Generations of Alumni Come Together for a Celebratory Weekend Honoring 100 Years of California College of The Arts
San Francisco, October 16, 2007
This past weekend, California College of the Arts (CCA) welcomed back more than 500 alumni, three past presidents, and numerous faculty and friends of the college for its weekend-long 100th birthday celebration. Graduates from as long ago as the class of 1942 and as far away as Zimbabwe and India came to honor the institution that Frederick Meyer founded in 1907 as the School of the California Guild of Arts and Crafts. The school began with just $45 in cash, 43 students, three teachers, and three classrooms. Today, with campuses in Oakland and San Francisco, CCA currently enrolls more than 1,600 full-time students and offers studies in 20 undergraduate and eight graduate majors in the areas of fine arts, architecture, design, and writing.
A dedicated team of alumni volunteers worked with CCA staff for more than a year to plan the weekend. CCA Alumni Relations Manager Jessica Russell said, "We are so grateful to the alumni on the planning committee, including Doug Sandberg, committee chair, and Arlene Risi Streich, Alumni Council president, for all their hard work."
In written proclamations, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums paid tribute to CCA and its contributions to the community. It was officially "California College of the Arts Centennial Celebration Day" in San Francisco on October 12, 2007, and in Oakland on October 13, 2007.
San Francisco Kickoff
The weekend of festivities kicked off Friday night on the San Francisco campus with the dazzling avant-garde theatrics of Gregangelo and Velocity Circus (founded by alumnus Gregangelo Herrera). Each arriving guest passed through a colorful, multisensory entrance passageway and was greeted by a series of eccentrically costumed characters before passing into the main event space, where still more members of Gregangelo's troupe entertained them with displays of performance art and acrobatic skill.
Oakland Barbeque
On Saturday, old friends reconnected at the college's Oakland campus in the Rockridge neighborhood. The centerpiece of the day was a fun-filled barbeque accompanied by the high-energy sounds of the Oakland-based blues band the Delta Wires (founded at CCA in the 1970s by alumnus Ernie Pinata). Dessert was served from the lively Tactical Ice Cream Unit, a working ice cream truck and interactive space for art and activism created by the Center for Tactical Magic (cofounded by alumnus Aaron Gach). Along with free ice cream, participants had their choice of free propaganda on such topics as alternative economic systems or the mass media.
Three past presidents of the college—Neil Hoffman (1985–94), Lorne Buchman (1994–99), and Michael Roth (2000–2007)—spoke about their fond memories of CCA, the challenges they faced during their presidencies, and their pride in having been part of this renowned institution.
A tasting of wines generously donated by families connected to CCA took place in Macky Hall. The wineries included Muscardini Cellars (with alumni Michael and Robyn Muscardini), Charles Creek Vineyard (with CCA parents Bill and Gerry Brinton), and William Knuttel Winery (with CCA parent William Knuttel).
Guests toured the various studio art facilities on the Oakland campus, including those devoted to textiles, metals, and sculpture. The glassblowing demonstration was popular, but the biggest hit of the day was the Monotype Printmaking Marathon that took place in the Blattner Print Studio. It was led by faculty member Thomas Wojak, who encouraged everyone to join in the fun whether or not they had art-making experience. One participant was overheard protesting that she couldn't draw, to which her friend replied: "What do you mean you can't? You did it when you were a kid. Why did you stop? Just make something. Art is for everyone, that's whole point of this event."
Saturday Night Museum Reception
Saturday evening, the Oakland Museum of California hosted hundreds of guests—including the artists Ralph Borge, Eleanor Dickinson, Bella Feldman, Lynn Marie Kirby, Dennis Oppenheim, Raymond Saunders, and Larry Sultan—at a private reception for the opening of "Artists of Invention: A Century of CCA," a major retrospective exhibition featuring artists and art movements associated with the college. The exhibition runs October 13, 2007, through March 16, 2008, and includes more than 120 works by renowned alumni and faculty, including Robert Bechtle, Squeak Carnwath, Liz Cohen, Sergio de la Torre, Richard Diebenkorn, Kota Ezawa, Amy Franceschini, Edith Heath, Désirée Holman, David Ireland, Jacomena Maybeck, Raymond Saunders, and the Society of Six.
Sunday Send-off
On Sunday the celebration continued back at CCA's San Francisco campus with panel discussions, campus tours (which included the new Graduate Center), and a champagne send-off. The panel discussing the ways in which artists and designers are reconceiving craft drew a large crowd. It was moderated by Lawrence Rinder, dean of the college, and included faculty panelists from several different CCA programs. Another panel was devoted to the search for CCA's next president, with participants and attendees weighing in with their opinions and priorities. Another popular panel discussed how organizations can work for social justice, education, and community development through the arts, presented by CCA's Center for Art and Public Life.
Velocity Circus
Velocity Circus
Thomas Wojak leads the Monotype Marathon
Dennis Oppenheim (Painting, Art Education 1965) and Phil Linhares (Painting 1963, MFA 1966)
Judy Timken and Michael Roth
Press Contacts
Kim Lessard
415.703.9547
klessard@cca.edu
Brenda Tucker
415.703.9548
btucker@cca.edu