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.”…

Venerated composer, musician, and longtime CalArts music faculty David “DJ” Johnson (Music BFA 72) passed away in Port Angeles, Wash., on June 7. He occupied and taught in classroom A300 for 26 years after taking the reins from John Bergamo, founder of the Percussion Program at CalArts. “A big-hearted instructor, he enabled generations of students…

Frederick Boyce Gardner, former dean of Libraries and Information Services at CalArts, passed away on April 15, 2020.  Among his many accomplishments while working at the CalArts Library include creating the first computer lab in the LIbrary and securing a donation from Intel Corporation to expand and enhance the lab. Gardner was instrumental in starting…

Animator, writer and director Rob Gibbs passed away on April 24, 2020. At the time of his death, Gibbs was working as a director for the upcoming Disney+ TV series, Monsters at Work, which is based on the Monsters, Inc. film. A longtime veteran of Pixar Animation Studios, Gibbs joined the company in 1998, working…

CalArts alum Jason Louis Rossilli passed away in Oakland, Calif., on Jan. 30, 2020. After attending CalArts for a year in the 1980s, Rossilli worked in video game design with credits that included Star Trek: Generations (1997) and Falcon 4.0 (1998). Rossilli also earned his only acting credit as the voice of a Romulan on…

Legendary animator, writer, director, and voice actor Kelly Asbury (Film/Video 82) passed away on June 26, 2020. He was 60. Born in Beaumont, Texas, Asbury was, as his sister Gwen Asbury Speed told the Beaumont Enterprise, a “creative child” who “literally excelled with art.” At the age of 17, he wrote then-Walt Disney Studios Production…

Marvin “Stro” Bynoe (Film/Video BFA 20), a promising artist in the Character Animation Program, passed away on March 28, 2020. Bynoe’s family describes him as “a beautiful soul,” and that he was “dedicated, humble, warm, and undeniably talented.” Marvin is survived by his wife, Eula, and young son, Livi.  Raised in Dorchester, Mass., Bynoe began attending…

Matthew John Radar (Film/Video MFA 93) passed away on Aug. 29, 2020. During his time at CalArts, Radar interned at Universal Studios for Michael J. Fox’s production company and worked there upon his graduation. He later worked in the development department for Jesse Dylan’s production company. He had the opportunity to film a range of fascinating people, including…

Orly Perl (Art BFA 19), a recent graduate of the School of Art, passed away earlier this year. A message to the school’s faculty and staff read, in part: “Orly was a beloved member of the community, cherished by her peers and deeply esteemed by faculty and staff in the Art School. During Orly’s time…

A flute player who studied under Paul Senia at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, which merged into CalArts, Cho (LA Conservatory of Music MFA 65) eventually went on to become a conductor. Cho is survived by his wife, Jang Ock Cho; his three daughters, Elizabeth, Ann, and Susan Cho; and his stepson and spouse,…

Filmmaker and artist Robert William Fenz (Film/Video MFA 02), passed away on Aug. 8. He was known for his documentary short film series, Meditations on Revolution (1997-2003) filmed in Cuba, Brazil, Mexico, Mississippi, and New York City. In addition, he studied under and worked as a cinematographer for a number of renowned filmmakers including Chantal…

Sue Nichols Maciorowski (Film/Video BFA 87) was a longtime Disney animator who passed away on Sept. 1, 2020. Maciorowski is credited for the visual development of many notable films of the “Disney Renaissance” of the 1990s, including Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and Mulan. …

Thomas Jefferson Byrd (Dance MFA 82), Tony-nominated character actor and frequent Spike Lee collaborator, tragically passed away on Oct. 3, 2020, after being shot in Atlanta. He was 70. Byrd was born in Griffin, Ga., a southern suburb of Atlanta. He earned a Bachelor of Science in education at Morris Brown College, followed by a…

Victoria Van Patten (Film/Video BFA 16), a graduate of the Experimental Animation Program, passed away on April 24, 2020.  A recent transplant to Austin, Texas, Van Patten worked as a content producer at Sysco Labs. In addition, her freelance work included design, video graphics, photo editing, and illustration. Ego, Van Patten’s first film created at CalArts,…