Build and create: The arts welcome students back to campus
As students returned to campus for the new academic year, the arts units of UCLA inspired students to embrace moments of creativity and community building.
At Sunday’s annual Bruin Block Party on the streets of Westwood Village (an important rite of passage for first-year and transfer students to explore their new neighborhood) the Fowler Museum, Hammer Museum and UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance invited students to pause for some hands-on art-making activities. They designed postcards at the popup Hammer Art Lab, wrote letters to their future selves and created personalized maps with educators from the Fowler. CAP UCLA encouraged students to create mini-collages or write a six-word story that reflect their hopes for the year, their path to UCLA or early experiences on campus.
The mission was to introduce as many students as possible to the ways in which they can experience professional visual and performing arts at UCLA and how it can enrich their experiences. The groups worked in partnership with the Office of Residential Life’s First-Year Experience team, which nearby presented a live-performance stage featuring several student bands, an a capella group, a dancer from the vibrant Ballet Folklorico and even a magician. The moments of analogue art-making also serve to remind students to invest in their own creative spark as they begin or continue their academic career.
On Tuesday evening, Student Committee for the Arts, an arts-programming group run for and by students presented its first event of the season with a series of student bands on the Royce Terrace. After an overwhelming day at the Enormous Activities Fair learning more about the vastness of groups and clubs at UCLA, hundreds of students gathered to experience the artistry of their peers.
Every year, the School of the Arts and Architecture invites its community to gather on the Broad Lawn, break bread, listen to music, get a custom T-Shirt and learn about all the school’s departments, public arts presenters and clubs.
Simultaneously on Wednesday afternoon in Freud Playhouse, students, staff, faculty, alumni and supporters of the School of Theater, Film & Television gathered for the school’s second-annual Convocation event. Representatives from the mayor’s office, city council and other entities shared proclamations welcoming TFT students to the new academic year.
Pictured: Dean Celine with Konstantin Hatcher, Senior Director of Community Engagement, Office of LA Mayor Bass
Pictured: Dean Celine with California Assemblymember (and fellow UCLA alum) Isaac Bryan
The school also conferred its advocate awards, given this year to entertainment legend Carol Burnett; senior director of Sundance Institute’s Artist Program Michelle Satter; novelist, filmmaker, UC Regent and UCLA alum Greg Sarris (“I Am Noise” and “Grand Avenue”); and production designer Rick Carter (“Lincoln,” “Avatar”).
Pictured (l-r) Rick Carter, current TFT student Maisie McPeek (standing in for Carol Burnett after performing "Shy" to open the event), Dean Celine, Michelle Satter, Greg Sarris.
In their acceptance remarks, Sarris, Carter and Satter shared wisdom from their own experiences navigating the film industry and offered words of encouragement reminding our students that their voices and stories matter more than ever in turbulent times and changing industries. They also encouraged students to collaborate across the school and across the arts to build community and stay open to new ideas.
Then students hopped on stage to do the Cupid Shuffle with the dean, a joyful moment of belonging to kick off the year.
