Loann Crane to receive Spirit of Denny Griffith Award at 2017 CCAD Senior Fashion Show

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2017

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus College of Art & Design is pleased to announce that longtime arts patron Loann Crane is the recipient of this year’s Spirit of Denny Griffith Award.

The award continues the legacy of the late CCAD President Denny Griffith, who led the college from 1998 to 2014 and inspired countless volunteers to donate their energies and resources to help make CCAD what it is today. The award began in 2016 and honors a volunteer or volunteers for their service to the college.

“Loann Crane has dedicated her life to the arts and social justice,” CCAD President Melanie Corn said. “She has made a lasting impact on the college and is incredibly deserving of this honor.”

Crane’s outstanding and ongoing impact on CCAD is multifold, but is perhaps most visible in the building that bears her name: the Loann Crane Center for Design, a space for CCAD students and others to congregate, study, and learn.

Crane, born in Martin’s Ferry, Ohio, moved to Columbus to attend The Ohio State University and was on CCAD’s board when the college formally split with the Columbus Museum of Art in 1981. In the years since, Crane, the first woman to chair the college’s board of trustees, has been a longtime supporter of initiatives such as the Griffith Faculty Excellence Fund, the Senior Fashion Show, and the college’s Master of Fine Arts program.

“It has been a great joy for me to watch the school and be a part of it,” Crane said. “I continue to be amazed at the talent of the students. My jaw drops each time I see their work.”

Griffith was CCAD’s president from 1998 to 2014. The annual recipient of the Spirit of Denny Griffith Award is recommended by CCAD’s senior team. The honoree is selected based on exemplary efforts that display tireless or generous dedication to furthering CCAD’s mission of education tomorrow’s creative leaders. Former Express CEO Michael Weiss was the first recipient of the award in 2016.

Crane said she’s flattered to receive an award created in honor of Griffith, her longtime friend.

“He was an inspiration to all of us, so I just feel very grateful to be associated with his name,” she said.


Loann Crane will be formally recognized for her years of dedication and support to CCAD with the Spirit of Denny Griffith Award at the 2017 CCAD Senior Fashion Show on Friday, May 12. Learn more and purchase tickets at ccad.edu/fashionshow.


About Columbus College of Art & Design

Columbus College of Art & Design teaches undergraduate and graduate students in the midst of a thriving creative community in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1879, CCAD is one of the oldest private, nonprofit art and design colleges in the United States, offering 12 four-year undergraduate programs and two graduate programs in art and design that produce graduates equipped to shape culture and business at the highest level. For more information, visit ccad.edu.


Media contact

Jeannie Nuss
Senior Media Relations Specialist
Columbus College of Art & Design
614.222.6162
[email protected]