My film is arguing that items are worth more sentimentally. They have more sentimental value than monetary value,” Demitras said. “One day I was thinking, if somebody offers me a million dollars for this necklace my grandma gave me, I believe that I would tell them no.” 

Senior film and television student Cameron Dean Blackwood also made a film about jewelry-theft, “It’s No Fun Waltzing Alone,” which follows an ex-thief trying to get back with his ex-lover. 

Blackwood, after watching his film on the big screen, was happy to see his skills make an effect on the giggling crowd. 

“It’s really cool to see your work on a giant screen projected, and it’s really fun to hear people laugh at stuff you thought was funny during the writing process,” he said. 

Blackwood hopes to “polish” the film further for the Chicago International Film Festival but is happy with its current form.

Blackwood was inspired to make the film because of his childhood love of screwball comedies, which his parents had him watch. 

Being inspired by childhood stories continued into senior film and television student Vy Pham’s film, “A Leaf From the Moon,” which was inspired by Vietnamese folktales and Studio Ghibli films. 

While Pham is proud of the film, she hopes to film more in Vietnam eventually, only having two weeks to return home and shoot for this version of the short film.

“It was a challenge for sure, because I only had two weeks in Vietnam to rehearse, meet with everyone, and then shoot,” Pham said.

Pham co-wrote the film with her friend Robin Manganaro, who she met on a set while Manganaro attended Columbia.

Pham said she’s excited to graduate, but her work with Columbia students isn’t done, as she plans to produce a pilot for a series with Manganaro over the summer. 

“It’s lovely to find someone who you share creative vibes and storytelling with. I feel like we’re gonna be pen pals for a while,” Manganaro said.

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In her first Manifest as president and CEO, Shantay Bolton danced onto the mainstage this afternoon, officially opening the 25th anniversary of Columbia’s signature end-of-the-year art festival. 

“It is truly an honor to stand here on this stage and to see our campus transformed into a living, breathing gallery of our students’ brilliance,” Bolton said. “This day has offered a bridge between the classroom and the industry, providing a platform for our students to leave and to showcase their evolution.”

As she congratulated the class of 2026, Bolton announced that former Columbia chair of the Board of Trustees Bill Wolf would lead the trustees after John Holmes stepped down earlier this month. Holmes told the Chronicle he would remain on the board. Wolf was board chair from 2016 to 2023. 

Bolton, who wore her official cream-colored Manifest T-shirt with the bottom cut into fringe, said Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events was a signature partner in this year’s festival, which included vendors and vintage cars on the closed-off block between Balbo and Harrison. The festival’s mainstage was at the end of the street near Harrison. Canadian singer-songwriter and alternative pop artist Mikayla Geier will headline from the stage later tonight.

Bolton brought two members of a delegation from the Bahamas Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training to the stage. The college announced a partnership with the ministry in March. The five-year agreement will support up to 20 students, with government funding ranging from approximately $7,500 to $16,000 per student. 

Bolton also introduced Eric Rutherford, now a part-time instructor and ensemble director in the School of Audio and Music, and alum Toni Leslie, who were married after they met in 2013 when both were students.

“I want our students to know that you don’t only come here to find your passion, your dreams and your purpose, but you can also find love,” said Bolton. For her, their marriage “serves as a reminder that here at Columbia, we do not just study culture, we create it.”

In an interview with the Chronicle, Rutherford said Manifest’s visibility had been reduced in previous years, and this year, the festival is moving in “the right direction”

“It is the best way to showcase what the college has to offer,” said Rutherford. “I’m really proud to be a part of the Columbia community, and I’m happy to be a part of shaping the next generation.”

Bolton presented Mark Kelly, former vice president for Student Success who helped launch the festival, with an award for his contributions to the college. Kelly was commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events from 2016 to 2021. 

“His work has always been about creating a culture where students felt like professional artists from day one,” Bolton said, adding that Kelly “created a legacy, transitioning the classrooms, the industries, and Manifest was that bridge that closed the gap.”

Kelly shared a signature “Hell Yeah” in celebration of the graduates. The entire crowd in front of him gave a “Hell Yeah” in response.  

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Music filled the Glass Curtain Gallery for a performance of a student-led Cuban band during LatiFest, an annual showcase at Manifest that highlights Latino art, culture and identity.

The event, now in its second year, is a collaboration of the student Latino Alliance, faculty Latino Alliance, TRIO and Columbia’s student chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists in efforts to platform works produced by the Latino community of Columbia. 

Gabriela Diaz de Sabates, professor in the School of Communication and Culture and interim associate dean for Faculty Affairs, said Latifest shows the “rich” diversity of Columbia and highlights the vibrant and growing Latino presence at the college to the public.

“You don’t have to be Latino to enjoy the artistic creations or creativity of the Latino community,” Sabates said.

The college became a Hispanic-serving institution in 2024 when a quarter of the student body identified as Hispanic, the Chronicle previously reported. Currently, 28.2% of the student body is Hispanic, according to the Institutional Effectiveness.

With the assistance of Jesus Monroy, a Columbia admissions officer, Latifest was able to connect with newly admitted students who will be attending the college in the fall. This is LatiFest’s first year allowing those students to submit work.

“We got double the amount of art, and we are super proud of it. We’re growing. We hope this keeps going in the upcoming years,” Sabates said.

Anthony Ruiz, a senior double major in graphic design and photography, wanted to use his exhibition to emphasize the importance of spaces in the Latino community. Ruiz felt inclined to bring the topic of gentrification to the forefront of attendees’ minds. 

“Me documenting these spaces is kind of like a souvenir for myself and for the people around. These spaces are fleeting, “ Ruiz said.

Ruiz displayed a collection of photographs in the “La Garra” flea market, Carcinerias Jimenez and the Humboldt Park neighborhood. He shot using high contrast and a low angle so that viewers could experience these locations similarly to how he did in his childhood.

“I want to show the ins and outs of that.The beautifulness of it and the emptiness that is to come, “ he said.

Abigail Martinez, senior cultural studies major, chose to explore how other cultures view gender and identity in her tri-fold piece. 

“We could learn a lot from Muxes and their culture. We put labels on everything, but they have this fluidity to their identity,” said Martinez.

For Martinez, it was important to broadcast her message in hopes that it might reach somebody. 

“It will teach somebody. And they could take it and make their own project,” she said.

Carmelo Esterrich, professor in the School of Communication and Culture, said one of the wonderful things about LatiFest is that it brings together students, faculty and staff from different departments to document the Latino community in Chicago.

“It is fun. It’s always fun. But it’s fun with an asterisk, and that asterisk is a really important element. It’s about politics and culture. It’s about communities and about what citizenship means,” Esterrich said.

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