MINUTES WITH

THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF LAGUNA COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN SHARES HIS PLANS FOR THE CAMPUS , NEW PARTNERSHIPS AND A FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN .

By SHARON STELLO

LCAD President and CEO Steve Brittan

Brittan took the helm in September 2021 , following the retirement of longtime LCAD President Jonathan Burke in late 2020 . Brittan , who grew up in South Africa , earned degrees in architecture , practiced in this field and also taught this discipline as well as art and design . Before coming to Laguna , he served as president of the Studio Arts College International in Florence , Italy — which closed during the pandemic — where he established many partnerships with colleges in the U . S ., including LCAD .

Although he has lived in many destinations around the world , Brittan considers Laguna to be a special place . “ One of the things that really resonated with me here is the quality of the light and being at the coastline ,” he says . “ The beauty of nature around us is particularly striking . [ Also ,] Laguna Beach as a city has a very strong community and a sense of pride and a history , [ plus ,] … at its roots , the arts .”

Brittan is impressed by LCAD ’ s quality education and the fact that it brings together the art and design worlds , offering a diverse range of courses and majors , from drawing , painting and sculpting to animation , graphic design and video game art .

He plans to take an already strong college to the next level by launching a philanthropic campaign to support the new LCAD Creative Mosaic Scholarship Fund to help first-generation students and those from underprivileged backgrounds and underrepresented communities attend the college . He also seeks to establish partnerships with museums , universities and nonprofits to help students gain experience while developing creative solutions for the community .

LCAD has started working on a project called All of Us with Dr . Hoda Anton-Culver , a UC Irvine professor of medicine who is studying breast cancer . LCAD ’ s students will be combing through her team ’ s data , Brittan explains , “ looking at ways they can convert that information into visual communication and then help the scientists to see things that they may have missed ” and raise awareness about cancer .

Students are also designing a new logo and visitor experience plan for John Wayne Airport with a $ 50,000 federal grant awarded by the airport . And more collaborations may be on the horizon .

Students also face a different world than in decades past , stepping back onto campus on the heels of a pandemic and with anxiety about climate change and political tensions in the U . S . and around the globe .

“ We want to make art and design inseparable from planet health ,” he says . “… Creators [ and ] artists have historically played important roles in times of stress and change . And designers have now got an opportunity or are already demonstrating their value in problem-solving in a creative way in all areas .”

LAGUNA BEACH MAGAZINE : Why is it important to collaborate across disciplines ? STEVE BRITTAN : Because the world is changing so much , I think the way in which we educate our students in this generation , we cannot think in silos anymore , we cannot teach in silos . … Even in the Renaissance , … art and science were not mutually exclusive — they informed each other . … You can see the value of bringing what were typically opposite disciplines together , now working to the benefit of both .

LBM : Why is art important for society ? SB : Throughout time , humans have expressed the world around them in ways that are a reflection of life and culture and sometimes even an expression of the difficulties that we face . … Artists play a critical role in being the conscience of and expressing society and also … provoking new ways of thinking and doing things and not being afraid of being critical .

LBM : Do you have a favorite artwork ? SB : I ’ m very agnostic when it comes to favorite artworks . … [ but ] there ’ s a wonderful exhibition that I ’ m dying to see — that ’ s William Kentridge , my fellow South African artist , at The Broad in Los Angeles . … I really have admired [ him ] for many years for his intellect and for his ability to tell a story … in a very powerful and poetic way about the complexity of human life .

LBM : Do you have a favorite place in town ? SB : I love Laguna Art Museum . I think it ’ s really a special place that ’ s moving with the times , that has its traditions , but , like LCAD , recognizes the tradition but is also a contemporary museum of art and is showcasing where the arts are moving . g

XUN CHI

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