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2004-2005 Proclaimed UCLA Year of the Arts

Unparalleled Program of Events and Dedication of New Arts Buildings

Los Angeles – The unprecedented dedication of two world-class arts facilities in one year, made possible by more than $40 million in private philanthropy, combined with an unparalleled breadth of innovative, collaborative ground-breaking arts programs, provides the inspiration for UCLA Year of the Arts.

In recognition of UCLA’s position as a leading arts and cultural center, Christopher Waterman, dean of the School of the Arts and Architecture (UCLArts), announced today that Chancellor Albert Carnesale has designated the 2004-2005 academic year as UCLA Year of the Arts.

“The arts are central to UCLA’s three-part mission of education, research and service. They reflect and help shape our community as they create connections between widely diverse people and disciplines,” states Chancellor Carnesale.

The recent economic downturn has had a significant impact upon the level of state funding available to the arts at UCLA. In spite of the challenges of continuing budget reductions, UCLArts is maximizing scarce budget resources and generating public support to build upon its position as a national center for artistic research, public arts presentation, and the training of young artists, scholars and educators.

“The UCLA Year of the Arts celebration pays tribute not only to the excellence of UCLA’s arts offerings and programs but also to the resiliency and imagination of an institution striving to uphold its high standards during tough times,” said Dean Waterman. “Buoyed by successful private fundraising and careful planning, UCLArts is poised to leverage and build on these strong programs. The arts at UCLA are on the move, and we invite the community to celebrate with us.”

Beginning this fall, UCLA Year of the Arts will provide myriad opportunities for the public to experience programming that illustrates UCLA’s position as the flagship arts campus for the University of California. The programs demonstrate the imagination of UCLArts’ faculty, staff and students, and highlight the innovative work being done on the campus by artists, scholars and curators.

A City of Los Angeles Proclamation recognizing the University’s contributions to the cultural life of the city was presented to Dean Waterman in a ceremony following the introduction of campus leaders. They included Robert Rosen, dean of UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television; Gabrielle Spiegel, dean of Humanities in the UCLA College; and Robert Lapiner, dean of University Extension. Also in attendance were UCLA arts chairs, directors and faculty, including scholars, architects, artists, dancers, choreographers, musicians, architects, filmmakers and museum curators.

UCLA Year of the Arts Featured Programs

UCLA Year of the Arts will highlight 45 featured events, which are intended to illustrate the quality and depth of the year’s presentation of hundreds of concerts, lectures, courses, film screenings, exhibitions and performances.

UCLA Year of the Arts reaches across the boundaries between diverse disciplines and forms of artistic expression and reflects the creative vision and bold thinking of UCLA’s programs. Some of the themes being explored during UCLA Year of the Arts include:

· The global reach and diversity of the arts
· The central role of the arts in contemporary urban culture
· The impact of digital technologies on the arts
· Collaborations among disciplines in the arts and across the campus
· The impact of UCLA on the cultural landscape locally and nationally

UCLA Year of the Arts Celebrates Two New Arts Buildings On Campus

The inspiration for the Year of the Arts is the dedication of two world-class arts facilities on the UCLA campus. Newly renovated Glorya Kaufman Hall, featuring state-of-the-art facilities for dance, videography, and cross-cultural investigation in the arts, opens in fall 2004. Fall 2005 will see the opening of the Edythe L. and Eli Broad Center, which will provide expanded studio spaces, updated classrooms and galleries for student exhibitions and public programs. The opening will include exceptional visual arts exhibitions and the unveiling of a monumental sculpture by Richard Serra.

The opening of Glorya Kaufman Hall and the Edythe L. and Eli Broad Center were made possible by the generosity of Glorya Kaufman and Edythe and Eli Broad respectively and “demonstrate what can be achieved through productive public-private partnerships,” said Carnesale.

In November 1999, philanthropist and arts patron Glorya Kaufman donated $18 million toward the renovation of UCLA’s historic Dance Building, home of the
Department of World Arts and Cultures. The gift was the largest single donation to the dance art form in America, and at the time was the largest gift to UCLA outside of the health sciences. Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners have transformed the building, renamed Glorya Kaufman Hall, into a unique educational facility that will include a major performance venue with state-of-the art acoustics and lighting, rehearsal and performance studios, multi-media labs, offices and tech support facilities, classrooms, and an outdoor pavilion theater. The renovation will create an environment where students can explore the links between performance, community service and the role of diverse artistic traditions in the age of globalization.

Edythe and Eli Broad have donated $23.2 million toward the construction of a new art center at UCLA. The gift will create a new complex to house the Department of Art, the Department of Design | Media Arts and the New Wight Gallery. The Edythe L. and Eli Broad Center, designed by Richard Meier & Partners Architects, also includes the outdoor installation of an untitled torqued ellipse by Richard Serra on the site. The facility will provide greatly improved programmatic space that is both more appropriate for the working methods of contemporary artists and flexibly designed to accommodate future needs. Included are galleries and installation spaces; informal exhibition areas; loft-like painting and drawing studios with natural lighting and open-air ventilation; indoor/outdoor sculpture and ceramics studios; photography and digital labs as well as printmaking facilities.

The departments will move into the Broad Center during the summer of 2005. Included in the opening programming will be an exhibition of work by faculty in the Department of Art and Department Design | Media Arts.

The Arts at UCLA

With ten departments devoted to exploration and research in the arts, two world-class museums, the renowned Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden, internationally-renowned performing arts programs, outstanding theater venues, the largest university-based archive of its sort in the world, the most all-inclusive arts extension program in the United States, and two new facilities, UCLA has assumed a preeminent position in the visual, performing and media arts.

World-renowned faculty and staff, acclaimed academic programs, and an astounding number of groundbreaking public exhibitions and performances help define UCLA as one of the most influential arts centers in the country. UCLA is the training ground for the cutting-edge cultural leaders of tomorrow. It is where the public and academia meet to explore issues of globalism and diversity in the arts, the central role of the arts in contemporary urban culture, and the confluence of technology and the arts. UCLA is the city’s preeminent laboratory where arts and culture are being rethought, re-engineered, reconstructed and re-energized.

For More Information on UCLA Year of the Arts

In tandem with UCLA Year of the Arts, the School of the Arts and Architecture (UCLArts) has launched a new website at www.arts.ucla.edu. With expanded information and new features, the site functions as an indispensable resource to a number of different audiences, including current and prospective students, faculty and staff, parents, alumni, donors, press and the general public. Visit www.arts.ucla.edu and experience the vibrant cultural and artistic life at UCLA.

The public can access more information about UCLA Year of the Arts’ outstanding line-up of events by visiting the new UCLArts website for a downloadable brochure, and also sign up for mailing lists, or they may call the UCLA Year of the Arts general information line at (310) 825-8000.

Carolyn Campbell (ccampbel@arts.ucla.edu) For Immediate Release
Eleanore Reznikoff (earez@arts.ucla.edu) October 12, 2004
310-825-6540

(Note to editors: electronic images are available upon request)