Art

Dear School of Art graduates:

Milestones such as graduations are bittersweet: I will miss seeing all of you in and around our School, but I am also eager to watch your next steps as you launch your lives as artists and arts professionals. I am confident that your training here has well prepared you to fully experience the joys, opportunities and challenges that come your way, now and in the future. It goes without saying that your time as a student has been shaped by powerful external concerns including wars in Ukraine and Gaza and a continuously deteriorating natural environment. The skills of resilience and problem solving that you have begun to develop as a student will no doubt come to bear as you address the dynamics of our world.

As you emerge as a professional, you are well prepared to make a positive difference, to not only critique the status quo, but also to change it.

I hope that you carry with you the dedication of our faculty, the commitment of your peers and the mission of our School:

• to boldly change society for the better.
• to deepen your understanding of diverse viewpoints and perspectives.
• to champion a culture of inclusiveness in a sustained career in the arts.

Now and always, pay attention. Speak up. Be courageous. Channel your energy, ideas and creativity towards the common good.

My congratulations and respect go to our 2024 Outstanding Students:

• Riley Haag, Bachelor of Arts in Art History
• Esra Kanisicak, Bachelor of Fine Arts
• Devin Hatcher, Master of Arts in Art Education
• Andy Demczuk, Master of Fine Arts

To all of you, may your successes be many.

—Kate Bonansinga