August Grahn (Art BFA 20) passed away on Feb. 26, 2020. To many in the CalArts community, Grahan was known as an open and honest friend and collaborator, who shared openly about his life experiences. One friend noted, “He was a listener. That said so much about his character. We will miss him a lot.”

Faculty and fellow students who shared their remembrances said that his level and caliber of work were well-beyond his years of study and that his work was very powerful, taking on big issues that he wanted to find ways to address and to encourage others to address. Art School Dean Tom Lawson noted that he was “quite a special individual, very present and engaging.”