Coming Back Together
A Spring Message from Dean Brett Steele
The sense of renewal and transformation often associated with springtime feels especially poignant this year.
We have returned to our classrooms, studios, lecture halls and labs, finding each other in person again in hallways, elevators, gallery openings—and while traversing this beautiful campus—remembering the thrill of chance encounters and spontaneous conversations.
Our galleries and studios are brimming with the creative work of our students. CAP UCLA is hosting concerts at Royce Hall. The Fowler and Hammer museums have brought back in-person screenings, performances, and workshops. Even the second-floor breezeway in the Broad Art Center has transformed into a rotating gallery of student work.
I’m thrilled to be together again—feeling the vibrancy and vitality of our school in person is profoundly restorative. As I imagine for many of you, these past two years have underscored for me just how precious our connections and bonds are. Our friends, families, classmates, and colleagues have sustained us through this challenging period, and they will continue to nourish and carry us going forward.
And in coming back together, we must do so with renewed urgency and a steadfast commitment to centering our values in our work as we shape a better future. I am heartened knowing that the creativity and passion of our school community—of each of you—will lead us forward as we confront the myriad challenges we face in today’s world.
While COVID-19 transmission has been on the decline in the U.S., we must remain vigilant and prioritize the health and safety of our entire community, even as we move forward with cautious optimism that we are nearing a more sustainable phase of the pandemic. As we return to familiar patterns and activities of our pre-pandemic lives, we must keep firmly on our minds those who continue to suffer from social, political, and economic hardships and horrors. Our shared humanity reminds us of the atrocities that the people of Ukraine and so many others across the world are facing, and we must continue to speak out about—and take action to combat—the climate crisis and racial and social injustice everywhere.
I look forward to seeing more of you on campus this spring. There are some exciting events coming up, including the Moment of Reflection event on April 19, which will feature a multimedia installation in the sculpture garden by Refik Anadol, a world-renowned media artist and distinguished alumnus and visiting assistant researcher in our design media arts department. I also look forward to us coming together for final student shows and performances and, of course, commencement, which, if public health conditions hold, will be held in person in June for the first time since 2019.
I wish you all a joyous and meaningful spring quarter and final stretch of the academic year.
Stay engaged. Use #UCLAarts to stay connected.
