Fall 2023 Message from Dean Brett Steele
One of my favorite things about fall quarter is welcoming a new cohort of students into the UCLA Arts community. On the morning of September 27, I got to do just that at Royce Hall, with well over a hundred incoming undergraduate and graduate students from across our programs who had joined us for a community-building breakfast. It was invigorating to meet so many new students, each about to embark on a journey of limitless potential in their lives as artists and architects.
Later that evening, the entire UCLA Arts community convened at Broad Art Center Plaza for our annual opening celebration to kick off the school year with food, music, and art making in the company of new and old friends, colleagues, and collaborators.
Another inspiring academic year is, indeed, underway at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture.
Amid the joy of return and fresh starts, we must not lose sight of the many challenges and difficult realities we face in this ever-changing, complex world. From economic hardship to political strife and societal division to a rapidly changing climate, there is much work for all of us to do to contribute to a better future.
I’d be remiss not to mention the tragic events unfolding in Israel and Gaza or the ongoing strife in Ukraine, Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), and so many other parts of the world as I write this message. While I don’t think the arts can solve any of these conflicts on their own, I do believe we as artists, architects, and creative practitioners of all kinds have an important role to play in celebrating and shining a light on our shared human experience and cultivating greater understanding and empathy.
The arts and architecture can catalyze change, spark imagination, and reflect diverse narratives. By nurturing the next generation of artistic innovators here in our school and by ensuring their work reaches far and wide, we can meaningfully engage in the critical issues of our time. Our work can help reshape societies, challenge perspectives, and communicate invaluable messages that transcend barriers, language, and even time itself.
At UCLA Arts, we are proudly committed to championing the transformative power of the arts in our classrooms, studios, lecture halls, and in our galleries and on our stages both on campus and throughout Los Angeles.
This past spring, the Hammer Museum celebrated its long-awaited expansion and reinvention. The reopening was met with lines around the block, proof that the arts are essential to Angelenos. Just a week ago, the Hammer launched its much-anticipated biennial exhibition, Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living, which showcases 39 artists, including UCLA Arts alumni Roksana Pirouzmand, Jackie Amézquita, and Luis Bermudez, who unfortunately passed away before the exhibition’s opening. Made in L.A. 2023 has already made headlines for its diverse and prescient curation.
In late September, a mere 200 feet south of the Hammer, UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) debuted its brand new, state-of-the-art performance space, the UCLA Nimoy Theater. CAP UCLA kicked off opening night at The Nimoy with a special pre-show reception honoring the vision and generosity of actor and director Susan Bay Nimoy, widow of Leonard Nimoy. Actor Zachary Quinto, who assumed the role of Spock in the 2009 Star Trek, was on hand to share memories of Leonard and to advocate for the importance of the performing arts. Later that night, Grammy-winning artist J. Ivy and his high-energy ensemble took the stage as The Nimoy's inaugural concert. It was a celebratory occasion for all in attendance.
Looking ahead, CAP UCLA’s calendar will come to life across The Nimoy, Royce Hall, and The Theatre at Ace Hotel with not-to-be-missed performances from national and international artists, both emerging and established.
Later this month, the Fowler Museum will open its latest, thought-provoking exhibition, The House Was Too Small: Yoruba Sacred Arts from Africa and Beyond, in conjunction with a celebration of its sixtieth anniversary, a testament to UCLA’s enduring dedication to artistic research, preservation, and presentation.
These ground-breaking public platforms are vital portals to the arts at UCLA, and they empower us to celebrate being together again — in person. Let this be your invitation to attend a show or visit an exhibition. Whether you are a student, faculty, staff, parent, supporter, or patron, you are part of an exceptional community here at UCLA Arts dedicated to nurturing artistry, fostering growth, and embracing the transformative power of the arts.
As we move through this academic year and season of exhibitions, performances, and public programs, I invite you all to seize opportunities for engagement and creative exploration. To our students, embrace the challenges and uncertainty that lie ahead as you chart your own paths toward creative excellence; let them fuel your imagination. Engage in dialogue, debate, and critique, for it is through these interactions that ideas flourish.
Remember the world needs imaginative thinkers and skilled practitioners, as well as dedicated and passionate community members, now more than ever. The responsibility falls upon all of us to champion the arts, pioneer new, exciting forms of expression, and foster greater empathy and understanding in the world.
Here's to the year ahead. I am so grateful to be a part of this amazing UCLA Arts community.
Warm regards,
Brett Steele
Dean, UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture
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