Taylor Mac Speaks at CalArts 2026 Graduation

Taylor Mac, the acclaimed performance artist, playwright, and MacArthur Foundation Fellow, delivered the 2026 Commencement address at CalArts. The CalArts Class of 2026 heard something rare from Taylor Mac: An honest account of what a creative life actually costs and what it actually gives. Not the polished bio. The other version. Mac named the embarrassments and the solitude alongside the triumphs, and in doing so, freed the graduates from the exhausting chase for perfection and permission. The goal, Mac suggested, is not to dominate or be validated. It is to wonder. And that requires nothing more than showing up curious. Mac was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Tony Award nominee for Best Play. Mac’s work has also been recognized with numerous honors, including the International Ibsen Award, the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Kennedy Prize. Discover CalArts: https://calarts.edu/ Follow CalArts on social: Instagram:   / calarts   Facebook:   / calarts   LinkedIn:   / california-institute-of-the-arts   TikTok:   / calartsofficial   #CalArts #TaylorMac #Graduation2026 #CommencementSpeech #PerformanceArt #MacArthurGenius #InspiringWords #LifeLessons #Artists #ChangeMakers