College Launches a New Class of Artists

Clouds gave way early in the week to sun, warming graduation ceremonies for the Laguna College of Art and Design class of 2015.

Seventy-eight bachelor of arts graduates and 10 earning master’s degrees in fine art rose to accolades from college President Jonathan Burke, sage advice from guest speakers, poignancy from a fellow student and raucous cheers from peers, family and friends.

“Graduates, I want you to remember all you’ve gone through over these last years….Think how far you’ve come,” Burke said. “Each of you have spent countless hours devoted to your art and you’ve have grown and developed into distinctive artists and designers. At LCAD you’ve learned how to make the most of your talents….those kinds of skills and knowledge will carry you thoughout life after you leave the college,” he said.

Laguna Beach Mayor Robert Whalen spoke of his personal involvement with the school since his wife Kirsten had graduated from LCAD in 2005 and was the commencement speaker 10 years ago.

“The school defines us as an art colony that we have been for the last 100 years,” he said. He mentioned how, after a morning at the senior center, he realized that by the year 2020, more than half of Laguna Beach residents will be 55 or older and encouraged students to reside and practice in the city. “We rely on you to keep ideas vibrant and fresh,” he said.

The school, while still firmly rooted in its mission of providing classical training in drawing, painting and also sculpture, is also moving with the times, the graduation program showed. While 20 students majored in drawing, painting and illustration, 27 chose illustration in various permutations, including an emphasis on entertainment, as their chosen field. Another 32 majored in the digital realm, including game art, digital media and animation.

Student speaker Nyra Cruz spoke of the friends who sustained him and each other with caffeine, car rides, fixed laptops, shared books, art supplies, and solace when vending machines went kaput. He also praised LCAD as a haven for those in search of their identity. “I’ve learned that life is a non-stop transition through moments, strengthened through friendship,” he said.

Cruz, 22, entered LCAD in 2011 majoring in illustration with an emphasis on drawing and painting. “LCAD helped me stay focused and not wanting to waste time,” he said. What’s next? Starting an apprenticeship in a tattoo parlor with the goal of opening his own establishment with a friend in old town Tustin.

Sally Strand, 60, received her master’s in fine arts degree in painting after having already established her career as a painter. “I am getting my degree in mid-career since I needed to learn more and grow. I could not do that on my own,” she said. “As an artist you are alone a lot, and higher education connects you to a community of your peers,” she said.

Youth prevailed in commencement speaker Bryn Moser, 35, a filmmaker and co-founder of RYOT, a Los Angeles media company centered on providing news tailored to his contemporaries. His connection with LCAD began when he taught package design students how to design disaster kits, including toys, for victimized children.

He spoke of his childhood roaming through Bluebird Canyon, appreciating art by weaving through the Sawdust Festival and credited his social activism to his parents talking about saving the canyon and protecting the environment.

“Laguna was different during the ‘80s but whenever I drive through Laguna now, I see the fruits of the fights we have won,” he said.

After high school, he moved to Zimbabwe and studied at a small college where his mother taught. He also attended Bennington College in Vermont, joined the Peace Corps to reconnect with Africa and described humanitarian work during the Haiti earthquake and a current project shooting documentary footage of the earthquake disaster in Nepal.

Congratulating the class of 2015, he stressed the importance of living motivated by kindness and compassion.

LCAD also conferred an honorary doctorate of fine art to sculptor Richard MacDonald a frequent guest lecturer and current advisory chair of the college’s sculpture division.

His sculpture “Nureyev Heroic” is on long-term loan to the college. “My purpose is to establish human connection through art and to change the present view in favor of the student. Young people need to express themselves,” he said during a reception at the Laguna Beach gallery he established, now known as Dawson Fine Art. “If people are inspired by my work, I want to give them the tools to aspire to be as good as they can be.”

Honor to Live in Perpetuity

When Laguna College of Art & Design trustees searched for a means to honor President Jonathan Burke on his 35th anniversary, he requested that an endowed presidential scholarship be established in his name.

“I did not want recognition for myself, but something that would benefit students,” he said.

Recently guests at a fundraising dinner at the home of Beverly and Ray Redfern raised $30,000 in seed money to begin the scholarship.

As an endowed scholarship, it will continue in perpetuity with $1,000 earmarked for one LCAD student per year. “It will help an incoming freshman with financial need or an already enrolled one to stay in school,” said Burke. Tuition is $27,300 a year, according to the school’s website.

Friends and donors of LCAD can contact the college’s development office at (949) 376-6000 ext 241 or visit: http://www.lcad.edu/site/development/