College for Creative Studies Unveils Winter 2026 Programming Exploring Sustainable Design and Material Innovation
February 19, 2026
Winter 2026 Programming
Valade Speaker Series: In the Realm of Lightning, Rajni Perera & Nep Sidhu
Tuesday, February 3, 2026 | 5:30-7 p.m. | Wendell W. Anderson, Jr. Auditorium (301 Frederick St)
As part of the Valade Speaker Series, CCS presents an intimate look into the shared creative trajectory of artists Rajni Perera and Nep Sidhu. Drawing from their working-class migrant backgrounds, the duo explores the intersection of spiritual community and cosmic mythmaking that defined their landmark 2021 collaborative exhibition, In The Realm of Lightning. During this exchange, the artists will discuss their unique makership and the evolution of their distinctive material forms, offering insight into their practices as both individual creators and lifelong collaborators.
NCECA National Juried Student Exhibition
Friday, March 6 – Saturday, April 4, 2026 Reception: Thursday, March 26, 6–9 p.m. | Valade Family Gallery, A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education (460 W Baltimore St.) The NCECA Juried Student Exhibition showcases innovative ceramic works by emerging artists from undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate programs across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Highlighting the next generation of ceramic talent, the exhibition celebrates creativity, technical skill, and contemporary perspectives within the field of ceramic art. The 2026 NCECA Juried Student Exhibition is in partnership with the NCECA National Conference 2026
Toyota Lecture Series Industry Exposition
Thursday, March 19, 2026 | 4:00-9:00 p.m. | Wendell W. Anderson, Jr. Auditorium (201 E Kirby)
CCS’s popular multi-day lecture series brings nationally recognized artists and designers to Detroit for public presentations, coinciding with Industry Day, when Entertainment Arts and Illustration students showcase their graduating work to industry professionals and recruiters. The well-attended event offers public access to both established creative leaders and emerging student talent. Speakers include Rachelle Baker, Brandon Bidleman, Gian Galang, Eric Goldberg, Charlie Griak, Andrés Parada, Lydia Zanotti
Echoes: CCS Alumni Voices in Clay
Friday, March 20 – Saturday, April 18, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, March 20, 5–8 p.m. | Charach Family Galleries (formerly Center Galleries) 301 Frederick St
Echoes gathers work by CCS Ceramics alumni whose practices continue to expand the field of contemporary ceramics. The exhibition demonstrates how their approaches reflect both continuity and change, shaped in part by their CCS education but equally by the personal experiences, cultural influences, and creative communities that inform their work today.
Woodward Lecture Series: Adebunmi Gbadebo in Conversation with Ashara Ekundayo
Tuesday, March 24, 2026 | 5:30-7 p.m. | Wendell W. Anderson, Jr. Auditorium (301 Frederick St)
Adebunmi Gbadebo’s practice engages with the histories embedded in land, material, and matter, using her work as a form of living archive. In this Woodward Lecture Series conversation with curator Ashara Ekundayo, she will explore how uncovering these traces allows her to connect with memory, ancestry, and the stories carried within the land itself. This conversation is presented in partnership with Artist As First Responder.
An Evening with Photographer Paul Mobley: In Conversation with President Don Tuski
Thursday, March 26, 2026 | 5:30-7:00 p.m. | Wendell W. Anderson, Jr. Auditorium (201 E Kirby)
CCS will host an evening conversation and original talk exploring the work and career of photographer Paul Mobley.
Woodward Lecture Series: Loris Gréaud
Monday, April 6th | 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. | General Motors Auditorium, Taubman Center for Design Education (460 W. Baltimore)
Loris Gréaud is an internationally acclaimed artist whose practice constructs immersive environments that blur the boundaries between fiction and reality, collapsing physical and mental spaces through elements such as rumor, poetry, architecture, and self-negation. In this talk, Gréaud will discuss his broader body of work while focusing on CORTICAL, an ongoing cycle developed in collaboration with international partner institutions, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, the Petit Palais, the MAH in Geneva, and the Théâtre du Châtelet.
2026 Student Exhibition
Friday, May 15 – Friday, May 29, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, May 15 | College for Creative Studies Campus (201 E. Kirby St.)
Each year, the College for Creative Studies celebrates the talent and achievements of its students with the annual Student Exhibition, featuring thousands of original works across art and design disciplines. Artwork will be available for purchase, with all proceeds directly supporting the student artists as they launch their creative careers.
States in Play: MdW All Partners Exhibition
Monday, June 22 – Saturday, June 27, 2026 | Valade Family Gallery, A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education (460 W. Baltimore St)
The States in Play: MdW All Partners exhibition at the College for Creative Studies brings together a network of artist-run and community-centered initiatives that form the backbone of the Midwest’s independent art landscape. This exhibition foregrounds collaboration as both method and ethos—an exploration of how collective action, shared resources, and mutual support can sustain artistic practice beyond traditional institutional frameworks. Central to the presentation is the recognition of artist-led organizations working together to plan and shape MdW, emphasizing the power of cooperative organizing in building lasting cultural infrastructure. Participating partners present a constellation of approaches that reflect the region’s dynamic, interdependent creative ecology.
The College for Creative Studies (CCS) is a nonprofit, private college accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and authorized by the Michigan Education Department to grant Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. CCS, located in midtown Detroit, strives to provide students with the tools needed for successful careers in the dynamic and growing creative industries. CCS fosters students’ resolve to pursue excellence, act ethically, engage their responsibilities as citizens, and learn throughout their lives. With world-class faculty and unsurpassed facilities, students learn to be visual communicators who actively use art and design toward the betterment of society. The College is a major supplier of talent to numerous industries, such as transportation, film and animation, advertising and communications, consumer electronics, athletic apparel, and many more. Its graduates are exhibiting artists and teachers, design problem solvers and innovators, as well as creative leaders in business.