UCLA Arts Newsletter

April 6, 2021

Spring is a time of transformation and reawakening. A time to consider how we’ve grown, what we should leave in the past, and what we want to take with us into the future. This feels especially relevant after a year in which we have wrestled with so much loss and change.

As spring takes hold and the pandemic begins to wane, I can’t help but think about how this past year has changed us. How we have had to pivot and adapt in all aspects of our lives. How we’ve lost loved ones, a sense of security, hugs and high-fives among friends, and so much more. But with all that the pandemic has removed, what remains reveals what matters most.

The Hammer Museum at UCLA plans to reopen April 17, allowing the public to finally see Made in L.A. 2020: a version. For the first time, the acclaimed biennial that spotlights emerging Los Angeles artists extends to galleries at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens in San Marino.

“We’re not allowed to have big gatherings or big crowds,” said Connie Butler, the Hammer’s chief curator. “It will be quiet and a really nice time to be in the galleries.”

Butler, who co-curated the second iteration of Made in L.A. in 2014, says the biennial “proves … that Los Angeles is such a deep and vast art community right now — actually, it’s many different art communities — and it can really support a show that is a core sample of contemporary art in L.A. every two years.”

In this episode of the UCLA Arts podcast Works In Progress, Butler reflects on the Hammer's resilience during a year of challenges, and what the future holds in store for the museum.

Don't Miss:

Check out upcoming virtual programs from across our academic departments, museums, and performing arts presenters. Find a complete list of upcoming events on the UCLA Arts online calendar.


Apr. 8: Join artist Meghann O’Brien and textile scholar Elena Phipps as they discuss new ways of looking at Indigenous knowledge in the realm of textile making		Apr. 8: Sondra Perry makes videos, performances, and installations that foreground digital tools as a way to critically reflect on new technologies of representation and remobilize their potential

Apr. 8 & 9: How to Continue (Together)? is a two-night event comprised of a panel discussion and a live Zoom performance		Apr. 11: Join in on a worldwide electric slide, online with artist Patrisse Cullors and DJ collectives Everyday People. This program invites everyone around the globe to move together, united by a groove and the freeing act of dancing

Apr. 12: Anne Holtrop, founder of Studio Anne Holtrop, started his practice in 2009. The work of the studio, as well as the teaching and research outcome are presented and collected internationally in biennales and institutions		Apr. 14: Join UCLA Arts for a conversation on the future of storytelling in virtual spaces and how new creators are harnessing this evolving technology to expand accessibility

Apr. 16: AMERICAN ARTIST makes critical political art experiments that mine the history of technology, race, and knowledge production		Closes Apr. 15: The UCLA Department of Art graduate students will virtually present their spring open studios

Apr. 22: CAP UCLA will present the world premiere of the filmed experience of Robin Frohardt’s Plastic Bag Store, an immersive puppet-theater piece designed to take place in a storefront retail space

UCLA Arts staff are an essential part of our community. Their work underpins every aspect of our operations. Staff Spotlight highlights the creative, scholarly, and professional contributions of our staff, many of whom maintain impressive artistic and creative practices outside their campus roles. Learn more about our remarkable staff in this list of recent activities, accolades, and current and upcoming virtual and in-person exhibitions, performances, lectures, and more.

In the News:


David Shorter, professor in the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, has created a digital platform housing traditional remedies and treatments from across the globe		As we mark one year of working from home, Tria Blu Wakpa, assistant professor in the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, and other Bruins share what they’ve experienced and learned

A year ago, performance artist Kristina Wong (BA, WAC '00) started a Facebook group called the Auntie Sewing Squad to get people to help sew COVID-19 masks		Dana Cuff, director of UCLA's cityLAB, says backyard units are a good solution to building more housing

Fourth-year design media arts student Amy Fang worked with a variety of fine arts before setting on graphic design and typography for her medium in the UCLA Design Media Arts program		Third-year art student Perry Hernandez has a painter’s plea: “Buy my art before I’m dead”

The UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes provide highly-motivated high school students the opportunity to experience the UCLA learning environment, earn college credit, and advance their knowledge and skills. This year, the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture is offering remote precollege summer institutes in art, design media arts, game design, hip hop and street dance, art + science, and architecture. Find out more and register to attend at the links above.

Announcements:

#StopAsianHate and Reckoning with Current Events: A Panel Discussion for the UCLA Community
In light of the horrific recent increase in crimes against Asians and Asian Americans, the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and our campus partners are organizing a special panel discussion event for the UCLA community. Find out more and RSVP.

Transitions: Kyle Abraham
As the 2020-21 academic year comes to an end on June 30, so will Kyle Abraham’s five-year Professor-in-Residence position at UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance. A world-renowned choreographer and a sought-after teacher, Kyle has established himself as an influential presence on the Los Angeles dance scene since joining us at UCLA in 2016. We look forward to his continued leadership in our community and wish him well on his next chapter.

Planning for a Fall Return to Campus
With Los Angeles County recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines becoming more widely available, we are at long last getting close to reconnecting in person. Read the update from Chancellor Block.

Find up-to-date COVID-19 resources and information for the UCLA community
Guidance and updates for the Bruin community, the media and the broader public about UCLA’s ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more.

Read the latest stories about UCLA Arts students, faculty, staff, and alumni
From campus news to faculty and alumni activities around the globe, the UCLA Arts website is updated daily to aggregate the best news and stories about and written by the School of the Arts and Architecture community. Read more.

PS:

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