College for Creative Studies Alumni

College for Creative Studies Alumni The official Alumni page for the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit.

The College for Creative Studies is not just a campus, it is a community connected by our relentless passion for expression and creativity. We are influenced by everything around us, including the industriousness and beauty of the city of Detroit. CCS Alumni form a network of individuals who wish to continue learning and growing from one another and from the world around us.

2022-23 Alumni Council Members:

Antone Amye (’00, AD)
President

John Kaloustian (’79, ID)
Vice President

Laura Lybeer-Hilpert ('85, GC)
Secretary

Conor Ahearn ('16, PR)
Sam Ajluni (’76, AD)
Dave Chow (’87, GC)
Jason Cummins ('11, ID)
Darcel Deneau (’02, FA)
Jody Ingle ('08, PR)
Karen Koziatek (GC)
Gerardo Macias (’02, FA)
Craig Metros ('86, ID)
Brad Phillips ('84, AD)
Jenny Risher ('97, PH)
Melissa Endress-Rodriguez ('03, IN)
Glenn Triest (’82, PH)

🚀 Have an idea for an app? Learn how to bring it to life, for FREE!⁠⁠CCS is opening the door to app design and developme...
10/13/2026

🚀 Have an idea for an app? Learn how to bring it to life, for FREE!⁠
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CCS is opening the door to app design and development with the Apple Foundation Program, a FREE, one-month course for Metro Detroit community members ages 18+! Classes start October 19!⁠
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No coding experience? No problem! 🙌⁠
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You'll explore creative problem-solving, design thinking, and the basics of Swift programming while collaborating on app projects. And you don't need your own equipment. All Apple devices are provided!⁠
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📍 CCS Apple Foundation Lab⁠
A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education, Detroit⁠
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✨ Open to adults 18+⁠
✨ No prior experience required⁠
✨ All equipment provided⁠
✨ Completely FREE!⁠
REGISTER TODAY: https://www.enrole.com/ccs/jsp/index.jsp?categoryId=22CFC710

Whether you're a creative, a curious beginner, or someone looking to explore new career possibilities, this is an incredible opportunity to learn something new.⁠
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Know someone who would love this? Share it with them! 🍎

We had over 100 people attend the opening. Thank you for coming out to support CCS and our incredible alumni!
10/12/2026

We had over 100 people attend the opening. Thank you for coming out to support CCS and our incredible alumni!

🎲 WATSONCON IS BACK FOR YEAR FIVE! 🐉One of our favorite things about WatsonCon? It's organized and run entirely by CCS s...
10/09/2026

🎲 WATSONCON IS BACK FOR YEAR FIVE! 🐉

One of our favorite things about WatsonCon? It's organized and run entirely by CCS students! Now in its fifth year, this student-led convention is bringing together creativity, fandom, games, art, and community for another fun-filled day at CCS.

This year's theme is Dungeons & Dragons, but there's room for all kinds of creative interests and ideas!

🗓 Saturday, November 21, 2026
⏰ 12–7 p.m. EST
📍 CCS Taubman Center | Auditorium & Knight Gallery
460 W. Baltimore St., Detroit

Calling all artists, makers, creatives, and alumni! WatsonCon is looking for vendors, panelists, and breakout session hosts.

🎨 Want to vend? Apply by October 14 at 5 p.m.
https://hub.ccsdetroit.edu/SAB/rsvp_boot?id=376312

🎤 Have an idea for a panel or breakout session? Reach out to the Student Activities Board by October 16! [email protected]. Presenters will receive an honorarium.

Whether you're interested in participating or just coming out to enjoy the convention, come support the students who make this event happen!

Alex Sakalian '16 studied industrial design at College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI, and has spent the last 10 ye...
10/08/2026

Alex Sakalian '16 studied industrial design at College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI, and has spent the last 10 years designing products as her day job, from Motorola and Samsung, to Teague, and now Stanley 1913.

A few years back, some life changes had her turning back to art to reset, no brief, no deadline. That turned into sharing it more intentionally, building a little website, and calling it By Sakalian. She started with abstract pieces, stretching raw canvas and working with acrylics, before florals and oil pastel became her focus, the medium that made her fall in love with the process.

Her first oil pastel piece became the first print she ever sold. From there, people started asking for pieces of their own, and she now takes on a handful of commissions. One of her paintings, Bright Hush, has even become a print and, most recently, a silk scarf. And true to her industrial design roots, she recently designed her own custom palette tray for the studio.

Her advice for fellow alums: make time for things that make you happy. Your art may not resonate with everyone, and that's ok. As long as it makes you happy, that's enough.

CCS alumni in Southern California, we’d love to see you! 💛We’re getting the CCS community together in Pasadena, and we h...
10/07/2026

CCS alumni in Southern California, we’d love to see you! 💛

We’re getting the CCS community together in Pasadena, and we hope you’ll join us!

With CCS faculty and students in town for LightBox Expo, it’s the perfect opportunity to bring everyone together. We’re inviting alumni from every department and every generation for a relaxed evening with fellow alumni, current students and faculty.

Come reconnect with old friends, meet other CCS creatives in Southern California and make some new connections across our community. You don’t need to be attending LightBox to join us. This night is for the whole CCS community!

📍 Yard House, Pasadena
300 E Colorado Blvd., Ste. 220
📅 Thursday, October 22
⏰ 6–9 p.m. PT

Space is limited, so please RSVP in advance.
https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/registration-form/?formId=ff6d3b24-81ff-40bc-9ecb-c87c0cdf4306&envId=p-ZvDDJHSqvE-J_io80JToKQ&zone=usa

We love any chance to get our CCS community together, and we’d love to see you there! 💛

We were thrilled to welcome a packed gallery for the opening of SEGUE: CCS Alumni in New York and celebrate the incredib...
10/03/2026

We were thrilled to welcome a packed gallery for the opening of SEGUE: CCS Alumni in New York and celebrate the incredible work of our CCS alumni.

Today we’re highlighting featured artists Kevin Beasley ’07, Fine Arts; Veronika Wardowski ’26, Fashion Accessories Design; and David Rodriguez ’24, Fashion Accessories Design. Veronika and David collaborated on the looks featured in the exhibition, bringing their creative practices together for SEGUE.

And today at 2 p.m., join us for an Artist Talk with Nate Sweitzer ’22, Illustration! Nate will share more about his work, creative practice and journey since CCS.

📍 Sojourner Gallery
178 Bleecker St., 2nd Floor, New York, NY
🗓 Today, October 3 at 2 p.m.

Want to see the exhibition before the Artist Talk? If you’d like to stop by before 2 p.m., reach out to [email protected]. We’d love to see you!

This is CCS. 💛One generation of artists opening doors for the next. Alumni sharing what they’ve learned. New graduates f...
10/02/2026

This is CCS. 💛

One generation of artists opening doors for the next. Alumni sharing what they’ve learned. New graduates finding their place in the creative world. And connections that continue long after graduation.

When Neo Hopkins ’25 met Darcel Deneau ’02, what started as an invitation to visit her studio grew into mentorship, friendship and a meaningful creative connection.

It’s the kind of story that makes us proud of the CCS community and the incredible artists who continue to show up for one another.

Read more about Darcel and Neo and the CCS connection that brought them together:

https://www.ccsdetroit.edu/more-than-mentorship-how-one-ccs-connection-opened-a-door/

Tonight in NYC: SEGUE opens! 💛We’re excited to celebrate the opening of SEGUE: CCS Alumni in New York, the first CCS-hos...
10/01/2026

Tonight in NYC: SEGUE opens! 💛

We’re excited to celebrate the opening of SEGUE: CCS Alumni in New York, the first CCS-hosted alumni exhibition in New York City!

Featuring work by Kevin Beasley ’07, LaKela Brown ’05, Scott Strickstein ’03, Nate Sweitzer ’22, David Rodriguez ’24, Veronika Wardowski ’26 and Clay Barckholtz ’24, and curated by CCS alum Peter Mallo ’01.

Join us tonight to celebrate the incredible creativity of our alumni community and the many paths that connect CCS to New York.

📍 Sojourner Gallery
178 Bleecker St., 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10012
📅 Thursday, October 1
⏰ 6–8 p.m.

We hope to see you tonight!

Meet four of the artists featured in SEGUE: CCS Alumni in New York ✨⁠⁠Clay Barckholtz ’24, Fashion Accessories Design⁠La...
09/29/2026

Meet four of the artists featured in SEGUE: CCS Alumni in New York ✨⁠
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Clay Barckholtz ’24, Fashion Accessories Design⁠
LaKela Brown ’05, Fine Arts⁠
Scott Strickstein ’03, Crafts⁠
Nate Sweitzer ’22, Illustration⁠
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Different disciplines, materials, and creative paths, all connected by a foundation at CCS and creative practices that have taken them from Detroit to New York.⁠
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Join us this week to see their work in person!⁠
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📍 Sojourner Gallery, NYC⁠
Opening Reception | Thursday, October 1 | 6–8 p.m.⁠
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And don’t miss a Gallery Talk with Nate Sweitzer on Saturday, October 3 at 2 p.m.⁠
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https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/registration-form/?formId=4473c0f5-85f1-48f8-bcf9-98f6d8cb879e&envId=p-ZvDDJHSqvE-J_io80JToKQ&zone=usa

Meet the curator behind SEGUE.When CCS alumnus Peter Mallo ’01, Fine Arts began shaping SEGUE: CCS Alumni in New York, h...
09/25/2026

Meet the curator behind SEGUE.

When CCS alumnus Peter Mallo ’01, Fine Arts began shaping SEGUE: CCS Alumni in New York, he looked at what connects seven artists working across different disciplines, materials, and stages of their careers.

At the center is the idea of the segue, a transition from one place or experience to another. Each artist began with a foundation at CCS before taking their practice to New York, where new challenges, opportunities, and experiences helped shape what came next.

brings his own Detroit-to-New York perspective to the exhibition. An artist, educator, researcher, and curator, his career includes 20 years at the Guggenheim Museum, and he currently teaches at Parsons School of Design.

SEGUE celebrates seven individual creative paths while exploring what remains connected: materiality, process, experimentation, and the human touch.

Leading up to the October 1 opening, we’ll be sharing more about the featured artists!

SEGUE: CCS Alumni in New York
Opening Reception | October 1, 6–8 p.m.
Sojourner Gallery, NYC
RSVP at the link: https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/registration-form/?formId=4473c0f5-85f1-48f8-bcf9-98f6d8cb879e&envId=p-ZvDDJHSqvE-J_io80JToKQ&zone=usa

Address

201 E Kirby Street
Detroit, MI
48202

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+13136647462

Website

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