Photography student named 2017 CCAD valedictorian

Photography, 2017 CCAD Valedictorian Amy Schuessler

Columbus College of Art & Design is pleased to announce that the valedictorian at CCAD's 138thCommencement is Amy Schuessler (Photography, 2017).

Schuessler is one of the more than 225 CCAD graduates who will don caps and gowns, walk across the stage of the Wexner Center for the Arts’ Mershon Auditorium, and receive their diplomas on Saturday, May 13, 2017.

Schuessler, a prolific image maker who came to CCAD in 2014 to study Photography, said she’s honored to be the valedictorian.

“I came to photography and art later in life, so it really means everything to me,” she said. “It’s changed my life.”

While at CCAD, Schuessler has been in the Honors Program and has scored an impressive list of accomplishments.

Schuessler has interned with the Pizzuti Collection, where she was responsible for a two-volume research dossier for the Visions From India exhibition. She also interned with the Columbus Museum of Art, doing research in the Photo Curatorial department. She’s currently the curatorial assistant to Duncan Snyder for Glasshouse: Photo Flora and Form at Franklin Park Conservatory, showcasing CCAD’s Photography program.

This year, Schuessler received the Maine Scholarship Award and will attend the Penland School of Craft to study with Dan Estabrook. She plans plan to pursue an advanced degree in 2018.

Schuessler is a nontraditional student and has a 19-year-old son, Aiden. She found her passion for photography and fine art several years ago but didn’t make the decision to earn a college degree in Photography until now. Before coming to CCAD, Schuessler was a chef with a culinary degree from The Restaurant School in her native Philadelphia. She took several years off to raise her family and is excited to be pursuing art full time.

Schuessler said her journey to study art and photography has been profoundly rewarding and that she’s looking forward to new challenges.

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Valedictorian Amy Schuessler is one of the more than 225 CCAD graduates who will receive their diplomas at CCAD’s 138th Commencement on Saturday, May 13, 2017, at the Mershon Auditorium. Read more about CCAD’s 138th Commencement here.

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Photo of Amy Schuessler by Amy Schuessler (Photography, 2017)