This year’s honoree, Raime Cronkhite (BFA Illustration) shares her insights on returning to college to pursue a life of creativity, the merits of delving deeper, and what it takes to succeed as a working artist. Raime Cronkhite You came to KCAD to pursue your second bachelor’s degree. How has your college experience been different as an older student? There are some things classes can teach you. But having 10 years on some of the incoming students, I just have a different perspective and a different purpose. I had a specific reason to be back in school, and I wasn’t going to waste that time.    In what ways have you grown most as an artist?  My technical ability has really come a long way. I wasn’t awful to begin with, or else I wouldn’t have been able to get into art school. But it’s really been refined. My conceptual side and storytelling have also grown. Before, I could look at something and draw it or paint it pretty accurately, but the ability to visually communicate abstract thoughts and come up with those things myself instead of having outside prompts was not strong at all. It grew a lot my Read More…

2019 valedictorian Andrea Oosterhouse (BFA Art Education) shares her thoughts on gaining confidence in the classroom, practicing creative flexibility, and making learning Read More…

In this guest blog, Collaborative Design senior Maggie Henderson shares her experience helping launch two new initiatives focused on giving the embattled city of Flint, Michigan a Read More…

2018 Valedictorian Andrew Zesiger dishes on how motion—in both art and life—has brought him to where he is today. Read More…

The idea of ‘love’ transcends the bounds of history and culture. It’s a concept that is continuously evolving, all while imploring us to take risks in its name. Read More…

In this guest blog, Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University (KCAD) Collaborative Design student Elizabeth Bush recounts her experience working alongside Read More…

Each step forward in Angela Two Stars’ budding career is also a step back, into a rich cultural heritage that she’s using her creativity to help preserve and Read More…

2017 valedictorian Ashley Bryant shares her thoughts on the fruits of creative community, staying versatile, and the importance of making the most out of every Read More…

Heather Seto (’16, BFA Furniture Design) thrives on being uncomfortable; it’s how she knows she’s on the right track. The recent KCAD graduate is preparing to Read More…

Angela Two Stars is making up for lost time. Though the KCAD Drawing student was born into the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux tribe of Native Americans, she had long operated with only a Read More…