Good Luck to 2017 Grads

“We want you to stay in our town, please,” pleaded Laguna Beach Mayor Toni Iseman, addressing 126 Laguna College of Art and Design graduates at a commencement ceremony Monday, May 22, hoping the class of 2017 can add youthful zest to a town founded by activist artists.

Altogether 105 students received bachelor’s degrees, five earned post-baccalaureates and 16 master’s degrees.

LCAD President Jonathan Burke reminded students of their first studio experiences, enlightening lectures and critiques as evidence of how far they have come. “At LCAD you have learned to make the most of your talents. Those talents will assist you throughout your life, and you can give back to your college by becoming ambassadors and art advocates. Stay in touch and stay courageous,” he urged.

Student commencement speaker Stephen Paff reflected a sense of purpose when he described each studio assignment as an opportunity to tell stories visually and solve a variety of challenges. “We are communicators of visual thought,” he said, citing a similar quote by Tolstoy.

The 26-year-old Santa Ana native majored in graphic design and digital media with an illustration emphasis, as did his cousin Nicholas Paff, 25. “We’ve had this friendly competition since childhood, and we always inspired each other,” said Stephen, who plans to work for Fox Works, which produces motor cross racing gear. He also designs for several freelance clients.

As part of the ceremony, Burke conferred an honorary doctorate on trustee chair and local resident James Mellor. Mellor expressed his appreciation for the honor from a school Burke told him is the Juilliard of fine arts. “It won’t be long until Juilliard will refer to itself as the LCAD of performing arts,” he said.

Among the class of 2017 is Brad Neal, 70, a retired architect who dreamed of becoming a painter. He moved to Laguna Beach 15 years ago, hired by the Irvine Company as its chief commercial architect for projects such as the Pelican Hill Resort. “I needed solid classical training in drawing and painting, which LCAD provides. The faculty is great and I loved working with young people,” he said.

Burke said the school remains true to teaching traditional representative art while also preparing students for contemporary art careers in graphic design, animation, game art and illustration.

Commencement speaker and novelist Joe R. Lansdale, 65, kept his audience alert with serious counsel clothed in levity: “You’re big dogs today,” and “You’re off your parents’ dime now.”

Snippets of his life as a writer and martial arts experts, along with exhortations to follow one’s dream, appeared to resonate with all. “Education is not just about a job,” said Lansdale, who confessed that he only graduated from high school. In a separate conversation he revealed that his own father never learned how to read or write. Though Lansdale said he devotes just three hours a day to writing, he said he writes with purpose and joy.

“Life is short, take over your life now. Take your tools and use them….”