Welburn and Goodman Presented With Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts Degrees

DETROIT, April 24, 2017 – The College for Creative Studies (CCS) is pleased to recognize renowned automotive designer Edward T. Welburn, Jr. and acclaimed artist Brenda Goodman with honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degrees. Welburn and Goodman will receive this honor during the CCS Commencement ceremony on May 11, where Welburn will also speak.

CCS bestows this recognition on individuals who have achieved great distinction in any of the fields CCS teaches, and their participation in Commencement ceremonies serves to inspire graduates while symbolizing CCS’ standards of excellence. Both Welburn and Goodman have played active, long-standing roles in the CCS community. Goodman is a celebrated CCS alumnus and former instructor, most recently showcasing her work at CCS’ Center Galleries venue in 2015, whereas Welburn has served on the Board of Trustees since 2009 and is also acting as the guest juror for this year’s alumni exhibition, Re/View. Re/View is an annual event showcasing alumni artwork from around the country while also benefiting the Alumni Scholarship Endowment, which provides vital scholarship funds to current CCS students. In this role, Welburn reviewed and selected work submitted by more than 100 CCS alumni, and is curating a fresh, exciting show that will open in the Valade Family Gallery in College’s A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education on Friday, April 28.

Welburn boasts a successful 44-year career at General Motors (GM) that culminated in his role as vice president of Global Design, a position he held for 13 years, before his retirement in July 2016. Starting as a Fine Arts student at Howard University, Welburn went on to be instrumental in a number of GM endeavors – leading the Saturn design team, and helping guide the designs for vehicles such as the Chevrolet Volt, the Hummer, the Cadillac Escalade and the Corvette.

Goodman has commanded the art scene within her native Detroit and beyond for over five decades. She has exhibited at nearly 40 one-person shows and over 200 group shows, and received numerous accolades including fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts. She was featured in the Whitney Biennial in 1979 and her work has been represented in a number of public and private collections, such as Agnus Gund, Santa Barbara Museum, and the Detroit Institute of the Arts.

“CCS takes great pleasure in recognizing Ed Welburn’s and Brenda Goodman’s achievements in their respective fields, their devotion to nurturing young artists and designers, and their contributions to the College,” said CCS President Richard L. Rogers. “They both exemplify the unwavering enthusiasm, innovation and drive that represents the spirit of CCS.”

CCS’ 2017 Commencement will take place at 5:30pm on Thursday, May 11 at the Detroit Opera House.

Following Re/View’s opening on Friday, April 28, the exhibit will remain open to the public from April 29-May 11 Wednesday-Saturday 12:00-5:00p.m., and during the annual Student Exhibition, May 13-24 Saturday-Wednesday 10:00a.m.-4:00p.m. and Thursday-Friday 10:00a.m.-8:00p.m. For more information, please visit:https://giving.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/alumniexhibition2017. Attachments area