As prison populations swell and an institutionalized culture of fear spreads nationwide, so do the artistic responses. SF State's Fine Arts Gallery confronts these issues head-on in its exhibition "Criminal: Art and Criminal Justice in America," on display through March 15.Visually arresting works of painting, sculpture, photography, video, sound and installation by renowned artists from throughout the U.S. investigate aspects of criminal justice from both sides of the gates. In a March 5 article in the San Francisco Bay View, columnist Wanda Sabir called the exhibit "provocative" and "emotional."

Jazz giant John Handy (B.A., '63) celebrated his 75th birthday at SF State last month with a private party and scholarship fund-raiser that turned into a star-studded jam session.

Tar, wood, stucco and paint are materials used to create many Bay Area buildings. Campus art has proved that it takes serious engineering as well as resilient materials to build a long-lasting structure in the foggy climate. The Cesar Chavez Student Center and Terry Marashlian have created five durable totems using aluminum with a coating of a specially engineered automobile and marine vessel finish.

Music alumnus Jonathan Overby brings his love of world music to the Wisconsin Public Radio airwaves every Saturday night on his show "Higher Ground." Overby, who studied voice and conducting at SF State, is featured in a Feb.