With the dawn of a new decade upon Otis College of Art and Design, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past year, and the milestones and celebrations that have shaped our community. For starters, we culminated our Centennial celebration in 2019, and in September created a new mission statement:
“A leader in art and design education for over 100 years, Otis College of Art and Design educates a diverse community of students to become highly skilled, well-informed, and responsible professionals—empowering them to shape the world. Ideally situated within Los Angeles, our distinguished programs and faculty transform students’ lives through rigorous practice that nurtures and propels their creativity, skill, vision, and critical thinking.”
To this end, key moments on campus included welcoming such artists as Kara Walker and Shirin Neshat as part of our Mandy and Cliff Einstein Visiting Artist Lecture Series. The Creative Economy Report continued our thought leadership on the impact of arts and arts education on the economies of California and beyond. We ended our 2018-2019 academic year in May with Annual Exhibition, the Fashion Show, and Commencement. We celebrated work from 44 of our esteemed alumni in the exhibition, Centennial: 100 Years of Otis College Alumni, which included pieces by John Baldessari (’58), Alison Saar (’81), Gajin Fujita (’97), Mary Sue Ader Anderson (’65), and Rick Owens (’81), among many others. The Academic Building that houses our Fashion Design department was renamed the Anne Cole Building after a bequest was made from Cole’s estate. And we sent off over 100 Sequoia tree seedlings that students, staff, and faculty had germinated and cared for the past year; the trees now are happily growing and thriving in the Trail of 100 Giants in the Giant Sequoia National Monument in northern California.
We are looking forward to the mid-year restart that 2020 will bring to the campus and to our students, faculty, and staff. We have many exciting plans in store for the remainder of the academic year through to our Extension and Summer programs. We appreciate everyone in the Otis College Community for coming along this journey of growth and creativity. Here’s to the great year that 2019 was. Onward to 2020!
To see our year in pictures, please click through the slideshow below.
Creative Economy Report
The launch of the 2019 Creative Economy Report on February 1, 2019, featuring presentations by Beacon Economics Executive Director of Research, Robert Kleinhenz, Ph.D. (left) and Bettina Korek, Executive Director of Frieze Los Angeles and founder of ForYourArt (far right), who were introduced by Anne Bown-Crawford, Executive Director of the California Arts Council (center). (Photo by Fawad Assadulah/Otis College of Art and Design. All Rights Reserved)
Mandy and Cliff Einstein Visiting Artist Lecture Series: Elmgreen & Dragset
The artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset (Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset) flank Mandy and Cliff Einstein during the inaugural event for the Mandy And Cliff Einstein Visiting Artist Series on February 8, 2019. (Photo by Monica Nouwens/Otis College of Art and Design. All Rights Reserved)
Mandy and Cliff Einstein Visiting Artist Lecture Series: Zoe Whitley
Mandy and Cliff Einstein Visiting Artist Lecture Series: Kara Walker
Mandy and Cliff Einstein Visiting Artist Lecture Series: Edgar Heap of Birds
Scholarship Benefit and Fashion Show
The Fashion Design department culminated senior work with the annual Scholarship Benefit and Fashion Show, which was held on May 4, 2019 and helped raise more than $500,000. (Photo by Owen Kolasinski/Otis College of Art and Design. All Rights Reserved)
Annual Exhibition
Otis College seniors presented their work to professionals, family, and friends as part of the 2019 Otis College Annual Exhibition on May 11, 2019. (Photo by Monica Nouwens/Otis College of Art and Design. All Rights Reserved)
Annual Exhibition
Otis College seniors presented their work to professionals, family, and friends as part of the 2019 Otis College Annual Exhibition on May 11, 2019. Pictured is Sabrine Mengerink, BFA Product Design ’19. (Photo by Monica Nouwens/Otis College of Art and Design. All Rights Reserved)
Annual Exhibition
Otis College seniors presented their work to professionals, family, and friends as part of the 2019 Otis College Annual Exhibition on May 11, 2019. (Photo by Monica Nouwens/Otis College of Art and Design. All Rights Reserved)
Anne Cole Building Naming Ceremony
At the bequest of the Anne Cole Estate, the Academic Building, which houses the Fashion Design department, was renamed the Anne Cole Building on September 6, 2019. (Photo by Fawad Assadulah/Otis College of Art and Design. All Rights Reserved)
Anne Cole Building Naming Ceremony
Interim President Randall Lavender unveils the Anne Cole Buiding at a renaming ceremony on September 6, 2019 on the Elaine and Bram Goldsmith Campus. (Photo by Monica Nouwens/Otis College of Art and Design. All Rights Reserved)
Centennial: 100 Years of Otis College Alumni
Centennial: 100 Years of Otis College Alumni was a group show of selected works by notable alumni spanning the 1920s to the 2010s. The exhibition ran from September 7 through December 7, 2019. (Photo by Jason Metcalf/Otis College of Art and Design. All Rights Reserved)
Centennial: 100 Years of Otis College Alumni
The opening night reception for Centennial: 100 Years of Otis College Alumni on September 7, 2019, when alumni whose works were featured, and more, came to see the show at the Ben Maltz Gallery. (Photo by Monica Nouwens/Otis College of Art and Design. All Rights Reserved)
Centennial: 100 Years of Otis College Alumni
The opening night reception for Centennial: 100 Years of Otis College Alumni on September 7, 2019, when alumni whose works were featured, and more, came to see the show at the Ben Maltz Gallery. (Photo by Monica Nouwens/Otis College of Art and Design. All Rights Reserved)
Mandy and Cliff Einstein Visiting Artist Lecture Series: Shirin Neshat
Mandy and Cliff Einstein Visiting Artist Lecture Series: Jeffrey Vallance
100 Giants
Shelley Forbes, an Otis College alum and the circulation manager at the Millard Sheets Library, spearheaded the 100 Giants Project at Otis College. On November 6, 2019, we celebrated the send-off of 100+ sequoia seedlings to be planted at the Trail of 100 Giants within the Sequoia National Forest. Pictured are Otis Laboratory Press students and staff with Forbes (far right). (Photo by Fawad Assadulah/Otis College of Art and Design. All Rights Reserved)
Top photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash
