California College of the Arts

06/24/2024

Big news! , in partnership with University of California San Francisco, just won the Outstanding Science Award at the 2024 BioDesign Challenge 🏆 🏆 🏆

Their project ‘Shell We Dance?’ transforms the high volume of waste from the consumption of eggs and shellfish in urban environments into a bio-material which is harvested, processed, and fabricated into a new component-based building system. The team developed moldable components and a complimentary adhesive which were tested at multiple scales, looking at the chemical and biological structure of the material, exploring variable formulations and developing ways to enhance the structural capacity with the addition of living bacteria.

Project team: Miti Mehta, Nega Hosseini, Kianoush Hamedi, Jesus Giullermo Macias Franco, Alex Hong, Claire Kokontis, Camille Moore
Instructors: Margaret Ikeda, Evan Jobes, Dyche Mullins, Dr. Negar Kalantar
Advistors: Ali Farajmani, Anastasia H. Muliana, Alain Goriely, Gabor Domokos

05/17/2024

“As imagemakers we have sought to create an active role in creating exchanges of perspectives about art and culture; and how art engages with questions we face as a society today. Our experience as artists and academics have reaffirmed our belief that the arts have a crucial role to play in imagining new futures, especially in turbulent times such as these.” — Deborah Willis

We’re proud to award an honorary doctorate degree to inspirational artists, designers, and thinkers each year at our Commencement Ceremony. We were thrilled to have artist and scholar Deborah Willis and visual artist and CCA alum Hank Willis Thomas (MFA Photography and MA Visual Criticism 2003) as the degree recipients at our 117th Commencement Ceremony last weekend.

An advocate for all voices, Deborah Willis has been instrumental in furthering diversity and inclusion in the art world. Her work continues to inspire generations of artists, scholars, and educators, cementing her legacy as a leading figure in art history and visual studies.

Hank Willis Thomas’s work engages with historical and contemporary issues of social justice, drawing attention to systemic inequities and advocating for change. Like his mother, he is also recognized for his activism in nurturing diversity and inclusion in the art industry. Thomas’s contributions have left an indelible mark on the art world, provoking important conversations and reflections.

Congratulations, and !

05/10/2024

This year, we honor the retiring faculty of the class of 2024. Each one is an accomplished creative in their own right, with careers that have shaped the fields of art, design, architecture, and writing. The impact of our CCA faculty reaches far beyond our community and will continue long past their time in the classroom.

Please join us in celebrating this milestone by supporting The Retiring Faculty Scholarship. Your gift will provide much-needed scholarships, ensuring student success for years to come.

Join me and make a gift to The Retiring Faculty Scholarship!

10/23/2023

We’re proud to see so many CCA students, alumni, and faculty represented in , a triennial exhibition featuring work by 800+ Bay Area-based artists. Submissions were judged by a blind jury and 80+ members of the CCA community now have their art displayed in one of the most visited museums in the country.

🖼️ The exhibition is on view at until January 7, 2024.

📷 Image credits:
1. Gallery view of the exhibition, courtesy of
2. ‘To Make an End Is to Make a Beginning (I Paint Therefore I Am)’ by Lauren Jade Szabo (BFA Illustration 2010)
3. Gabriela Silva Myer’s Lipton (Painting & Drawing) and Evri Wong
4. ‘I John Chinamen Been Working On The RailRoad All’ by Evri Wong
5. Jon Stich (BFA Illustration 2004)
6. ‘¿Dónde me llevas hoy?” / “Where are you taking me today?’ by Bryan Dominguez (Painting & Drawing)
7. Ajaya (Maggie) Bhatnagar (Individualized Studies)
8. ‘Aquihua’ by Pablo Villicaña Lara (MFA Drawing 1990)
9. ‘Man in Bed’ by Gregory Climer
10. ‘Silken Venus’ by Tiersa Nureyev (BFA Fashion Design 2006)

04/03/2023

College students face extra barriers to voting. Voter ID laws, lack of information, transportation to the polls, and confusing residency requirements can keep student voters from the polls. ⁠
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We’re proud to be designated a by and . Democratic engagement is a priority at CCA and we are committed to ensuring our students have the information and tools they need to register and vote. Together with our fellow “Voter Friendly Campuses” across the county, we served millions of students in the fall of 2022.

03/08/2023

This , we're proud to announce a new exhibition, 'Women to Watch 2024: New Suns,' at the CCA Campus Gallery. Opening March 29, the show features works by Sofía Córdova, Nicki Green, Cathy Lu, Adia Millett, and Genevieve Quick. ⁠
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Each of these artists are grounded in their own specific experiences of heritage, ritual, and belonging. They hold different histories of oppression and joy in tension in their work, while sharing a common commitment to the practice of creative world-building. With radical hope, they imagine different practices of coexistence, crafting propositions for life oriented around different suns. ⁠
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This exhibition is supported by The San Francisco Advocacy for .

03/08/2023

What the f*ck is happening in the back of the Nave?⁠
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It's the new home of our PLAySPACE Gallery. The latest exhibition, titled 'F*ck!', seeks to represent radically q***r sexual experiences from multiple positions, juxtaposing a historical representation of q***r sexual experience through ephemera of San Francisco’s gay scene, alongside a contemporary fine arts expression of q***r kink culture and sexual experiences.⁠
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The exhibition is organized by Samantha Hiura (Visual Critical Studies/Curatorial Practice) and Megan Kelly (Curatorial Practice). ⁠
👇 Check it the f out 👇⁠
Opening Reception: March 10, 7–9pm⁠
Closing Reception: April 14, 7–9pm⁠
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02/09/2023

Do you know a high school student obsessed with art? We have weekend workshops designed for them to develop their skills and make portfolio pieces for their future art school application.

The CCA Atelier program includes Figure Drawing, Zine Screenprinting, Mixed Media/Collage, Photography, Fashion Upcycling, and Cyanotypes + Fashion Design.

Sign up at cca.edu/atelier

12/13/2022

Congratulations to our 23 Fine Arts seniors who just presented their capstone work in an exhibition at the SOMArts Cultural Center. Many thanks to everyone who came to celebrate them ✨

The exhibition featured work by Alexander Burke, Anke Larsen-Yskamp, Ashley Malloy, Asya Garcia, Benjamin Chung, Camille Gomez, Dareal Calderon, Erin Chan, Erin Winarto, Griffin Shannonhouse-Wilde, Hae Jeong Cho, Hannah Kim. Jamiani Gray, Jennyfer Medina, Kiran Joseph Schwaebe, Leran Wang, Nic Hampton, Quinn Dideon, Robert Fredenburg, Size Luo, Wilium Tseng, Yee Li, and You Jin Han.

11/30/2022

For the first time ever, we had our annual Homecoming + Holiday Fair in San Francisco!

The Half Century Club celebrated alums who graduated 50 years ago. Guests shopped handmade goods from 120 vendors, and our shops and studios opened up for public demonstrations. Student-run CCA Radio played music, and there was a petting and drawing zoo, balloon artist, fortune teller, food trucks. 🥳️ The day wrapped with a celebration for David Meckel, senior advisor to the president, who has served the college for 37 years.

CCA's Homecoming + Holiday Fair is an annual event presented by the Alumni Association and the Office of Student Life. See you again next year!

10/31/2022

Ingrid Henderson (Fine Arts graduate student) talks about how her graduate thesis project went viral on TikTok, reached performer Billie Eilish, and how collaborations with her cohort and CCA faculty helped make it happen.

Graduate student Ingrid Henderson talks about how her thesis project went viral on TikTok, reached performer Billie Eilish, and how it all happened.

10/05/2022

The start of the fall 2022 marked an exciting turning point: For the first time ever students stepped onto our San Francisco campus all together. And after two years of remote and hybrid learning, classes resumed for fully in-person instruction.

CCA students returning to campus for the fall 2022 semester were met with a dynamic mix of welcome-back events, programs, and get-togethers.

08/24/2022

Please join the Oakland Campus Legacy Committee for a ceremony honoring our Oakland campus. We come together to show gratitude to the beloved garden campus we have called home for 100 years and celebrate the roots we carry forward for centuries to come.

4 pm: Ceremony on Macky Lawn

5 pm: Reception in the Oliver Art Center

A ceremony and reception to honor CCA’s Oakland campus and celebrate its one hundred year legacy.

08/19/2022

With official instruction at CCA’s Oakland campus ending in the spring of 2022, we honored the campus with friends (new and old), memories, exhibitions, as well as laughter, hugs, and a few tears.

With official instruction at CCA’s Oakland campus ending in the spring of 2022, we honored the campus with events, exhibitions, and celebration.

08/02/2022

Art 🤝 Action

Learn how our campus comes together for civic engagement:

Explore creative activism across the college.

06/20/2022

Last Fall, CCA students and faculty embraced the return to campus and got back to doing what they do best—building, making, and transforming—together.

In a new photo essay, we share a look at what we’ve been up to:

Discover how CCA students and faculty embraced the return to campus and got back to doing what they do best—building, making, and transforming—together.

06/17/2022

Congratulations to Tony Bernardo, Jade Howe, Brian Kwon and Xiangzi Xu, recognized by the Society of Illustrators, the oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of illustration in the United States.

Undergraduate students in the CCA Illustration program reflect on their work and what it means to be recognized nationally by the Society of Illustrators.

05/31/2022

Introducing a new and improved way to explore our campus from wherever you are 🌍

Text TourCCA to 58052 or click here to start your virtual visit: tours.fullmeasure.io/california-college-of-arts/

05/19/2022

🎓 The 2022 Showcase is now live! 🎓

Explore this virtual display of capstone work by bachelor’s and master’s degree students in Architecture, Design, Fine Arts, and Humanities & Sciences.

Experience the very best of CCA architecture, design, fine arts, and humanities and sciences during 2022 Commencement virtual exhibitions and related events.

05/05/2022

03/01/2022

Tricia Brand, our inaugural vice president of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, talks about what sets CCA apart from other colleges and why she’s hopeful for the future.

02/25/2022

From tie-dye to chainsaws to Tamagotchis, see how the Design division at CCA fell back into the swing of things when we returned to on-campus learning last fall.

From tie-dye to chainsaws and Tamagotchis, Design faculty and students are making the leap, returning to campus and community to learn together once more.

02/17/2022

Anyone remember this?

CCAC the Art College in the Community by Professor Emeritus Jason Schoener (1954)

01/13/2022

🤔 What can you do with a degree in graphic design?
🤔 What can a graphic design career look like?
🤔 What are the job opportunities for a graphic designer?

With a graphic design degree, job opportunities are abundant and varied. Across industries, businesses and organizations rely on graphic designers to create attention-grabbing visual concepts that communicate ideas and information.

01/11/2022

"Illustration is one of the few art majors that gives you a lot of latitude; you aren't boxed into one specific career track."

We talked to our faculty and alumni about making the most out of majoring in Illustration.

Learn how you can use your degree in illustration to do just about anything, from marketing and publishing to surface design and murals.

01/06/2022

In the class “Hella Oakland,” Professor Mitchell Schwarzer gets students off Zoom and out on The Town through walking tours of historical neighborhoods like West Oakland, Rockridge, and Jack London Square.

CCA students in the class “Hella Oakland” discovered a whole new side of the city through immersive walking tours of historical neighborhoods like West Oakland, Rockridge, and Jack London Square.

12/08/2021

To honor our Oakland campus and its century long presence in Oakland, alumni, faculty, and Professor Emeritus Thomas Wojak are producing an edition of ten prints, each representing a decade of the college's history.

Here are the first three prints — available for purchase now:
▪️Bob Aufuldish (Graphic Design) — 1920s
▪️Curtis Arima (Jewelry Metal Arts) — 1930s
▪️ Michael Wertz (Illustration) — 1940s

12/06/2021

Represent your alma mater wherever you are 🙌 We restocked the the CCA by DOC®️ collection, designed by CCA alum Dustin O. Canalin (Graphic Design 2000). https://shop.archsupplies.com/collections/california-college-of-the-arts-official-merchandise

12/03/2021

Last Saturday, we celebrated Homecoming 2021 on the Oakland campus,

Homecoming festivities included a holiday fair featuring handmade goods from 80+ members of the CCA community. Guests also enjoyed open studios and demonstrations, a live performance by The Delta Wires (featuring alum Ernie Pinata). The day wrapped up with the After Party kicking off the launch of the Print Legacy Project, honoring our 100 years in Oakland.

Homecoming is an annual event presented by the Alumni Association, Student Life, and the Oakland Campus Legacy Committee.

12/02/2021

New online exhibition! 📷

'Inside/Out' is a student-led collaboration between photography majors at CCA and Georgia State University. From opposite ends of the country, students participating in this exchange are looking inward and outward through photography and other mediums.

Explore the exhibition here:

Inside/Out is an exhibition of the work that came out of a 2021 a student-led collaboration between photography majors at the California College of the Arts (CCA) and Georgia State University (GSU).