Hyde Art Gallery director Alex DeCosta has hit the milestone of 10 years at Grossmont College.

Through his work and time here, DeCosta has helped establish the Hyde Art Gallery and promote the expansive and expressive field of visual arts for not only students and faculty but also for much more.

“I feel like I’ve done a lot of things, and they’ve been really fun and rewarding. And I look forward to many more years,” said DeCosta. He is currently exploring the position as a scenic artist for the nonprofit theater company Front Row Center, as well.

DeCosta, raised in Ellicott, Maryland, was inspired by the landscape paintings of his grandfather, which led him to attend the School of Visual Arts in New York where he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree.

DeCosta joined Grossmont’s team in 2016 after working with previous galleries and moving to California to be closer with family. He became the first gallery technician which is a role he holds to this day.

While DeCosta is the sole caretaker and organizer for Grossmont’s gallery, he has consistently collaborated with multiple faculty members, students, and independent artists.

In the first exhibition in the spring 2026 semester, DeCosta worked alongside professor and head of the Ceramics Department, Ryan Gray, for VIEWPOINT: Ceramics 2026. This show only featured ceramic art and gathered artists from across the United States.

One of DeCosta’s responsibilities as a curator for the gallery is to arrange all the art pieces in a concise and complementary  manner. For VIEWPOINT: Ceramics 2026, however, DeCosta was able to have the support of his campus colleague. Gray said that “Alex and I work great together.”

DeCosta has also teamed up with individual artists such as photographer Alfred Pagano for the “Second Nature” exhibit that was displayed in the middle of the semester.

The third and final showcase of 2026’s spring term was the biannual Student Art Exhibition, a tradition that focuses only on the work produced by students in Grossmont’s art classes. This show also offers students the chance to sell their creations and win awards.

Regarding some of his favorite aspects about the job, DeCosta said that he enjoyed getting to meet other artists and working with students to be “their first opportunity to exhibit work.”

Grossmont College alumnus and freelance videographer Quinn Roeloffs, graduated with four art degrees and was able to participate in the shows as a student.

Roelofs said: “Where a lot of artists lack, especially starting out, is their confidence into getting into show. And to offer that right on campus is super nice.”

For one of the past exhibits, DeCosta helped a ceramic piece of Roelofs’ to be submitted and displayed even after the deadline. Ceramics class was the course that determined Roelofs’ pathway in the field of art.

“I think that was one of the reasons I kept going in art,” Roelofs said. “A little recognition for my first class in art, even when I didn’t have the confidence in it.”

Roelofs also had been a cabinet member for the official Grossmont Art Club and was offered a club exclusive showcase in the Hyde Gallery by DeCosta.

DeCosta worked closely alongside students to instruct the Art Club leaders on how to curate artwork and gave them hands-on experience with setting up but also organizing all the submissions in a cohesive way.

Jennifer Bennett is a professor and head of several disciplines in the Art Department who has been working with DeCosta since day one of his arrival and said that he “is professional, he’s friendly and courteous.”

Bennett witnessed the progress that DeCosta led with the gallery, which used to be in Building 25 but needed to find a new location after a kiln fire accident.

The construction of the Hyde Art Gallery was finished in 2020. Bennett applauded Decosta’s efforts and said that “10 years in, he’s still connected to the roots of Marge Hyde.”

Marge Hyde was the first chair for the Art Department at Grossmont College, one of the starting members of the Art Department and was crucial in building the original faculty. The gallery was named in her honor after her death in 1987.

Bennet said that DeCosta “championed that transition, he had to oversee the new gallery.” She added that he was involved with how “the new gallery was constructed and obtained everything that it needed.”

The gallery is not only a place for the students and Art Department, as the faculty also have their own show in the fall semester, but the Hyde is also a resource for anyone interested in art or longing to see something beautiful and perhaps even enlightening.

During the spike of COVID-19, attendance wavered. However, activity has picked up again and evened out in recent times.

For the reception at the Spring 2026 Student Art Exhibition, the turn-out was so high that people were packed into the building and flooded out.

DeCosta said: “I hope people visit the gallery. I think a lot of students don’t realize that this venue exists to them, and so I just hope people still come and use it, even when they’re taking online classes.”

The Hyde Art Gallery is in the Performing & Visual Arts Center, closed for the summer but open on Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the spring and fall terms.