Ann Philbin to Deliver Otis College’s 2025 Commencement Address
Philbin was the director of the Hammer Museum of UCLA from 1999 to 2025 and has made a big impact on Los Angeles’s arts and culture scene.
Otis College of Art and Design has announced that Ann Philbin will receive an honorary degree and deliver its 2025 commencement address on Sunday, May 11, 2025 at El Camino College’s Marsee Auditorium. The ceremony is the culmination of O-Launch Exhibition Weekend, the College’s annual celebration, which includes a fashion show and a campus-wide exhibition, taking place May 9–10, 2025.
A Tradition of Excellence
Otis College has a long tradition of awarding honorary degrees to influential artists, designers, and thinkers. Special consideration is given to those whose work has had an impact within their field and who have a background and experiences that reflect the College’s mission and its programs. Past recipients include artists Lauren Halsey, Enrique Martínez Celaya, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby; Evan Spiegel, co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc.; KORA Organics founder and CEO Miranda Kerr; Korean entertainment executive Miky Lee (Mie Kyung Lee); architect Kulapat Yantrasast; and Janet Marie Smith, Executive Vice President, Planning and Development, for the Los Angeles Dodgers. A full list of honorary degree recipients can be found on the Otis College website.
About Ann Philbin
Ann Philbin was the director of the Hammer Museum at UCLA from 1999 until 2025. She built a renowned exhibition program, a strong and distinctive institutional identity, and an international reputation for scholarly excellence and cutting-edge programming. Major programs launched since her arrival in 1999 include the acclaimed Hammer Projects series showcasing young and emerging artists, and the museum’s signature Made in L.A. biennial.
Also under Philbin’s leadership, the Hammer developed a robust calendar of more than 300 free public programs per year spotlighting many of the most provocative and creative thinkers of our time. In 2022 she completed a $180 million renovation of the museum’s building. The museum functions as a lively cultural center in the middle of one of the most creative cities in the world—and admission is free to all.
Prior to her arrival at the Hammer Museum, Philbin was director and chief curator of The Drawing Center in New York City for nine years, where she introduced the work of hundreds of emerging artists through its much-lauded viewing program as well as curated and presented major contemporary and historical drawing exhibitions.
Philbin serves on the boards of the Foundation for Arts Initiatives (FfAI) and the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020.
About Otis College
Established in 1918, Otis College of Art and Design is a nonprofit 501(c)3 institution that prepares students in the art and design capital of Los Angeles for a dynamic future in the creative economy. The College educates a diverse community of over 1,250 students in a supportive setting to become highly skilled professionals in established and emerging creative sectors. Alumni and faculty are Fulbright, MacArthur, and Guggenheim grant recipients, Oscar winners, legendary costume designers, leaders of contemporary art movements, entrepreneurs, and design stars at influential companies including Apple, Pixar, DreamWorks, Mattel, Nike, and Netflix. Since 2007, the College has commissioned the Otis College Report on the Creative Economy, an invaluable tool that assesses the tremendous influence and economic impact of the creative sector.
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