Famed L.A. artist Robert Vargas to Receive Honorary Doctorate from ArtCenter College of Design

Robert Vargas, an internationally renowned muralist from Los Angeles, will receive an honorary doctorate degree from ArtCenter College of Design on Saturday, April 27. Vargas will deliver the commencement address at the college’s spring graduation ceremony, to be held at 10:00 a.m. in the Pasadena Convention Center’s Grand Ballroom.

“This is a huge honor for me,” said Vargas, who attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. “As an artist growing up in Los Angeles and going to Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, I see ArtCenter as the standard for higher education learning here in Los Angeles.”

Vargas credited his greatest teacher at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Joe Gatto, who also taught at ArtCenter, for being a “great ambassador for art in general” and a “great thinker” who “provoked you” and “made you imagine what is possible.”

Known for his mixed-media portraits, murals, and live events, Vargas has painted murals around the globe, from his native Boyle Heights neighborhood to Paris. His work-in-progress “Angelus,” being painted on the side of a 14-story apartment building in downtown Pershing Square, is set to break the Guinness World Record for the largest mural completed by a single artist.

In 2021, the City of Los Angeles honored Vargas by naming September 8 Robert Vargas Day and last year designated the intersection of First Street and State Street as Robert Vargas Square. ArtCenter President Karen Hofmann, whose likeness Vargas recently included in a mural he painted live at the *LA Art Show*, emphasized that Vargas’ significance lies in “the way his work bridges different cultures,” his focus on giving back to the community, and his efforts to inspire the next generation.

In addition to Vargas’ commencement address, the graduation ceremony will feature speeches from Nini Chen, recipient of the Spring 2024 Student Leadership Award, and Satoko Okuno, the graduating class valedictorian. Following the private ceremony, which will be live streamed at artcenter.edu, the approximately 300 graduating students will exhibit their work at Grad Show, a free public showcase open from noon to 5:00 p.m. in Exhibit Halls A and B at the Pasadena Convention Center.

Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, ArtCenter College of Design is a global leader in art and design education and the first design school to receive the United Nations Non-Governmental Organization status. 

The college’s virtual Grad Show, representing the achievements of the Class of 2023, can be viewed at gradshow.artcenter.edu.