Montserrat College of Art to Hold Class of 2023 Commencement

Commencement for the Montserrat College of Art Class of 2023 will be held at 10 AM on Friday, May 19th at The Cabot Performing Arts Center in Beverly. The college expects to award the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree to approximately 70 graduating seniors during the annual ceremony. Additionally, the event will be livestreamed online.

The keynote address will be given by artist Paige Braddock, the Eisner-nominated artist and writer behind Jane’s World as well as the Chief Creative Officer at Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates. Braddock will be awarded an honorary doctorate during the event.

Braddock’s comic strip Jane’s World was the first gay-themed comic work to receive online distribution by a national media syndicate in the U.S. Her work on the Apple documentary, “Who Are You, Charlie Brown?” won her Emmy, and the film itself won for Outstanding Nonfiction Program. The Snoopy U.S. postage stamp issued in April 2001 was designed by Braddock who delivered the dedication of the commemorative centennial Schulz stamp at the issuance ceremony in 2022.

The ceremony will also include remarks by Associate Professor Hannah O’Neal of the Animation Department, and graduating senior Gabrielle Casella, who were chosen by the class of 2023. In addition, the event will include remarks by Interim President Brian Pellinen and Montserrat Board Chair Mercedes Sherrod Evans.

The ceremony will last about an hour and a half and a reception will follow at the Beverly Common, adjacent to the college’s Hardie Building, where guests will be able to view the Senior Show in the Montserrat Gallery.

Montserrat College of Art is a private, residential college of visual art educating the designers, artists, entrepreneurs for a rapidly changing world that requires creative solutions to new challenges. At the intersection of art, design and technology, the college offers three international programs, 12 concentrations and a required internship program. Montserrat alumni are employed by some of the country's biggest brands including Disney, Puma, Hasbro and more. Students earn the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and develop their skills for success in today's growing creative economy. The college also offers year-round classes for youth, teens and adults through its Continuing Education Division, and has four public galleries offering year-round, free, exhibitions and lectures. Montserrat is "Where Creativity Works." www.montserrat.edu