Newsroom

The latest at CCA

From student spotlights and faculty stories to recent media coverage and current events, catch up on what’s new.

Have a story to share? Contact communications@cca.edu.

Press release / June 10, 2021

CCA announces Lorna Meyer Calas as the new chair of the Board of Trustees

California College of the Arts has elected Lorna Meyer Calas as chair of the CCA Board of Trustees, effective July 1, 2021, for an initial three-year term. Calas—managing director with Merrill Lynch's Private Wealth Management Group—has been a CCA trustee
Lorna Meyer Calas

Press release / June 10, 2021

The Wattis Institute receives $20,000 NEA Grant for the exhibition "Drum Listens to Heart"

The Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts for a $20,000 award from the Grants for Arts Projects program to support its 2022 exhibition, Drum Listens to Heart, which explores “the percussive” as an
Entrance to CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts.

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Q&A: Raven Chacon

The Wattis Institute’s 2021 Capp Street Artist-in-Residence talks about teaching at CCA, the art of the score, and how the Bay Area is influencing his residency.
Raven Chacon

Media coverage / May 30, 2021

DMBA grad Izzy Shu on being a female founder

Thrive Global speaks to JOI co-founder Izzy Shu (MBA Design Strategy 2015) about her career, the impact of her DMBA program on her work, and why it's so important to empower more women to become founders.
Izzy Shu

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Alum spotlight: Digital media scholar Dorothy Santos

Dorothy Santos (MA Visual + Critical Studies 2014) discusses how CCA graduate studies prepared her for a PhD in Film and Digital Media at UC Santa Cruz.
Dorothy Santos stands in the middle of a book shop with an archway above them, looking directly into the camera.

Media coverage / May 22, 2021

Keith Krumwiede on the new podcast "When Socrates was an Architect"

CCA Architecture Dean Keith Krumwiede discusses his approach to working with young architects, helping to cultivate their professional toolset to address new challenges and make a meaningful difference in the world.

Keith Krumwiede

Press release / May 20, 2021

CCA appoints Aaron Gensler and Carina Wong to Board of Trustees

California College of the Arts announces the appointments of Aaron Gensler and CCA alum Carina Wong (MBA Design Strategy 2019) to the Board of Trustees for an initial three-year term.
CCA trustees Carina Wong and Aaron Gensler

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Silver Linings Series

An archive of projects, stories, events, and updates from our campus on the cloud.

Playa del Rey, CA, 5:30 pm PST, February 13, 2021. By Haley Caranto, admitted student.

Press release / May 19, 2021

Wattis Institute releases "Why are they so afraid of the lotus?"

Why are they so afraid of the lotus?—the second title in the Wattis Institute’s annual book series, A Series of Open Questions—is informed and inspired by the work of Trinh T. Minh-ha.
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Legendary designer Sir Jony Ive’s advice for the 2021 graduating class

“My encouragement is to be committed and proactive in caring for that deep, creative part of yourself that is easily overlooked.”

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Press release / May 18, 2021

Architecture Division announces a series of three pop-up architecture exhibitions

On view through July 10, 2021, at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, the three exhibitions explore Bay Area histories and futures, social justice and territorialization, and ecology and climate change.

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In Memoriam: Arthur Gensler, 1935–2021

For 11 years as a trustee and four as board chair, Arthur Gensler (1935–2021) championed the role of art and design education as an engine for cultural and economic vitality.
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Sustaining change

A growing community of Design students are leveraging their course assignments and thesis projects to express a sense of care and concern for the planet.
Eryn Bathke, Terra Cards.

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Design pedagogy for collective work

The Design division explores three different educational opportunities at CCA that transcend individual learning through teamwork.
Assistant Professor Juan Carlos Rodriguez Rivera (center) teaches his Decolonization & Design course in 2019.

Press release / May 10, 2021

CCA celebrates its graduating students in Class of 2021 Showcase

The Class of 2021 Showcase features work from over 260 students across the Fine Arts, Architecture, Design, and Humanities and Sciences divisions.

A dark blue graphic that reads Class of 2021 Showcase with multicolored vertical stripes of different widths.

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CCA’s 2021 gala auction opens to public bidding on Friday, May 7

The silent online auction features 19 artworks and custom experiences, including works by Viola Frey, David Maisel, Robert Motherwell, Manuel Neri, Terry St. John, Wayne Thiebaud, and Lava Thomas.

Viola Frey (BFA Ceramics 1956), Untitled, 1987. Ceramic, 26 x 26 inches.

Media coverage / May 5, 2021

Alum Camila Wandemberg receives Swarovski Foundation grant

The Swarovski Foundation awarded CCA alum Camila Wandemberg (BFA Individualized Studies 2020) with a Creatives for Our Future grant, helping further her work in developing sustainable alternatives for textile processes in her home country of Ecuador.
Camila Wandemberg

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High expectations

Renowned artist Jim Campbell has been working with Lynn Marie Kirby and Jeanne Finley's students since 2019, giving them the opportunity to showcase their art at astounding heights.

San Francisco’s skyline at night, featuring Zihan Jia and Yiqing Sun’s Zoom-inspired film on Salesforce Tower.

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Student spotlight: Melissa Rodriguez

From Colombia, to California, to Fashion Design 3, Melissa Rodriguez (BFA Individualized Studies 2022) shares the art-inspired journey that helped her find a new definition of home.

Mixed media collage shows a young Melissa Rodriguez holding an American and Colombian flag standing on top of a suitcase.

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CCA commencement traditions

From the tam and gown’s little-known origins to a particularly relevant Honorary Doctorate address, these stories behind the college’s commencement quirks are so CCA.

Two students in tams and gowns blow bubbles at the camera.

Lindsay Wright

Director of Integrated Communications

+1 530-906-8805

lindsaywright@cca.edu