UCLA Arts Newsletter

March 10, 2021

As we mark the one-year anniversary of UCLA's transition to remote work and instruction, I want to recognize and celebrate the courage, strength, creativity, and resilience that our community continues to demonstrate, acknowledge the profound inequities that persist, and reiterate our commitment to working together to overcome them.

Verlena Johnson is a student affairs officer in the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at UCLA. But she’s also a multi-media visual artist with a published children’s book and a series of paintings that pay homage to LGBTQ African American icons.

She talks to the UCLA Arts podcast “Works In Progress” about the themes of race, gender, sexuality, and divinity in her paintings; how she maintains her creative practice during the pandemic; and how to promote diversity in academia.

Can the design of a building reduce inequality?

That question is at the heart of a design studio focused on a hypothetical UCLA Arts AEDI Center, in which principles of Anti-racism, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion are put into action through building design.

"I think what we're trying to do is a paradigm shift away from a distant, automated, estranging kind of environment where people are bureaucratized, into something way more engaging,” said Mohamed Sharif, assistant adjunct professor in the UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design.

Sharif and several of his master of architecture students joined “Works In Progress” for a conversation about the role of architecture in building an anti-racist world.

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.


Mar. 12: An artist talk by Caroline Busta, Berlin-based writer, editor, and consultant working with questions of culture, technology, and globalism		Mar. 17: The UCLA Film and Television Archive presents the world premiere of this film by Peter Sellars, distinguished professor in the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance

Mar. 19: Join the Fowler Museum for a conversation with Mister Cartoon, who challenges the boundaries of art and brings Los Angeles street art style into galleries and international exhibitions		Mar. 24: The Hammer's curatorial department leads free, insightful, short discussions about artists in Made in L.A. 2020. This talk on Reynaldo Rivera is led by Vanessa Arizmendi, curatorial assistant

Mar. 26: CAP UCLA welcomes Zakir Hussain, known for his consistently brilliant and exciting performances that have established him as a national treasure not only in India, but throughout the world		Opens Apr. 1: The UCLA Department of Art graduate students will present their biannual open studios virtually

The creative and scholarly contributions of the UCLA Arts community mine the complexities of the human condition, ask essential questions of our time, and expand the potential of creativity. Read more for a list of recent accolades and current and upcoming virtual and in-person exhibitions, performances, and lectures.

In the News:


Researchers at the Berlin Institute of Technology say the risk of COVID-19 transmission is far lower in museums and theaters than in supermarkets, restaurants, offices, or public transportation		For directors, playwrights and performance artists whose canvas is the three-dimensional stage, the situation has been unimaginably dire. How have they been getting by, creatively and financially?

Candice Lin, who teaches ceramics and sculpture in the UCLA Department of Art, says the spring 2020 quarter was a unique and unprecedented challeng		Had anyone been able to visit UCLA Art alumna Carmen Argote’s studio last spring and summer, they would have been hit by the strong scent of pepperoni pizza laced with notes of chocolate and peanut butter

Pulitzer-winning composer Ellen Reid's “Soundwalk” app uses her music to illuminate Griffith Park's environment		Reynaldo Rivera’s photos, along with a video piece, are featured in the Hammer Museum’s biennial, “Made in L.A. 2020: a version”

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:

BRUINPOST: UCLA to reopen certain spaces at limited capacities
Following the recent guidance by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health allowing for colleges and universities to resume certain activities on a limited basis with COVID-19 safety protocols in place, the UCLA COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force shares what these changes mean for the UCLA community. These changes include the limited reopening of specific campus sites, including libraries, outdoor study spaces, recreation facilities, and arts studio and practice spaces. Read the update on the COVID-19 information page.

The UC Global Health Institute has launched a Creative Expressions Contest
Current University of California students, trainees, fellows, residents, faculty, and staff are invited to submit photography, video, and/or poetry. Winners in each category will showcase their work at UC Global Health Day on Apr. 24 and win $500 in cash. The deadline to submit is Mar. 28. Find more information and submit your work.

Critical Planning Journal: Call for entries
Critical Planning is a student-run journal published annually by the Department of Urban Planning in the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. The journal is seeking individual photos, photo-series, paintings, sketches, cartoons, etc. that focus on planning’s ability to exacerbate or mitigate ongoing and future crises. The deadline to submit is April 15th. Find more details here.

Attention students! The Hammer Museum is hiring!
In anticipation of Los Angeles museums reopening to the public, the Hammer is hiring frontline positions in Visitor Experience as well as Gallery Ambassadors. These jobs are available solely to UCLA undergraduate students. See the links for details on how to apply.

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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