A golden graduation

The Laguna College of Art & Design ushered a new group of artists and designers into the professional world with its class of 2011 graduation on Monday.

Graduation had added significance this spring, as the school celebrates its 50th birthday this year.

Commencement boasted 61 bachelor’s, three post-baccalaureate and 13 master’s degrees — all in fine arts.

The keynote speaker was California Arts Council Chairwoman Malissa Feruzzi Shriver, who received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from LCAD.

The owner of Feruzzi Fine Arts comes from a family of artists and was appointed to the council by former Gov. Schwarzenegger. She studied painting and sculpture at UCLA.

— Joanna Clay