ArtCenter College of Design Honors Alumni With Biennial Awards for First Time in 5 Years After Pandemic Hiatus

ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena recently celebrated its 16th Annual Alumni Awards, honoring seven distinguished graduates for their achievements in art and design. The event, held on June 8, marked the first ceremony in five years due to pandemic delays.

“It’s been about five years since we’ve had this ceremony, so this is an important evening to bring our community together, to unite us,” ArtCenter President Karen Hofmann said in her opening remarks. “I’m incredibly proud of where we’ve been and what’s to come.”

The awards ceremony, held in the newly reimagined Mullin Transportation Design Center, recognized alumni from both 2021 and 2022. The event featured a showcase of videos celebrating the recipients’ accomplishments, created by award-winning filmmakers and ArtCenter alumni Matthew Rolston and Rahat Mahajan.

The 2021 honorees included Hiroshi Sugimoto, Bruce Heavin, Yves Béhar, and Mariana Prieto. For 2022, the college honored Bob Gurr, De Liu, and Azeez Alli-Balogun. Prominent artists and designers from within ArtCenter’s creative community introduced the awardees.

Gurr, a 92-year-old Disney Imagineer responsible for 100 theme park attractions, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. In his acceptance speech, Gurr shared his unconventional educational journey. 

“Convention and rules? Nope, just follow your heart,” he said. “I did it all my way and you should, too.”

Azeez Alli-Balogun, recipient of the Young Innovator Award, emphasized the transformative power of design in his work as Head of Design at the XQ Institute and co-founder of Aroko Cooperative. 

“Design is more about making things; it’s an act of hope and resilience,” said Alli-Balogun.

Mariana Prieto, the 2021 Young Innovator Award winner, announced the successful closure of her initiative, Design for Wildlife. 

“I’m pleased to announce today, on World Oceans Day, that we have closed Design for Wildlife because it was successful,” Prieto said.

Bruce Heavin, co-founder of lynda.com and recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Service Award, spoke about his motivation to create new ways of giving. He urged others to “give to further those who further the arts.”

A letter from De Liu, the Distinguished Mid-Career Achievement award recipient who was unable to attend, was read by Industrial Design Chair Lan Yu, Liu’s sister-in-law. Hiroshi Sugimoto and Yves Béhar also sent letters of appreciation in their absence.

The ArtCenter Alumni Awards are an annual recognition bestowed by the college and its Alumni Office. The awards showcase the talent and influence of ArtCenter’s global network of over 25,000 graduates across various fields of art and design.

Past recipients of the Alumni Awards include notable figures such as Kit Hinrichs, Lee Friedlander, Syd Mead, Sterling Ruby, Wendy MacNaughton, Ini Archibong, Katie Dill, Jessie Kawata, Spencer Nikosey, and Kevin Bethune.