Cleveland Institute of Art announces Jennifer van Dijk as 2025 Commencement speaker

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2025

CLEVELAND—Digital entertainment innovator Jennifer van Dijk—who has built a career at the intersection of entertainment, technology and digital media—will serve as Commencement speaker for the Cleveland Institute of Art's Class of 2025.

Van Dijk is CEO of Los Angeles-based entertainment brand Superplastic, a wildly inventive company that blends digital animation, storytelling and pop culture to create a universe of original characters followed by more than 23 million fans. In this role, she has expanded partnerships across digital media, collectibles, gaming and immersive experiences.

Van Dijk has many CIA connections. Her father is renowned architect Peter van Dijk, who's best known for designing the amphitheater at Blossom Music Center but also served many years on CIA's Board of Directors. Her brother, Leo van Dijk, earned his BFA in Ceramics from CIA in 1990. Jennifer van Dijk says she's "grateful for the honor" to address CIA graduates.

"The way that CIA is leading in today's arts and education landscape is inspiring. I have seen the profound impact this institution has on the students, the city of Cleveland, and the broader arts and cultural world for almost my entire life," Van Dijk says. "I also believe deeply that art shapes the world—the way of seeing, understanding and creating that artists bring to the world is needed more than ever. To have the opportunity to inspire this new generation of artists to push boundaries and define culture is very special."

CIA's 2025 Commencement will take place at 2pm Saturday, May 10 in Evans Amphitheater at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights. Like Blossom Music Center's amphitheater, Evans Amphitheater was designed by Peter van Dijk.

"It is extra special for me to give the address in a space my father designed. In many ways it symbolizes a bridge between his generation, the present and the future generation of artists today," Jennifer van Dijk says. "He taught me how to see spaces and envision what could be beyond what we can actually see—a skill set that has served me very well in life. He would have loved to see us paying forward the inspiration and passion for art while celebrating the potential for young artists to positively change our world."

Van Dijk participated in The Art of Disruption: Exploring the Role of Technology in Art + Design and the Creative Economy, a CIA panel discussion in which industry leaders discussed how art, design and technology permeate sectors of the creative economy. CIA President + CEO Kathryn J. Heidemann moderated the talk—which helped launch the public phase of CIA's Transformation Campaign—and valued Van Dijk’s perspective on how important creativity is to the future of work.

"Jennifer can speak to the value of an art and design education and its pressing relevance in today's society amid disruptions and advancements in technology. She's the right person at the right time to address CIA's newest graduates," Heidemann says. "She's a powerhouse in the entertainment industry and an amazing leader in the art/tech space, and I think she's going to bring an incredible sense of knowledge, inspiration and excitement to Commencement."

Before joining Superplastic, Van Dijk served as CEO of Hoonigan, the automotive lifestyle brand behind the viral Gymkhana series, where she led the company through a successful merger. Earlier roles include senior leadership at Wasserman, WME/IMG, the NBA, and the LA Clippers, where she secured the groundbreaking jersey sponsorship deal with Bumble. She is currently developing a comedy series with Charles Barkley inspired by her time working inside NBA teams.

Van Dijk is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where she also was a student athlete. She is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization and serves as Learning Officer for the YPO Bel Air chapter.

CIA's 2025 Commencement is a ticketed event open to CIA students, their families and members of the CIA community.

Contact

Cleveland Institute of Art
Michael C. Butz, Director of College Communications + External Relations
mcbutz@cia.edu / 216.421.7404

Cleveland Institute of Art

The Cleveland Institute of Art is a private, nonprofit college of art and design that has been the training ground for countless students who have gone on to make important contributions to the fields of creativity and innovation since it opened in 1882 as the Western Reserve School of Design for Women. Its students have designed internationally recognized products, their artwork has been exhibited in major museums and private collections around the world, and their entertainment media has been enjoyed by audiences and game players for generations. It enrolls about 600 students nationally and internationally and has a faculty of about 100 full-time and adjunct members, all of whom are practicing artists, designers and scholars.