EXEUNT THE ARTISTS

written by MATTHEW BEYMER |

GONZALES

Areni Panosian always knew she was destined for creativity. Her early exposure to Armenian dance – paired with her parents’ backgrounds in creative writing and film – shaped her into an arts enthusiast. It was no surprise when Panosian entered UCLA as a world arts and cultures student in 2021 and fell in love with her first class, World Arts and Cultures 1: “Intro to World Arts and Cultures.” The weekly calls to the Victorville prison made it the least traditional class she had taken in her life, she said.

But nearly a year later, Panosian made a hasty exit from the School of the Arts and Architecture.

“It’s more like … that sort of pendulum swing in every creative person’s head,” she said. “Do I pick a more creative career or do I do something more quote-unquote practical?”

Panosian began the process of switching to the English major this fall, noting how she felt the program could provide her with a more practical skill set.

If I had a dime for every time I’ve witnessed a parent or peer exalt so-called practical majors over the arts, I would be filthy rich and could possibly retire at 25. But none of my wealth would shield me from the frequent stereotypes associated with being an arts student.

In spring 2022, PRIME published an article discussing the challenges students in STEM programs face. I noticed arts students face similar pressures, as well as the looming uncertainty of careers in the arts. Every time I mention my theater major, I face the inexorable question: What are you going to do with it?

Visual artist and design media arts lecturer Erin Cooney recognizes that this infamous question is tied to the United States’ high expectations for all workers – including artists.

“Everything is about production, and one’s identity gets equalized into your production,” Cooney said. “I am one who wants to push back against that and realize that one’s sense of self worth, as a person and an artist, does not have to be directly tied to production.”

The UC undergraduate alumni outcomes data shows that UCLA arts graduates make a median income of $32,900 two years after graduation. In comparison, UCLA’s computer science program – the behemoth of STEM adoration – prepares its graduates to advance into careers that yield a median income of $109,400 on the same timeline. However, some artists are able to make enough money to support their families. Samea Derrick, a former music performance student, said her father has supported her family throughout his career as a professional artist and hosted weekly art parties on Sundays to stimulate his children’s creativity. Growing up, she found herself drawn to the arts world, particularly as a cellist.

When she came to UCLA, Derrick sensed her waning passion for pursuing the cello in spite of her strong artistic upbringing. She noticed that her busy schedule and developing tendinitis took some of the joy out of her music. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the second-year student practiced the cello for nearly eight hours a day, an injurious routine that continued at UCLA.

“Definitely the worst of it was just being in a practice room for so many hours, and then looking at myself and being like, ‘What am I doing?’” Derrick said.

After realizing her passion for planning sustainable events, Derrick recently switched into the environmental science major and started working with the UCLA Sustainability Zero Waste initiative. Her parents initially challenged the decision since they had encouraged their children to explore the arts from such a young age.

“When I decided to switch my major, they were actually like, ‘We would really love you to stay in the arts’, which is not usually the response you get from a parent,” Derrick said. “Usually they’re like, ‘Oh my God, go with something that’s safe, something in the sciences, something like a normal college education.’”

On the other hand, Panosian felt the pull of an English degree from her parents’ experiences.

“Both of my parents have English degrees,” Panosian said. “Just talking to them about what their experiences were like studying English in college really made me realize that this is probably a better fit for me.” conducting lecturer, also shares my feelings. His family of musicians inspired him to stay dedicated to his love for music, leading him to become an officer in the U.S. Army Music Program. Given his military background, Milburn has traveled across the globe and has come to believe that American views of art diminish its complexity.

My acting teacher once told my class that even passionate artists sometimes leave their fields because of the economic pressures of the industry. When the strain of a lower-paying career reveals itself, an actor may feel forced to explore job opportunities they never would have initially considered. The thought of another career crosses my mind sometimes, but the fire in my heart for the arts continues to blaze, so fierce and inextinguishable.

“You’re playing an instrument, so therefore you’re having a good time, so it can’t be a challenge,” Milburn said.

General support of the arts does exist. In a 2015 survey, 88% of Americans said arts education was a necessary facet of a well-rounded education. Yet proposals to defund arts programs remain rampant, even if they have faced varying levels of success. Milburn said these trends build off of a decadeslong legacy of devaluing the importance of arts education. Arts endowment budgets in the 1980s, for example, fell more than $7 million short of the Carter Administration’s $175 million budget presented at the beginning of the decade.

The COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on UCLA arts program funding. Total expenditures for the School of the Arts and Architecture and the School of Theater, Film and Television respectively fell from $73 million and $40 million, in the 2019-2020 school year to $59 million and $34 million in the 2020-2021 school year. However, the 2021-2022 expenditures showed an increase in the schools’ funding by $3-5 million each.

UCLA spokesperson Katherine Alvarado said in an emailed statement that these decreases were a result of the transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a reduction in personnel for the School of Theater, Film and Television. She said both schools often see year-to-year fluctuations in funding due to availability of state funds, changes in enrollment and budget proposals submitted to Chancellor Gene Block. But Milburn, who served in the army for 20 years, said the U.S. does not fund the arts nearly as much as other countries, specifically those in Europe. In Germany, government arts funding does not have the same commercial component as in the U.S. – preeminent musicians get paid as civil servants.

While the National Endowment for the Arts does fund select arts education programs and research opportunities in the U.S., this is not always enough to cover project funds substantially. Private organizations thus have to fill a void for producing accessible arts, Milburn said.

“The United States, for the most part, is hostile to art,” he added.

From my perspective, part of this hostility may come from stereotypical images conjured of actors and other artists as vain and arrogant. With the increasing prevalence of social media, strong self-marketing skills are a necessary part of being a professional artist. The potential for self-promotion to slip into arrogance can interfere with an artist’s values, which has often made me hesitant to promote myself throughout my career.

Media artist and design media arts lecturer Yuehao Jiang recognizes the importance of balancing her artistic goals with her pedagogy.

“Being an artist is so much about investing into yourself, it’s in a way a very narcissistic job,” Jiang said. “I think teaching is very giving and generous and very much paying a lot of attention on the students.”

The pressure individuals face to invest in themselves can leave them to reconsider their relationship to their artistic passions. As a somewhat shy theater student– as paradoxical as that seems – I have often questioned whether I see myself remaining on the track to becoming a performer or deciding to pursue arts management instead. The uncertainty of so many arts industries is a major point of preoccupation for my friends and myself. Despite the challenges, some students push back against the stigma of pursuing the arts and transfer into arts majors, even if they were not enrolled in such programs to begin with.

“When I told my parents that I was going to pursue arts in college, they were very skeptical,” Li said. “They really didn’t agree with it, which I understand because it comes from a place of wanting to defend, wanting to protect, because they don’t see it as a very ‘safe’ route for life.” As they prepare for graduation, Li said they now need to prove to their family they can find stable work that will cover the bills.

Even after students alter their initial academic plans at UCLA, many continue to stay involved with their original interests. After all, a passion is a passion. For Panosian, this means being an active member of the UCLA chapter of Delta Kappa Alpha, a film fraternity. For Derrick, this means participating in a band with her friends and performing at open mics.

Fourth-year design media arts student Liz Li entered UCLA as a pre-microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student before deciding to pursue her interest in print design. Li felt even more empowered to pursue an arts career because they took art classes in high school and were even encouraged to attend art school by their teachers. She said the design media arts program has given her ample opportunities to discover a medley of techniques for shaping her artistry, such as 3D modeling and game making. But their choice to change majors came with some pushback.

Meanwhile, Milburn has stayed resolutely involved in the Herb Alpert School of Music since receiving his doctorate from UCLA in 2009. He said the pandemic helped reframe how our society thinks about the arts. Milburn believes the worldwide quarantines – which caused a dearth of performances – led countless people to realize their appreciation for live arts. At the height of the pandemic, he asked his students about where they thought the music industry would land.

“They didn’t think that, ‘Well, music is gone, and now it’s going to evaporate’,” Milburn said. “They felt like people were going to be more encouraged to take advantage of it than they had been before.” ♦