Development

Addeline Kelley (Advertising & Graphic, 2023) has had a CCAD experience filled with Creative Collaboration.

“My professors call AdGraph the major that uses all the majors,” she says. “They say, “You’re a graphic designer, go get your photographer friend or illustrator friend to help make your stuff.” Those projects always turn out better and stronger.”

Thanks to CCAD’s partnership with Huntington, Addeline was able to get real world experience designing for a client. Here’s what she had to say about the project:

“Working with Huntington was a really interesting experience. I loved having the people who do this professionally looking over my shoulder, helping me, and teaching the programs. … I really enjoyed the collaboration aspect, getting to work with my peers and bounce ideas off of each other and also working with industry professionals.”

While president of the Sustainability Collective, she worked with board members, Student Services, and Facilities to help create a community garden on campus. She describes the impact of it not just as a food source:

“This beautiful thing on campus that’s usable. I have people tell me they take plants for silkscreening, collages, pressing it into pottery, and you can use some of the plants for pigments in paint. It’s very much a community focused garden and I want people to use it. It was amazing to see that come to life.”

Grayson Cooper (Illustration, 2023) served as President of the Queer Artist Collective. He transferred to CCAD his junior year stating how the sense of community, diversity, and campus life feels like a much better fit for him.

He notes that at CCAD, “There’s definitely a lot of focus put on helping people feel included and safe. I appreciate the amount of effort I see in this community.”

When asked about how his identity impacts his art, he says:

“A lot. For my senior thesis that I’m working on right now, the theme is trans joy. A big thing for me, is that every time you see the word ‘transgender’ in media it’s not positive. My work is trying to help people feel joyful in their identity. A lot of the trans narrative is you hate your body, people are mean to you, everything sucks. It’s not always like that, there’s a lot of joy in being trans, too.”

Jaiden Garden (Illustration, 2024), served as President of the Black Student Leadership Association (BSLA). When asked about how he became involved with the group he explains:

“CCAD is a primarily white institution, so BSLA is a club where you can be around more people like you. That’s the reason I joined, to be around other Black artists. There is still racism at every school, but BSLA allows you to let down barriers and be more yourself. We talk about common issues that Black people and black artists face.”

The club hosts community speakers and panels to talk about these issues in addition to social events for the students. 

“It’s a place where black people can feel safe, relax, and connect, but everyone is welcome because it’s also a space for people to learn more about Black culture by being around Black people.”

Our students are the changemakers of tomorrow. Through a rigorous curriculum, they learn how to succeed as professional artists and designers. There is no better testament to CCAD’s Proven Potential than our amazing alumni. From major movie studios to local businesses, our alumni shine in their fields.

Check out some of our alumni success stories on the CCAD blog.