School

Chairman, Philia Earth Limited

Dear Class of 2020,

This is a challenging year to graduate as our world faces a global pandemic of COVID-19. As architecture graduates, you have the talents and trainings to imagine and create spaces. The world requires architects who are able to think more creatively in re-imagining spatial environments to meet the paradigm shift of the way people work and live in the 21st Century. Climate change and un-equal development in the built environment require a lot of collaborative efforts to push the boundary of green architecture. In a difficult time like this, ask yourself what you can do to utilize your talents and trainings to create a healthier and greener built environment. I hope in the next decades you will be able to look back and take pride in your contributions to make our world a better place to live.

Congratulations!!!!

Kenneth K.Y. Poon
Chairman of Philia Earth Limited
www.philiaearth.com

Sr. Architectual Historian, 106 Group

Keep dreaming and keep making—you are creative problem-solvers, and you will change our world! As you enter the workforce, your first job may not be what you planned, but make the most of it. Each job will prepare you for the next one. Make time to create and connect. You never know where it may lead you. I've run into WashU alumni everywhere, whether on vacation and at the Y. We're here to support you, we're proud of you, and we can't wait to see what you'll do next!

I am SO sorry your final spring has been spent like this! If I can give you all any advice it would be this: Spend the summer together with your fellow friends/classmates. Hang out in St. Louis and make art or move together to the same city. Fifteen years after graduating I still work with and hang out with many of my fellow Sam Fox alumni and those lifelong friends ground you and inspire you to keep making art in all its many forms. After this is all over, use the alumni network in whatever city/town you end up in as well.  I hear Austin's pretty great ;)

Good luck and stay safe!

Nathan Ratcliffe
Class of 2005

Hello Graduates,

I was hoping to share your celebration this May, as it will be my 50th reunion from Washington University, but as we all know, that is not to be. Unfortunately, I missed my commencement 50 years ago during the Vietnam protests and bomb threats to the campus in 1970. My parents would not let me attend. It was disappointing then and disappointing again now. It seems I am not destined to robe up and "walk." In no way has this impacted my life in the real world. I received my diploma by mail: I had my BFA from the Art School and subsequently went to NYC where I secured a graphic design job at Dell Publishing Company. When my husband (also a WashU graduate, BSBA '68) and I moved back to St Louis for his legal career, I worked with my WashU roommate for over 40 years in our photography business.

My message to you is move on, make plans, do something you love, and take the memories and friends you made along when you can. We are all counting on you to make this world a better place.

I received my MFA in 1974—a very different time than now. Our class was probably one of the reasons the University decided to have individual diploma ceremonies because we all came in costumes: art angels, hillbillies from NY, clowns, beauty pageant participants, etc. Those were the days when ceremony was not taken seriously. That said, I will say that my years at Washington University School of Fine Arts prepared me to take my intended career as painter with a day job, university professor, very seriously. For art students, it is a disappointment not to have final exhibits of work, but what you do have is a wonderful education that has provided you with the ability to think intelligently and creatively, as well as the collective energy of your peers and professors to follow your passion.

Fine Artist, Designer, Architect

OK, so probably you are sensing that it won't be so easy for you. It was honestly already tricky to transfer from the grueling-but-exciting realm of school to the "work" world of architecture, but it is going to be harder for you. Yup. Jobs will be harder to come by, and there is so much general uncertainty. Recessions are lousy.

That said, you are prepared. You are creative, thoughtful, energetic, unbelievably hardworking, and adaptive problem-solvers. Washington University helped make you all that.

Try to be problem-seers. When you can spot something, you can name it, break it down, and find things to handle, to fix, to make better, to make fantastic. You won't be able to fix it all, so be patient. Be patient and kind with others. On kindness, some of you will have or find privilege in engaging work right away. For others of you, it will take longer. Don't boast, because it is obnoxious, and don't be envious, because it is toxic. Be there for each other, encourage each other. Go forth!

Dear Class of 2020,

I wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you, even though we've never met! I can't imagine how tough this semester has been for you with the state of the world. Keep pursuing your goals even when it all feels impossible. As someone who graduated in the last economic downturn, I know it won't be easy, but you can do it. Help each other and stay in touch—you're part of a valuable network. Our hearts go out to you.

Sincerely,
Allison Rinaldi (Class of 2009)

I graduated from FA way back in '58. My daughter, Amy Riseborough, is also a WU alum, FA '88. Here are the two of us at the opening of my one-person show 20 years ago. It took a long time, a lifetime, for me to produce a mature, powerful body of work—a lot of introspection, a lot of looking at other artwork, a lot of life experience.

Seize this opportunity of quiet to make work, to experiment, to risk failure, to discover something new—maybe even about yourself. You may come out on the other side of this a stronger artist.

Curator, Rockport Center for the Arts

Hello from the Class of 2007! Congratulations on graduating from one of the best art schools in the country.

Your chosen career is so important during these types of crises. Art gives us hope, purpose, and meaning in our lives. As we are forced to be apart, it's art and creativity that keep us together as a community. And when this is all over, it'll be the artists who distill and make sense of the shared trauma of the COVID pandemic.

I graduated right before the Recession of 2008. I know that now is not an ideal economy to enter, but everyone I graduated with turned out okay. We're WashU bears, we are resilient.

ODE to WUSTL Art Class of 2020

Color, shape, type, art, design,
Your art school years at Fox were fine
You learned to work with form and line
And turn your projects in on time

Unique artists at Museum
Hot exhibits, got to see ‘em

Learning all about art history
Helped explain some artworks’ mystery

Long walks out in Forest Park
Bixby, Kemper, after dark

A secret most art students know
is night life in the studio;
sharing treats, ideas and winks
opinions, dancing, laughs and clinks

Staying up for nights each week
preparing work for your critique
and if a crit gave you the blues,
Forgetaboutit with Ted Drewe­s!

LOLs and OMGs
and BFFs at galleries
The friends you made, a few’s enough
May help you out when life gets tough

Please know that art alumni care
of disappointment that you bear
it’s creativity we share
I hope you’ll get your work “out there”

Go Illustrate, or Animate
Paint that portrait now, don’t wait!

Design an outfit so unique
to be a hit at fashion week
and Photograph so we can see
your brand of creativity

Or focus on Typography
or Etching or Lithography
or Sculpture, Book arts, Collagraph
a Comic strip that makes us laugh

Render plans for buildings grand
structures, houses, all on land
that shows the earth you understand
with fauna, flowers in a range
to help diminish climate change

Be sure to get your own website
that folks can look at day and night

The world right now is open to
Creative people from WashU

So get some paper, pen or pad
and draw your cap, cause you’re a grad!

Congratulations Class of 2020!

©Karen E. Roehr, MFA ’84
Olin Fellow in Art
Creator of Gymratz

To the Class of 2020:

Congratulations! Be proud of all of that you’ve accomplished, and celebrate this success in each and every way you can. The world feels unusually bleak these days, so claim this joy and pride. It’s yours. You’ve earned it. Revel in it.

You’re entering the post-collegiate world at such a strange and unusual time, and it’s going to take courage, resilience, and self-compassion to make this transition. Luckily, if you’ve learned only two things in art school, it’s to be resourceful and to think creatively. I can’t think of two better skills to have in a time of great uncertainty. You’ve got this.

Architect, Christner Architects

Class of 2020—CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve accomplished so much, and I am proud of you.

We are here for you and celebrate you despite these difficult times. It’s unfortunate that we cannot be together in person to celebrate you, but your accomplishments do not go unnoticed. To complete this prestigious degree, you had to have a lot of resilience, endurance, and perseverance—all skills necessary now and throughout your career. Starting your careers this way is not ideal, obviously, but your Sam Fox community is here for you. Those of you still in St. Louis, do not hesitate to contact me for anything. If I can’t help, I can find someone who will. The design community is very tight, and we have each other’s back. You’re our colleagues now and know that we have your back, too.

Much love to the Class of 2020.  Wishing you continued strength.

Patricia Sanchez de Andrei, AIA, EDAC
MArch, Class of 2011

Artist

Fellow Architects, it's a scary time to be graduating, but remember the world has survived World Wars, 9/11, and Pandemics (1957-58) and returned with vigor and innovation to build the next generation. If your immediate fear is finding a job, then you will be tested on your ability to improvise and persevere; both are qualities that will serve you well and may not have come your way in normal times. There is value in struggling, and you will find determination that you didn't know you had. When I graduated, I felt lost and frightened: it was 1972, the Vietnam War was raging, with social unrest and riots on college campuses, my Father had recently died, two of my best friends had also died within weeks of graduation, and I was carrying college debt. I tried in vain to find a job in St. Louis, but never even got an interview. Alas, I moved back home to Little Rock, a choice of last resort. Within 18 months, I moved to Chicago, went to work for SOM, and later founded a firm that grew to 50 people.

 

Dear Graduating Class of 2020,

Though it might seem like this is not fair or you ask yourself why us, why our class?, just remember you are stronger and more resilient than you know. You're graduating during this troubling time will not be lost on your family, friends, colleagues, or future employers. It certainly is not lost on me. As a fellow alumnus, I know how committed each one of you are, and I have no doubt you will succeed in all your endeavors!

Blessings and Godspeed, Sam Fox School Class of 2020!

Each graduate leaves Washington University with a unique body of knowledge and ways of thinking that are their own. Everyone is different. You have to find the path, in your career and in your life, that is right for you. Your path may look very different from what others around you are doing. This is especially true in the arts and professional creative careers. Trust yourself; trust your own journey. Don't put any limitations on what your own “body of knowledge” can become; work hard and let it unfold. Let yourself be surprised by what you do as you discover your direction.

My heart goes out to all of you who have had your college experience cut short. Yet this unprecedented moment may help you truly cherish all of your amazing opportunities over the past years at WashU. In hindsight, I didn't fully value my time there and see what a privilege it was until long after I graduated. As you go forward, remember: Art creates change, art connects hearts, art heals!

Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Massachusetts College of Art and Design

You are right to grieve; to be upset about what you're missing; to mourn the loss of the experiences you were envisioning. Graduation is one of those rare, beautiful, important moments when we, as a culture, stop and formally recognize—a signifier of your transition from one part of your life to the next. It is special. And while the ceremonies may be different or delayed for you, it is no less significant. Those who have supported you to this point of celebration are incredibly proud of you. This includes all of the alumni that preceded you. We are very proud and will celebrate with you from afar. Keep in mind, you are about to enter a global network of creatives that you can count on for support. My winding journey has taken me into art and design higher education administration. At my institution, I work with several professors who are also alumni—spanning at least three decades. Your WashU family will always be there for you. Congratulations and hang in there.

“If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.”
—Henry David Thoreau.

Grads—give yourself the gift of disappointment that your time at WashU did not conclude with commencement ceremonies. You deserve that. But then let it go.

Your time at school is not defined by this ceremony. It is defined by the wisdom you gained, the friends you made, the experiences you had, and the amazing opportunities that await you.

You now have the privilege of being able to say that you graduated from one of the best universities in the world.

Congratulations to all the WashU 2020 grads! YOU ARE AMAZING!

Good morning, young graduates! I am living and working as an architect-sculptor-educator at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Like you all, we are also facing very difficult days. Unlike your country, which is advanced and has a literate and economically stable population, we are far from it, and most of our population are not aware of the grim situation around the world. So please try and understand that you are slightly better off and wait for your glorious rewarding days. The wait will provide you enough time and energy to work  creatively for a better, safer world!

Congrats Class of 2020!! Happy for you and proud of you, and hope you have a wonderful graduation day.

Integrate what is happening now into your art. Life is drastically different for you & for the rest of us. Let us know through your art what this time is like. Sending you my best wishes for good health now & for a fabulous art career ahead of you.

Owner, Smith & Architects

Whatever you do, trust your artistic instincts.  They're the one thing you have that no one else has, and over the course of your career, they'll take you a great many places.

Congratulations to the Class of 2020!

This has been a challenging few months for everyone, I am sure. Interestingly, the thing that has brought me the most comfort and calm these days has been to reopen my sketchbook and draw. I've been doing this far more than any other time since when I was at Sam Fox, and it brings me a lot of pleasure. Many times that I pick up the pen, I think of different moments from school where I was taught a certain technique and think how cool it is that moments like that have had a lasting impact on my abilities.

No matter what happens going forward, embrace the lessons you've learned and passion you've found in school. It can help you in unexpected ways!

To the Class of 2020,

I know in this crazy time, it's challenging to stay committed, hopeful, and positive. Take a deep breath and know that we are your biggest cheerleaders, so go ahead and dream big. Dream forward.

Create a new tomorrow with what you learned today. Remember that your footprint will matter greatly and impact all aspects of our social, emotional, and built environment, so make your mark and make it count.

Congratulations to the Washington University Class of 2020!

Partner, Skidmore Ownings and Merrill

When I graduated in 1993, it was in the middle of the Recession. Students that had graduated from the previous year were still hanging out at the school because there were no jobs. I moved to NYC where architecture firms were not hiring. I sent out more than 250 resumes and went on 10 job interviews before I was offered my first job. Due to the inconsistency of work, I worked for five different firms the next five years. I then landed at SOM were I have been ever since. If you truly love architecture and the profession, be persistent and patient. The future has tremendous opportunities for you!

Founder/Creative Director, Lions Gate Companies LLC

Good afternoon, Class of 2020,

I wanted to drop you a note from Scottsdale, Arizona. I am a BFA 1973 and wanted you to know what an honor it was to become part of the Washington University family. It is a great institution and, for those who apply themselves, your degree from WashU will offer you limitless opportunities.

My opportunities at WashU gave me the knowledge and confidence to start my own advertising agency immediately following graduation. I have enjoyed a great career and continue to work in the field I love so much.

So work hard and have fun. And remember to take advantage of the world-class learning opportunities by being a part of this incredible institution/family.

Charlie Stricklan
Lions Gate Companies, LLC
Scottsdale, AZ 85254

Partner + Creative Director, Wall-to-Wall Studios

Dear Class of 2020,

Congratulations on your amazing accomplishments!

It breaks my heart to know that you and thousands of other graduates are being robbed of the customary celebrations and hoopla that you so richly deserve.

While there is no doubt that these last few weeks have reshaped your perspective on your path forward and the world around you, please do not let this abrupt shift in the paradigm diminish all that you've achieved thus far.

You have already proven that you are capable of provoking thought and creating beauty from nothing but raw materials, vision, and your own two hands. That is your gift. I have no doubt that you will channel this time of pain and uncertainty into creating beauty and opportunity where none seems to exist. If you let hope lead your heart even in times of darkness, you will make it through.

Sending much aloha from Hawaii!

Director, Operations, JLL

Graduation in the time of COVID19—what a mixed bag of emotions you must have!

It's a test of resiliency for both institutions and individuals, but I know you all are prepared.

Your work at the WashU School of Architecture has demonstrated your ability to deal with the vague, unknown, and even the unknowable, in many creative and thoughtful ways.

You are ready for the world, and it needs you now more than ever!

Congratulations! Go forth, do good work, and wash your hands.

Although the situation we're in now is unprecedented, soon you'll be out in the workforce. Value yourself. Wages haven't gone up in over a decade so don't accept initial low offers which will put you in a financial struggle for years. Advocate for yourself and the profession—never work for free. Don't deify the old guard; know that the future lies in you and your ideas.

Principal, Gensler

To the Class of 2020

you are embarking into a world that has been changed
class of 2020
will have the same resonance as 9/11
and like 9/11
when I was a recently graduated architect
with dreams of creating something in the world
I learned that the power of the creative act
endures longer than the destructive act
there are those of us who seek to create
you are one
and we will endure

Let your work be a means to see the world more clearly and reach new understanding. Amid so much loss, this is a moment for putting into practice all that you have learned. You are reaching a new level of ability to care for yourself and others. There are countless ways.

Director of Research & Technology, Senior Lecturer, Washington University in St. Louis

Artists, architects, and designers are trained to work with constraints. It is in your DNA and how you have been working even if not always overtly so. I know the constraints of today far exceed any prior ones, but I know you will be resilient and innovative. You are entrepreneurs and will make it through this time. Help each other and do not hesitate to ask for the help of others.

Owner/Designer, MarLa Studio

You are better positioned and more technologically skilled than all preceding classes. Use your immense powers of creativity to unleash the elegant ingenuity our time calls for and deserves. No matter the challenges, this time will be what calls you to fully utilize your proven emotional and intellectual capacity beyond what you believe possible. The privileged gift of your experience will be your infinite treasure, a reservoir of resourceful strength to tap for the rest of your lives. You are the now and the future. There is never a good time; there is never a bad time. All there is is time and how you craft it. All my best to all of you dreamers: Shine on, you crazy diamonds.

Weiss/Manfredi Architecture Landscape Urbanism

Dear Class of 2020,

I'm sure this has been a challenging time for you, your family, friends, and colleagues. It has really been a difficult time for all of us, as we constantly adjust to this new, surreal reality. However, we are, like you all, still busy at work, drawing from our home desks and kitchen tables. We are continuing to collaborate, but at a distance.

These are far from ordinary times. The rapid spread of this virus has thrown everyday life into a fragile and delicate balance. But this won't last forever.

We look forward to the day when we can, once again, throw open the doors of our studios and welcome people back inside.  In the meantime, stay safe, keep connected, and take care of one another. Be kind. Be generous. And, above all, be a good citizen.

Best wishes,
Nash Waters

Congratulations, Class of 2020. Take all you have learned from WashU and go make our world a much better place. We need you more than ever. You are our future. Take your dreams and make them happen. You got this!!

Wash U alums will always have your back!

Senior Associate & DIrector of Lam Labs, Lam Partners

Hi! Congratulations! Mazel Tov! How this will impact your next steps is anyone's guess. When life gives you lemons... well, you know the rest. If I can impart one piece of wisdom, it is this: "Yes, and." Ripped from the playbook of improv, it means to take any opportunity and build on it. Never pass on something intriguing even if it's unexpected and may change previous assumptions. As a designer, this could be applied at the smallest scale of a detailing exercise, or taking a job or project that doesn't meet your previous expectations of what you'd be doing with your life. See above "lemons" for further information on that one! Always put a north arrow on your drawings. Light what you want to see. Support your community. Do good work.

President, Revware Inc.

Much of my time at WashU seems like a distant dream, but memories of studying architecture in Givens Hall remain sharp and invigorating. You are at a transitional time, in a course of study, with an association of friends and peers who are shaping your life more profoundly than any experience to come—or so that is how it was for me, viewing from 40 years out. And I cherish the memories. Facing the challenge confronting you today, I pray that you can say the same in the years to come. And I believe you will. I wish you the best for finishing your studies, for starting your careers, for building your families, for enjoying the adult lives unfolding before you.

Embracing the Change, Expressing Gratitude

I want to send a message of support to the graduate students who have embraced this extraordinary moment of disruption and uncertainty.

We held our first Zoom studio, with all 12 students, plus my co-teacher, looking at each project as if we were standing by their desks, and using our styluses to draw over their shared screens as if we were in the room together. I am quite proud of how the students have taken this extraordinary circumstance in their strides and are pushing through with their work with grace, energy, creativity, integrity, and a spark of humor.  No one asked for this crisis, and yet our students have been the best model of why they wanted to come to Washington University in the first place: Because they want to be architects, they want to build, they want to understand the world through that lens, and they want to make a difference to that world.  I can see it happening right before me, and I say, "Yes, they will, yes."

Congratulations, Class of 2020! To my ArchiThots, I've had the honor of taking studio with many of you, and each semester, I have been mesmerized by the joy, the talent, and the love each of you have to share with this world. The world shines brighter and looks better (quite literally) because of you.

Congratulations, my friends. You all deserve so much celebration. I miss and cherish each of you. Go celebrate and get some sleep!

Art Specialist, Boston Public Schools

You have created, you have grown, and now you begin again, upside down, backwards, and stronger than ever. Remember that your art education is all about problem-solving. There is nothing you can't figure out, work your way through, and make something new out of. You are new, your community is new, and your world will be new. Be birthed into what will be a blinding light of new opportunity and life. Congratulations.