On Friday, May 8, the MECA&D community celebrated our 2026 graduates in the BFA, MFA, MAT, and online MAEd programs among friends and family. Applauding students’ hard work, perseverance, and commitment to their communities, President Laura Freid ’s remarks underscored the importance of art and creative thinking in the face of adversity.
We were thrilled to welcome our honorary degree recipients and thank them for their service to the College. We are grateful for the work of Jenny Scheu, Hon. DFA ’26, for her student-centered vision and dedication to centering community at MECA&D, and John Ryan, Hon. DFA ’26, for his collaborative and generous spirit in stewarding MECA&D’s campus environments.
Globally-recognized illustrator and educator Yuko Shimizu, Hon. DFA ’26, delivered an inspiring and warm commencement address to our graduates and their families:
“There are no exams to get you a license to be an artist. There isn’t even a singular right or wrong answer to the creative problems you are solving, there are no equations. It is just you, and your art you have created and will create that nobody else ever have or will. There is a lot of uncertainty, but in exchange, there are unlimited possibilities.”
After the ceremony, students, friends, and families gathered in the Porteous building to enjoy the BFA and MFA thesis shows and revel in the vibrancy of the MECA&D community.
In the words of BFA student speaker Jakob Flores Figueroa ’26:
"Art is not just decoration.
Art is not just escape.
Art is intervention.
Art is how we document injustice.
Art is how we imagine alternatives.
Art is how we insist on humanity when the world forgets it.
Art is how we fall in love with life again and again."
Congratulations to the class of 2026!
Photos by Natalie Conn, Salt '07 and Tricia Toms.