Laguna College of Art and Design president announces retirement
Jonathan Burke is saying goodbye to the Laguna College of Art and Design, where he spent the last 40 years teaching students, at the end of the year.
Burke announced Thursday that he would be stepping down from his position after spending the last 10 years of his career with the art school as its president. His retirement will be effective on Dec. 31. Burke is the 13th president in the school’s history since it was established in Laguna Beach in 1961.
“I turned 70 years old and as I look at the rest of my life and the time that I have left and the passion I still have for what was my passion at the beginning of when I was young, which was to go to art school, to become a painter and to become an educator,” Burke said Friday. “I realized there’s not a lot of time left.”
“It’s not that I think I’ll get a major gallery or anything, but just to spend time, to be in a studio ... and spending real quality time where I can paint and draw and return to a wonderful community of representational artists,” he said.
“We all are going to retire at some point,” Burke said. “This felt really the best time for me before they tell me that it’s time to go.”
Burke was first appointed as president in 2010 but was a fine arts instructor when he first came to the art school in 1980. He later took on roles as the chair of the fine arts department, the dean of fine arts, interim dean of visual communications and co-vice president of academic affairs.
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During his time as president, the college campus expanded to include what is called “East campus,” which houses the Suzanne Chonette Senior Studios and the administration building, and “South campus,” where student housing is along with classrooms for augmented reality, virtual reality, graphic design, fine arts and photography. This is in addition to the LCAD Gallery on Ocean Avenue.
The “Big Bend campus,” where classrooms and studios for animation, graphic design and game art are located, was also expanded.
The college also added master of fine arts programs in drawing, painting and game design in addition to a post-baccalaureate program and new majors including entertainment design and experimental animation.
“Part of the reason I’m leaving, too, is, there is such a strong academic program at the college, and I knew there was,” Burke said. “That’s why I felt 10 years ago I could put my name in the pool of applicants to become president because the academic program and the chairs were so capable, so qualified to continue the education, and now leaving the college, the administration is so strong.”
Burke said he plans to return to art after his retirement, but also to spend more time with his partner and to travel. He said his best memories of his time at the art school lie with the development of its curriculum and putting together a team of faculty, staff and trustees that he said care deeply about the students.
To the student body that he leaves behind, Burke encouraged them to continue developing their artistic, intellectual, individual and spiritual goals as artists.
To his successor, he advised that they should immerse themselves in the campus culture and hear from all stakeholders — faculty, staff, administration, its board of trustees, students — to improve every aspect contributing toward a creative living and working environment for artists. He also added they should strive to continue raising funds for need-based scholarships for students.
“I will sincerely miss all of you,” Burke said in a letter. “I trust that LCAD will continue to make the world a more beautiful and meaningful place for all of us.”
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