It was a great honor for me to be invited by Dr. Melanie Corn – president of Columbus College of Art & Design – to introduce our 2025 honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree recipient and commencement speaker, vanessa german. According to a colleague, vanessa delivered one of the most moving and thoughtful graduation speeches he’s ever heard. I would agree that she has a way of getting to the heart of things that matter as she calls upon all of us to never turn away from the truth. If you were in the audience on May 17th, then you know.
Dr. Corn’s introduction of me, and the roughly three minute speech I read from the graduation stage are below:
Now, I’d like to welcome dee miller to the lectern. Dee is Professor and Chair of our Photo program. An accomplished artist, writer, and scholar, dee has curated over 30 interdisciplinary exhibitions, shows their own artwork nationally, and received a Fulbright Fellowship to Brazil. Dee will introduce our Commencement Speaker before we present the honorary degree.
Thank you, Dr. Corn. Good morning, everyone.
It’s my privilege—and deep joy—to introduce today’s honorary degree recipient: visual and performance artist, vanessa german.
Vanessa and I first met in 2012, not long after she moved to Pennsylvania from Los Angeles. That same year the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts named her Emerging Artist of the Year, and she’s been glowing-up ever since.
But vanessa’s success isn’t just marked by exhibitions or awards. When I think about her journey, I’m struck by her unwavering commitment to creating communities of care, particularly in Homewood, a historically redlined, under-resourced neighborhood in Pittsburgh where the artist used to live and work.
Her social practice goes far beyond making art for money and fame. For vanessa, art is a tool for transformation. Vanessa measures success by the positive impact her presence has on the people around her, using love as both a medium and a message.
In 2011, vanessa founded Love Front Porch, an arts initiative that began when the artist moved part of her studio practice onto the front steps of her home. Neighbors would stop by and witness – for the first time – what an artist’s labor actually looks like. For many, it was also the first time they realized that being an artist could be a real career.
Three years later, in 2014, vanessa opened ARThouse, a community studio, outdoor theatre, and artist residency. It was a space where neighborhood children would come each day to make art, grab a snack, and be wrapped in the warmth of vanessa’s presence. Their parents came too, along with friends and supporters from across the city, who would drop off supplies, food, or just stay to talk while the kids created.
The once-vacant lot behind ARThouse? Vanessa transformed it into a flourishing garden of flowers and vegetables. It didn’t just change how the neighborhood looked and felt; it softened hearts, opened imaginations, and expanded what people believed was possible for themselves and for each other.
Today, vanessa’s work is held in public and private collections across the country. Vanessa has been featured in Sculpture Magazine, Essence, on television, radio, and in newspapers. She’s received numerous major grants and fellowships. And when vanessa learned she’d been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in 2018, one of the first things she said was: “Now I can fix the ARThouse steps.” She was thinking about the kids.
In 2019, vanessa received the Governor’s Award and was named Pennsylvania’s Artist of the Year. And in 2022, she was honored with the Heinz Award for the Arts, recognizing her assemblage sculptures, installations, spoken-word poetry, and community-based work that confronts racism, violence, homophobia, and hate — and reminds us, again and again, that love is in need of love today.
And so, with deep admiration and heartfelt celebration, please join me in welcoming CCAD’s 2025 honorary degree recipient: vanessa german.