Commencement 2023

We commemorate the Commencement Class of 2023 with in-person ceremonies on Saturday, May 13. After years of creative and academic dedication, these students are ready to take steps forward onto new challenges and into their professional practices. Our programming celebrates their momentous scholarly achievements with events and festivities.

The Bachelor’s Degree Candidates' Ceremony features the conferring of CCA’s Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts on Mildred Howard, a mixed-media artist and key figure in the Bay Area art scene for over 50 years. Howard’s artwork has focused on themes of home and belonging, as well as race, gender, and culture.

Undergraduate student speaker Kyra Pease (BFA Graphic Design 2023) encourages graduating peers, “to truly reflect on where you were at when you first started at CCA, and where you are now. We have come a long way through quite an extraordinary time in history. Be proud of what you’ve accomplished!”

President Stephen Beal honors extraordinary accomplishments

In his commencement speech, CCA President Stephen Beal congratulates the class of 2023 and celebrates this significant milestone.

“Look around you – this community of brilliant thinkers and creatives is the one that will help you in the future as you build relationships and uncover what’s next. Your shared experience as art school students here at CCA is special, and I hope you’ll always look to one another for support.”

Nastaran Mousavi (MArch 2013) and Dane Bunton (MArch 2013) from Studio BANAA deliver the Distinguished Alumni Address at the 2023 Master’s Degree Candidates' Ceremony.

Graduate student speaker Wenmimareba Klobah (MA Visual and Critical Studies and MFA Writing 2023) says to their fellow graduates, “As we acknowledge each other in the present, I can only imagine the worlds we will create in the future. We each have something so important to contribute, and I am honestly excited to see where our journeys take us.”

President Stephen Beal expresses collegewide pride

In his commencement speech, CCA President Stephen Beal applauds the master's students’ persistence and focus to realize their goals.

“Here, you have learned to focus your creative ideas and to make art that matters—not just within the boundaries of our campus, but in the world. Our world needs more graduates like you who have been trained to develop ideas through iterative, progressive modeling. You will bring distinct approaches to building community, constructing meaning, shaping culture, and solving complex real-world problems.”

To denote outstanding student contributions to the 2023 Showcase, the deans of CCA’s four academic divisions selected students whose submissions deserve special recognition. Every student work chosen for a Deans’ Spotlight demonstrates excellence in theory and practice.