Two recent VCUarts graduates have been named to the 2024 Forbes “30 Under 30” List.
LaRissa Rogers (B.F.A. ‘19) and Grace Whiteside (B.F.A. ‘17) were both featured in the “Art & Style” category. Started in 2011, the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 List shines a spotlight on the brightest young professionals, industry leaders and entrepreneurs.
“I could not be more pleased to see LaRissa and Grace recognized for their accomplishments,” said VCUarts Dean Carmenita Higginbotham, Ph.D. “This acknowledgment is testament to the caliber of our creative community at VCUarts, and I’m elated to see the work of these immensely talented graduates lifted up.”
Rogers double-majored in Painting + Printmaking and International Fashion Buying with minors in Art History, General Business, and Global Education. Born in Ruckersville, Virginia, Rogers came to VCU as a painter, but quickly discovered a deeper interest in the visual arts. She noted that her chosen practice offers myriad opportunities for expression, and since graduation and postgraduate work, she has exhibited, had residencies, and performed across the globe. Rogers co-founded and created the alternative monument and community gathering space “Operations of Care” in Charlottesville, Virginia, and will be installing a public sculpture with the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston in 2024.
You can find Rogers’ website and work here, and connect with her on Instagram.
From Roanoke, Virginia, Whiteside joined VCUarts with an interest in textiles. Upon discovering glassblowing in their sophomore year, they fell in love with that medium and changed trajectories. They graduated with a double-major in Craft/Material Studies and Sculpture + Extended Media. Grace went on to found Sticky Glass, a Brooklyn-based glass design company in 2020, which is now carried by luxury fashion companies and available for purchase online. Earlier this year, Whiteside appeared on season three of Netflix’s glassmaking competition show, Blown Away, and was awarded a residency with Pilchuck Glass School.
Explore Grace’s website and work, peruse and purchase from the Sticky Glass Webstore or connect with Grace on Instagram.