April 12, 2023

This Earth Day, ArtCenter College of Design Celebrates Spring 2023 Graduating Class of Change Makers

Sustainability Leader Gun Denhart to Deliver Commencement Address

On Saturday, April 22, ArtCenter College of Design will celebrate more than 300 graduates at a ceremony at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Approximately 5,000 people are expected to attend various Graduation activities taking place throughout the week. ArtCenter President Karen Hofmann will preside over the ceremony and confer the degrees. Sustainability leader Gun Denhart will deliver a commencement address to the audience of families, friends, faculty, staff, College Trustees and special guests.

“ArtCenter strives to be a force for positive change in the world, including incorporating sustainability curriculum into the classroom around topics like climate resilience, mobility, zero waste, conservation and community,” said Karen Hofmann, president and chief executive officer at ArtCenter College of Design. “I’m so pleased our dear friend Gun Denhart will share her inspiration as our speaker. She is a trailblazer working at the intersection of equity, the economy and the environment.”

Gun Denhart has stewarded a sustainable, children’s fashion brand, advocated for family-friendly workplace policies and advises on the board of several organizations. She is co-founder of the Portland-based apparel company Hanna Andersson and founder of The Denhart Family Sustainability Scholarship Prize at ArtCenter. Since 2011, the scholarship fund has awarded more than $350,000 to students whose work marries creativity and design with environmental and social objectives.

Gun’s son, Christian Denhart, earned a degree in 2010 from ArtCenter’s Product Design department. During his time in school, Christian was a vocal member of a student-led environmental group called EcoCouncil, which proposed sustainable practices, including less plastic, recycling and composting in the student café. Christian’s father, Tom Denhart, passed away a year prior to Christian’s graduation. In the wake of his passing, Christian and Gun decided that they wanted to create an endowed scholarship for ArtCenter to reward student projects that addressed sustainability. The prize supports the College's developing curriculum in comprehensive design and fosters environmental responsibility and a commitment to social good.

Keerthana Menon, a graduate student in the Spatial Experience Design department, will receive the Student Leadership Award (SLA) during the graduation ceremony. The SLA is presented each term and fulfills ArtCenter’s vision of educating artists and designers who are not only leaders within their professional fields, but leaders in their communities. Based on recommendations from faculty, staff and students, this award recognizes a student who has provided leadership through participation in ArtCenter’s campus life, community outreach, student organizations and department initiatives.

Spring 2023 class Valedictorian is Entertainment Design major Kennard Chin, a concept artist, illustrator and graphic designer who has a focus on bringing ideas to life through visual design.

Following the graduation ceremony on Saturday afternoon, Grad Show opens both virtually and in person, providing friends, family and people from across Greater Los Angeles with a chance to leisurely stroll through the space to view the extraordinary work of ArtCenter’s newly minted grads. Graduating students have opportunities to connect with employers by way of a virtual career fair platform and in person Grad Show recruitment events. Nike, Google and DreamWorks are among the many companies getting in line to meet emerging talent.

April 22 | 10 a.m. through 12 p.m.
Spring 2023 Graduation Ceremony
Pasadena Civic Auditorium
300 E. Green Street, Pasadena, CA 91101
Ticketed event for friends, family, faculty and staff to celebrate the commencement of our graduating class.

April 22 | Noon through 5 p.m.
ArtCenter Grad Show
Pasadena Convention Center | Exhibit Halls A and B
300 E. Green Street, Pasadena, CA 91101
FREE and open to the public, friends and families.
No RSVP required.

To view all Spring 2023 Graduation Activities, view this event page.

To view the College’s virtual Grad Show representing the achievements of the Class of 2023, please visit gradshow.artcenter.edu/spring-2023.

About ArtCenter: Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, ArtCenter College of Design is a global leader in art and design education. ArtCenter offers 11 undergraduate and 10 graduate degrees in a wide variety of industrial design disciplines as well as visual and applied arts. In addition to its top-ranked academic programs, the College also serves members of the Greater Los Angeles region through a highly regarded series of year-round extension programs for all ages and levels of experience. Renowned for both its ties to industry and its social impact initiatives, ArtCenter is the first design school to receive the United Nations’ Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status in recognition of its commitment to social impact design through Designmatters. Throughout the College’s long and storied history, ArtCenter alumni have had a profound impact on popular culture, the way we live and important issues in our society.

Contact:
Teri Bond
Acting Co-VP, Marketing and Communications
ArtCenter College of Design
teri.bond@artcenter.edu
626 396-2385

Emily Logan
Public Relations Specialist
ArtCenter College of Design
emily.logan@artcenter.edu
626 396-2206