CalArts Alumni

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Come hang with us tomorrow at the Reef! Find us on the 12th Floor from 5-8 pm.

A round of applause for Creative Writing alum Jessica Felleman! Check out our convo about books and things at 24700.

Catch the premiere this weekend in WeHo!

This weekend, MELT, an original stage play directed by theater alum Shak Kanish, debuts at the Marilyn Monroe Theatre at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in West Hollywood; it also features music by jazz alumni Rory Glassford and Surya Miele.

$5 student tickets are available with code STUDENT2026.

Tickets: https://linktr.pulse.ly/dhefsuxjq0

Showtimes:
• Friday, June 11 at 7:30 pm
• Saturday, June 12 at 7:30 pm
• Sunday, June 13 at 5 pm and 8 pm

Our alums makin' history 👏👏

When the Obama Presidential Center opens in Chicago on June 19, visitors will encounter major works by alumni Mark Bradford (BFA 95, MFA 97) and Carrie Mae Weems (BFA 81).

Bradford contributes CITY OF THE BIG SHOULDERS, a three-story painting mapping Chicago through an embrace of fragmentation and perspective. He will also be participating in a public conversation at the Center exploring his artistic practice and commissioned work on Tuesday, July 7.

Weems presents THE COOL BLUE WIND, a photographic collage accompanied with original music referencing President Obama’s 2008 election victory, reflecting on the pivotal moment in American history.

Find the full story at 24700: https://calarts.pulse.ly/wmwph6obd6
Image: President Barack Obama with CalArts alum Carrie Mae Weems (Art BFA 81) during a tour of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, on Thursday, April 30, 2026. Courtesy of The Obama Foundation.

We're so proud!!!

Bravo to alum Karolina Kwaśniak (Theater MFA 24), who has been selected for Biennale College Teatro 2026, a four-week experimental residency in Venice led by Willem Dafoe.

Chosen from hundreds of applicants worldwide, she joins a small group of emerging artists under 30 as part of the 54th International Theatre Festival.

Kwaśniak recently spoke with us at 24700 to discuss moving from Poland to CalArts, life after graduation, and how a technical glitch nearly cost her the opportunity.

Read the full interview via link in bio:
https://calarts.pulse.ly/mqtkqznm79
Image: Karolina Kwaśniak in 'Umbra,' dir. Hector Alvarez, Highways Performance Space, 2025, photo by Angel Origgi. Courtesy of Karolina Kwaśniak.

We'll be cheering on Lighting Design alum Kevin Adams this Sunday!

Congratulations to CalArts alum Kevin Adams (Theater MFA 86), who has been nominated for a 2026 Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical for CHESS.

Adams is a four-time Tony winner, adding this nomination to a distinguished career that includes SPRING AWAKENING, AMERICAN IDIOT, and HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH.

Additionally, former Theater faculty Donald Holder (Head of Lighting Design, 2006–2010) is also nominated in the same category for SCHMIGADOON! and RAGTIME. Bravo!

Find the full story at 24700: https://calarts.pulse.ly/e1wj056xv4
Image: via Instagram

CONGRATS to Creative Writing alum Sarah Wang on her debut novel!

Punk made outsiders visible. This exhibition makes that visible too. Co-curated by Graphic Design faculty and alum Michael Worthington.

This month, a new exhibition co-curated by Graphic Design faculty Michael Worthington (Art MFA 95) opened at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

OUTSIDERS, OUTCASTS, REBELS + WEIRDOS: PUNK CULTURE 1976-86 features more than 500 objects and pieces of ephemera, including handmade flyers, posters, zines, photographs, video, clothing, and artifacts connected to influential punk figures and bands.

The exhibition examines punk as a visual and cultural movement, with particular focus on the relationship between Jewish musicians and the punk scene.

Worthington describes punk as "a way to find your own voice and your own tribe."

📅 On view through Sept 6, 2026
📍 Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA

Read more at 24700: https://calarts.pulse.ly/tfvhf8ymjc

Image: Alice Bag performing with The Bags in Los Angeles, 1978. Photograph by Melanie Nissen. Courtesy of the Skirball Cultural Center.

Cheers to alums Soo Kim and Todd Gray!