CalArts: Based on a True Story by California Institute of the Arts

Based on a True Story

The Pool Issue 12 — Spring 2023

CHARACTER DESIGNER HEIDI SMITH BASED THE MAIN CHARACTER IN PARANORMAN ON CRITICAL STUDIES FACULTY NORMAN KLEIN, WHO WAS ONE OF HER FAVORITE PROFESSORS.

The first academic year of CalArts took place in 1970, on the campus of a former Catholic girls high school in Burbank called Villa Cabrini.

For most of the 1970s, the CalArts Spring Fair welcomed thousands of people to campus for a weekend-long event featuring booths, vendors, performances, food, and more.

Alison Knowles’ piece 99 Red was first staged on the CalArts tennis court. Consisting of 99 apples placed in three lines, the piece invited participants to take an apple if they had something to put in its place. One person left their car keys because they’d always wanted to walk to work.

TWO UP-AND-COMING BANDS—LOS LOBOS & THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS—PLAYED THE CALARTS HALLOWEEN PARTY IN 1982.

Sitar faculty Amiya Dasgupta, a student of renowned player and 1985 CalArts honorary degree recipient Ravi Shankar, came up around the time of The Beatles. A close friend of George Harrison’s, he also played tabla on the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band track “Within You Without You.” Dasgupta taught at CalArts for two decades, during which he’s said to have founded and conducted the North Indian Music Ensemble.

Credit: Mallory Strong

Credit: CalArts Poster Archive

SCHOOL OF FILM/VIDEO FACULTY DON LEVY TAUGHT A CLASS CALLED SEX, VIOLENCE, AND EXPONENTIAL NIRVANA, SAID TO BE

ACROSS THE INSTITUTE WANTED TO ENROLL. LEVY ARRIVED ON CAMPUS AMID CENSORSHIP THREATS FROM STUDIOS ABOUT HIS FILMS, .

IN CLASS, HE SCREENED FILMS THAT WERE BANNED IN HIS HOME COUNTRY OF AUSTRALIA

At graduation in 1980, one of the graduates pretended to cut off his own hand, which resulted in fake blood spurting onto CalArts President Bob Fitzpatrick’s suit. The student was then picked up by a helicopter and flown away. Later, during the same ceremony, Fitzpatrick took to the air himself, piloting his own hot air balloon. However, the president neglected to make arrangements for his return to campus after he landed his balloon and was unable to hitchhike back because he was drenched in fake blood from the earlier incident, and nobody was willing to pick him up.

AT A WEEKEND WORKSHOP LED BY ANDRÉ GREGORY, STUDENTS HAD TO FORGET ALL OF THEIR SOCIAL LEARNING AND CREATE

FROM SCRATCH (INCLUDING A BASIC LANGUAGE) BEFORE BEING ALLOWED TO LEAVE.

Is this Tim Burton’s door in

Chouinard

The CalArts pool opened in the summer of 1974.

CALARTS: BASED ON A TRUE STORY

CHARACTER DESIGNER HEIDI SMITH BASED THE MAIN CHARACTER IN PARANORMAN ON CRITICAL STUDIES FACULTY NORMAN KLEIN, WHO WAS ONE

“I got that disco ball from a friend of mine in 2009 to use during the CSSSA (California State Summer School for the Arts) dances. Because it’s so big, I had nowhere to put it so I keep it hanging in the Main Gallery. It’s been used at every event since then. Like a lot of things at CalArts, if you put something up, everyone assumes it’s supposed to be there. If I had my way, every room would have a disco ball in it. It just seems right.”

Michael Darling Faculty and Technical Director, School of Theater

F200 has served as a pop-up concert venue over the years, including playing host to the Henry Rollins-fronted hardcore punk band Black Flag on Nov. 11, 1982, and the noise punk group No Age on March 4, 2013. Credit: Mallory Strong Alison Knowles’ piece 99 Red was first staged on the CalArts tennis court. Consisting of 99 apples placed in three lines, the piece invited participants to take an apple if they had something to put in its place. One person left their car keys because they’d always wanted to walk to work. The first academic year of CalArts took place in 1970, on the campus of a former Catholic girls high school in Burbank called Villa Cabrini. OF HER FAVORITE PROFESSORS.

SCHOOL OF FILM/VIDEO FACULTY DON LEVY TAUGHT A CLASS CALLED SEX, VIOLENCE, AND EXPONENTIAL NIRVANA, SAID TO BE

ACROSS THE INSTITUTE WANTED TO ENROLL. LEVY ARRIVED ON CAMPUS AMID CENSORSHIP

BANNED IN HIS HOME COUNTRY OF AUSTRALIA

AT A WEEKEND WORKSHOP LED BY ANDRÉ GREGORY, STUDENTS

SOCIAL LEARNING AND CREATE FROM SCRATCH (INCLUDING A BASIC LANGUAGE) BEFORE BEING ALLOWED TO LEAVE.

Is this Tim Burton’s door in Chouinard or an homage to the director? The CalArts pool opened in the summer of 1974.

CALARTS: BASED ON A TRUE STORY

04 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 05LETTER FROM THEPRESIDENT Find additional stories and bonus content online at thepool.calarts.edu.

30 THE FUTURES OF MUSIC

12 FROM MEISNER TO THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE: A CONVERSATION WITH DON CHEADLE

18 FLAMIN’ HOT CHEETOS TAKE CENTER STAGE IN JAZMÍNWORKURREA’S

22AGENCY INACTION: CALARTIANS’ CONSERVATION INJOSHUA TREE

26 BUILDING THE HAUS OF SUGAR: JASMINE SUGAR TALKS DANCE, DRAG, AND FACING THE FEAR

32 THE CENTER FOR NEW PERFORMANCE CELEBRATES TWO DECADES OF ARTISTS

34 READY FOR ITS CLOSEUP: CALARTS IN CLASSIC FILM & TV

06 THE BUZZ

CalArts: Based on a True Story

THE POOL

CalArts' 50 th Anniversary Edition

ISSUE 12 — Spring 2023

Published by the Office of Marketing & Communications at CalArts

thepool.calarts.edu

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Christine N. Ziemba

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Greg Houle

Stuart Smith, Creative Direction (art MFa 02)

Taya Zoormandan

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Rose Andersen (CritiCal StudieS MFa 18)

Katie Dunham

Juliet Bennett Rylah

Jo Siri (theater BFa 22)

Adam Smeltz

COPY EDITOR

Caroline Pardilla

ART DIRECTION & DESIGN

Handbuilt Studio, Los Angeles

Juliette Bellocq (art MFa 00)

Brooke Irish (art BFa 14)

Makena Janssen (art MFa 22)

PHOTOGRAPHY

Rafael Hernandez (art BFa 11)

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Debbie Stears

PRINTING

Clear Image Printing Co., Sylmar

TYPEFACES

Swear OH no Type Company

Degular OH no Type Company

Sunset Gothic Colophon Foundry

Space Mono Colophon Foundry

Founders Grotesk Klim Type Foundry

PRESIDENT

Ravi S. Rajan

VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER

Natalie Farrar Adams

VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Ann Wiens

From the Editor

This issue of The Pool commemorates CalArts’ 50th anniversary in Valencia. Or, as I and many others on campus like to affectionately call it: our 50ish anniversary (with an emphasis on the -ish). CalArts has long been associated with myth, legends, and lore—a history that’s sometimes hazy and chaotic— and our origin story is no different. In fact, there are several firsts associated with the formation of the Institute:

• 1961: When California Institute of the Arts was incorporated as a result of a merger—guided by Walt Disney and his brother, Roy O. Disney—between the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, founded in 1883, and the Chouinard Art Institute, founded in 1921.

• 1969: Marking the groundbreaking of the campus in Valencia.

• 1970: When CalArts classes began at the interim campus at Villa Cabrini in Burbank.

• 1971: When the Valencia campus opened.

• 1972: When the first class graduated from CalArts. In a perfect world, we would have celebrated our 50th anniversary in Valencia in 2021. But we all know the world had other plans and hit pause for a couple years. So, as we return to the new normal, we’re celebrating our 50th … in 2023. CalArts has always made its own rules anyway: We operate on CalArts time.

In its return to print, this issue of The Pool is “Based on a True Story.” Flip through the pages to find pieces of CalArts’ (alt) history between our feature interviews, profiles, and news. We’ve unearthed items from the archives, researched rumors, and included factoids that may or may not be true. One story takes a fun peek at CalArts’ cameo appearances in film and TV shows from the 1970s and ’80s.

But this issue doesn’t solely dwell on the past. We also focus on CalArtians who are shaping the future—and looking at the bigger picture—through their work, from alums such as Don Cheadle (TheaTer BFa 86) and Jazmín Urrea (arT MFa 17) to faculty including our Herb Alpert School of Music Dean Volker Straebel. As artist-advocates, they’re modeling the world and the ways they want to see it. Like so many of our alums, they speak to the CalArts identity: forever a home to free expression and a place for artists to experiment. That part of CalArts is definitely based on a true story.

I hope you enjoy the stories and surprises in this issue of The Pool—and happy 50ish to the alabaster labyrinth* on the hill.

Christine N. Ziemba, Editor-in-Chief

*from CalArts’ alma mater find full lyrics in the magazine

Images not individually credited in this issue of The Pool are from the CalArts archives.

From the President:

There are a few constants that CalArts has come to love during our first 50 years in Valencia. Of them, change may be the most important.

After all, constant change drives the relentless creative experimentation at our core. Almost instinctively, we know that we’ll learn, transform, and push closer to truth and understanding only by continually testing—and shattering—our limits.

Now, over a half-century since California Institute of the Arts opened its doors to the world, our standing as the home for the most forward-thinking contemporary arts education hinges on how we engage with one another and the world in our next 50 years. In this one thing is certain: We can remain the leader in experimentation only if we become the standard-bearer for inclusivity, too.

Some call it radical inclusivity. I call it essential to our future. Our growth and artistic reinvention—our very ability to help the world see itself and its future—depend on how well we put our ideals around inclusivity, diversity, equity, and access into tangible action.

Our Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Cooperative has taken the lead on these and related goals. Its first action plan, now available on our website, explains the specific steps in the works and already underway.

To connect, we will amplify our historical strengths in collaboration across disciplines, finding more ways to link CalArts and CalArtians with networks and communities outside our own around the world. And to build, we are growing and improving our physical footprint. Renovations and new facilities will help bring our community of artists together for generations to come, equipping each with advanced tools to explore and fulfill their potential.

Together, these action axioms will support CalArts’ evolution into a new era—and affirm our community as an exemplary hub of insight and vision for a changed world.

Meeting minutes from Academic Council circa 1974.

In practical terms, this means executing on “Shaping CalArts’ Future,” the 2020 Strategic Framework that we began developing together, and the trustees approved, just before the COVID-19 pandemic. This roadmap for our future is unambiguous: Our highest priorities for the next few years center on diversifying, connecting, and building.

To diversify, we will continue to strengthen representation of a multitude of identities and perspectives among our faculty, students, and staff; enrich our curricula with cultural competencies; and reduce our dependence on tuition as we increase other revenue streams. By leaning less on tuition, we can begin to open new paths to the CalArts experience for more of the most promising, talented artists.

As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we embrace our history to inform and reenergize the direction ahead. To be CalArts—to be a CalArtian—is to be in perpetual forward motion, to cultivate and raise up the world as we imagine it can be. Especially in this moment, there is no more important calling.

For alumnx, faculty, and staff across many generations who have brought us this far, and to our students who will help create our future, my gratitude is deep. The transformation starts with all of us. Thank you for being part of it.

Ravi S. Rajan, President

“A general discussion ensued regarding the illiteracy problem among the students. Each council member was asked for an opinion as to how literacy affected students in various disciplines. Overall consensus of opinion was that literacy was not necessary for all students but would benefit most all students without taking from their talents.”

CalArts: Based on a True Story

THE POOL

CalArts' 50 th Anniversary Edition

ISSUE 12 — Spring 2023

Published by the Office of Marketing & Communications at CalArts

thepool.calarts.edu

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Christine N. Ziemba

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Greg Houle

Stuart Smith, Creative Direction (art MFa 02)

Taya Zoormandan

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Rose Andersen (CritiCal StudieS MFa 18)

Katie Dunham

Juliet Bennett Rylah

Jo Siri (theater BFa 22)

Adam Smeltz

COPY EDITOR

Caroline Pardilla

ART DIRECTION & DESIGN

Handbuilt Studio, Los Angeles

Juliette Bellocq (art MFa 00)

Brooke Irish (art BFa 14)

Makena Janssen (art MFa 22)

PHOTOGRAPHY

Rafael Hernandez (art BFa 11)

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Debbie Stears

PRINTING

Clear Image Printing Co., Sylmar

TYPEFACES

Swear OH no Type Company

Degular OH no Type Company

Sunset Gothic Colophon Foundry

Space Mono Colophon Foundry

Founders Grotesk Klim Type Foundry

PRESIDENT

Ravi S. Rajan

VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER

Natalie Farrar Adams

VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

• 1971: When the Valencia campus opened.

I hope you enjoy the stories and surprises in this issue of The Pool—and happy 50ish to the alabaster labyrinth* on the hill.

*from CalArts’ alma mater find full lyrics in the magazine

Christine N. Ziemba, Editor-in-Chief Ann Wiens Images not individually credited in this issue of The Pool are from the CalArts archives.

“There was this guy in the audience who was naked except for a boa constrictor wrapped around him. I was handing out the degrees then. And I’m terrified— terrified—of snakes. So the provost went down and asks the guy if he could leave the boa constrictor behind because the president is going to faint. And the guy said, ‘I can’t do that. I’d be naked.’”

President Emeritus Steven D. Lavine, speaking about a favorite CalArts moment in the Los Angeles Times, May 24, 2017.

From the President:

There are a few constants that CalArts has come to love during our first 50 years in Valencia. Of them, change may be the most important.

Together, these action axioms will support CalArts’ evolution into a new era—and affirm our community as an exemplary hub of insight and vision for a changed world.

Ravi S. Rajan, President

Recent news from the CalArts community

MINDY JOHNSON HONORED FOR ANIMATION HISTORY DISCOVERY

By Katie Dunham

This past February, the 50th Annual Annie Awards honored author, historian, filmmaker, and School of Film/Video faculty Mindy Johnson with one of their highest distinctions: the June Foray Award. Named for voice actor June Foray, who helped found both ASIFA-Hollywood (the International Animated Film Society) and the Annie Awards, the accolade—one of the Annie’s five juried awards—is bestowed upon those who have made a significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation.

Last year, Johnson, a leading expert on women’s roles in animation and film history, made a discovery that upended the understanding of animation history. Though film history has long held that the early pioneers of animation were all men, Johnson pieced together a new history of Bessie Mae Kelley, one of the earliest women to animate and direct in hand-drawn, cel-based animation.

“Women’s history, across the board, is not preserved very well. It’s saved, archived, and documented from men’s perspective. So, now, to have proof that a woman was there in the room from the very beginning of animation, working elbow to elbow with the people defining the field, is landmark. It’s a permanent shift in what we think about our collective animation history,” said Johnson.

While on a quest to learn more about the earliest female animators, Johnson came across a vaudeville periodical discussing Kelley, who traveled 1920s vaudeville circuits billed as “the only woman animator,” introducing audiences to the new world of cartoons. Later, when Johnson found a series of 1920s illustrations depicting the team at an early animation studio, she noticed a lone woman. Though others assumed the woman to be a secretary or cleaning lady, Johnson knew it had to be Kelley.

Kelley’s career, which began as early as 1917, found her working among titans in the field in Chicago, New York, and Boston. She collaborated with Paul Terry’s Aesop’s Fables, developed an early mouse couple called Milton and Mary, and even came close to a contract with Disney. Her surviving works are now credited as the earliest known hand-drawn films animated and directed by a woman. Last December, two of these recently restored works—a five-minute film “Flower Fairies” (1921) and the three-minute short “A Merry Christmas” (1922)— were screened at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Johnson soon plans to turn her discovery of Kelley’s work into a book and film.

In 2019, Johnson was honored with the Film Scholar Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Grant Foundation for continued research and writing on the contributions of the earliest women to animation. Her research also led to receiving an AEF Faculty Grant from the ASIFAHollywood’s Animation Educators Forum in 2020.

Johnson teaches a first-of-its-kind course on the history of women and underrepresented groups in animation at CalArts. She has also written and contributed to multiple books and plays, including the game-changing volume Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation.

“The more that I can present to my students the rich and diverse history of animation, the more they can see themselves in it and see space at the table for what they would bring to animation. It’s empowering,” said Johnson. ⁂

1. Mindy Johnson

– archival research: With an original animation production cel from Walt Disney’s Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs. © Manitou Prods.

2. Collection Elements

– Bessie Mae Kelley: Surviving materials from collection featuring early animation walk cycles of Avery and Walt Wallet, two of the lead characters of the 1918 Frank King comic strip series ‘Gasoline Alley.’ © Manitou Prods.

3. Bessie Mae Kelley

– “The Only Woman Animator”: Her vaudeville circular promotional photograph. © Manitou Prods.

The

1. 12 THE POOL — CALARTS' 50 TH ANNIVERSARY

BARRY SCHRADER REVISITS ARCHIVAL RECORDINGS FOR LOST ANALOG

By Christine N. Ziemba

Composer and CalArts Faculty Emeritus Barry Schrader (MuSiC MFa 71) released his latest album Lost Analog in October 2022. The album’s title not only references his 1977 album Lost Atlantis, but also holds a more literal meaning. “All of the works are analog electronic music, and parts of them are, indeed, lost,” Schrader writes in the album’s liner notes.

All of the music on Lost Analog is from archival recordings written and produced between 1972 and 1983 using the Buchla 200 analog modular synthesizer— nicknamed “The Electronic Music Box.” Originally created in four channels (colloquially known as quadraphonic sound), Schrader found that in mixing and remastering these pieces as stereo files for the new release, some of the “original aural intent” of the music had been lost. A few of the master tapes for the electronics still exist, but are unplayable due to tape deterioration. “As I write this, realizing that some of this music hasn’t been heard in public for almost 50 years, I’m taken back to much earlier days in my life and career, which, although remembered, are also lost, as are all of our pasts.”

The album’s 12 tracks are organized in four parts:

1. “Death of the Red Planet Suite” (1973) is from parts of a score for the short film “Death of the Red Planet.”

2. “Bestiary” (1972–74) is a five-movement work that draws on inspiration from mythological creatures found in medieval bestiaries—compendiums about real and fictitious animals.

3. “Classical Studies” (1977) features three short pieces that use abstractions of old musical forms: canon, chorale, and perpetuum mobile.

4. “Moon-Whales Suite” includes three sections of a larger work, “Moon-Whales and Other Moon-Songs” (1982–83), a seven-movement work for soprano and electronics. The album features the second, fourth, and sixth sections of the work. Schrader created the even-numbered movements for soprano accompanied by electronics, and the odd-numbered movements are for soprano solo followed by an electronic music section without voice.

Schrader, a composer who specializes in electro-acoustic music, earned his MFA in composition from CalArts in 1971. That same year, he was hired by founding Dean Mel Powell as faculty in CalArts’ School of Music, where he worked with other electronic musical greats including Morton Subotnick. Founder and the first president of SEAMUS (Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States), Schrader was presented with the SEAMUS Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. He retired from CalArts in 2016, after a 45-year teaching career with the Institute. ⁂

⁑ Listen to excerpts from Lost Analog at thepool.calarts.edu. ⁑

JANET SARBANES ON RADICAL DEMOCRACY AND THE RADICAL IMAGINARY IN LETTERS ON THE AUTONOMY PROJECT

By Christine N. Ziemba

Author Janet Sarbanes, faculty member in the School of Critical Studies, writes open letters to artists, academics, and activists (“Dear A”) in her newest book, Letters on the Autonomy Project (Punctum Books).

The subject matter is prescient given the rise of authoritarianism—and loss of autonomy—while at the same time we see renewed struggle against social, political, and economic inequity and injustice.

Rooted in political and aesthetic theory and history, and framed by the thought of Cornelius Castoriadis, Sarbanes’ book examines the possibilities for radical democracy and the radical social imaginary in our era, as well as for art. She asks, how can we understand political and artistic autonomies as linked (rather than diametrically opposed)? What role does pedagogy play in fostering self-determination? “Teaching at CalArts,” Sarbanes observes, “and researching and experiencing its particular legacy of radical pedagogy has definitely influenced my thinking and practice. One of the letters is dedicated to tracing that history.”

In the first open letter, she writes: One of the central aims of this book is to think through and recalibrate the relationship between art and politics by way of autonomy. Indeed, I believe we cannot face our current crisis of social imagination and political will without a better understanding of autonomy both as a concept and a practice. But just as importantly, this book was conceived in a moment of struggle, and it seeks to contribute to that struggle. Whatever the context of its reading, that is the context of its writing—this is a work of praxis. Some of these letters explore political and aesthetic theories of autonomy; others hearken back to the reignition of the radical social imaginary in the late sixties and early seventies, with special attention paid to Black Radical, Feminist, and Autonomist Marxist approaches to liberation; still others discuss the re-emergence of the radical imaginary in our own time, proof that another world is possible, dear A, every minute of every day.

When asked about the genesis of the book, she responds, “I really wanted to understand the times I was—and we are—living in, which seemed to me to be extraordinary. I was excited by the radical horizon that had been resurrected, the idea that we could change the whole of society, rather than bits and pieces of it here and there, and I felt grateful to be alive in a moment where new solidarities were emerging.

I chose the form of the open letter to reflect this fact, to invite the reader to think across struggles, and perhaps most importantly to suggest a radical horizon that expands with

each and every demand for self-determination, whether it issues forth from the Black liberation struggle, trans liberation struggle, or workers’ struggle, just a few of the examples considered in the book. I was also struck by how absent art appeared to be from the scene—not the work of individual artists per se but rather the presence of a strong counterculture that could feed these struggles and take them further (the relationship of the Black Arts Movement to the Black Power Movement in the ’60s is instructive here). If we’re living in a time when one of the dominant ideologies of neoliberal capitalism—hyperindividualism— is coming under real scrutiny, we’re going to have to ask some hard questions about the role of existing art institutions in upholding that ideology, as well as work to create new institutions that link individual and collective creativity in socially and politically liberatory ways.”

Sarbanes, the 2017 recipient of a Creative Capital/ Andy Warhol art writer’s grant, has also authored the short story collections Army of One and The Protester Has Been Released. Her art criticism and critical essays have been published in museum catalogs, anthologies, and journals including East of Borneo, Afterall, Popular Music and Society, and the Journal of Utopian Studies. Her essay on Shaker aesthetics and utopian communalism received the Eugenio Battisti prize from the Society for Utopian Studies.

CALARTS ALUMS NAMED 2023 UNITED STATES ARTISTS FELLOWS

By Christine N. Ziemba

In January, United States Artists (USA)—a Chicago-based national arts funding organization—announced its 2023 Fellows from 10 creative disciplines. CalArts alums Antoine Hunter aka Purple Fire Crow (DANCE 02) and Kite (MuSiC BFA 14) were among the 45 fellows who will receive $50,000 unrestricted cash awards. The USA Fellowship honors artists from all stages of their careers for their creative accomplishments and supports ongoing artistic and professional development in the following disciplines: Architecture & Design, Craft, Dance, Film, Media, Music, Theater & Performance, Traditional Arts, Visual Art, and Writing.

Hunter, who was featured in issue 3 of The Pool, is an internationally known producer, choreographer, director, and Deaf advocate. Named a 2023 USA Fellow in Dance, he emboldens his Urban Jazz Dance Company to “engage with audiences; empower Deaf and disabled communities; and advocate for human rights and access, working to end discrimination and prejudice.” While he cannot hear the music that accompanies his dances, Hunter has learned to experience and embody the music and beats.

The Oglála Lakĥóta performance artist, visual artist, composer, and academic Kite, awarded a 2023 USA Fellowship for Media, is one of the first American Indian artists to use machine learning in art practice. “Her groundbreaking scholarship and practice explore contemporary Lakota ontology through research-creation and performance. She often works in collaboration, especially with family and community members.”

Since 2006, United States Artists has awarded nearly 800 artists and cultural practitioners more than $38 million of direct support through its USA Fellowship flagship program. ⁂

⁂

14 THE POOL — CALARTS' 50 TH ANNIVERSARY

SCHOOL OF ART LAUNCHES ROSALIND HARRIS VISITING CRITIC PROGRAM

By Katie Dunham

Throughout the spring semester, CalArts’ School of Art welcomed scholar Nana Adusei-Poku, artist and CalArts alum Alicia Piller (art MFa 19), and artist-writer-musician

Devin Kenny as inaugural visiting critics in the Rosalind Harris Visiting Critic Program, part of the Charles Gaines Faculty Chair initiative. Each visiting critic participated in an oncampus residency that included free public talks, pedagogical workshops, and studio visits with CalArts students.

Adusei-Poku began the series in March with the lecture “Black Melancholia as Critical Practice.” Taking its title and theme from an exhibition curated by Adusei-Poku last summer at Bard College’s Center for Curatorial Studies in upstate New York, the exhibition brought together the work of 28 artists of African descent to expand and complicate the notion of “melancholy” in Western art history and cultures. The exhibition pushed beyond the iconography of melancholia as an art historical subject and psychoanalytical concept to subvert highly racialized discourses in which notions of longing, despair, sadness, and loss were not only pathologized but also reserved for white cis (fe-)male subjects. In her presentation, AduseiPoku discussed the larger research project in which Black melancholia is embedded through the exhibition itself, various case studies, as well as methodological challenges in African diasporic art history.

During her Distinguished Alumnx Lecture “Journey to Materiality,” Piller discussed her art practice and her own blueprint for creation and navigation, going back in time while moving us forward on her continued voyage. Noted for her large-scale mixed-media sculptures, Piller’s practice examines historical traumas, both political and environmental, through the lens of a microscope.

Kenny’s talk aligned with his current research that proposes the syncretic cultures of the Black Atlantic as a forerunner to the logic of contemporary network culture and uses that as a launchpad for social and aesthetic critique. By fluctuating between the research-responsive and the intuitive, and frequently with sharp humor, Kenny uses a wide modality of mediums and modes of distribution to complicate ideas on contemporary culture as it has been impacted by network technology by “any means possible.”

In August 2020, philanthropist Eileen Harris Norton honored artist and longtime CalArts faculty Charles Gaines with a $5 million gift to create the Charles Gaines Faculty Chair and related programming. The gift facilitates further professional development for Black and other underrepresented faculty members in the School of Art through its support of research, creative activities, and curriculum innovation, which includes the new visiting critic program.

“We are at a sociopolitical moment in which diversity cannot just be about appearance. We need deep, varied, complex approaches to Black study and experimentalism,” said Steven Lam, Kraus Family Distinguished Dean Chair of Art. These three visiting critics each addressed how artistic work can challenge the aftereffects of racial capitalism through examinations of the curatorial archive, everyday experiments in the studio, or explorations with style and technology.

Lam continues, “We look forward to working with the Eileen Norton Harris Foundation to develop the Charles Gaines Faculty Chair in the years to come.” ⁂

4. Photo: Courtesy of Punctum Books 5. Alicia Piller, Devin Kenny, and Nana Adusei-Poku

ADRIANO PEDROSA NAMED CURATOR OF THE 60th INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION OF LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA

By Christine N. Ziemba

December was a banner month for museum director and CalArts alum Adriano Pedrosa (art-CritiCal StudieS MFa 95). The board of La Biennale di Venezia and its President Roberto Cicutto named Pedrosa—currently the artistic director of Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) in Brazil—as curator of the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, scheduled to open in April 2024. And just a few weeks before the Biennale announcement, Pedrosa was selected as the recipient of the 2023 Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence. Presented by the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College in New York, the award is accompanied by a $25,000 prize. Pedrosa was honored by the CCS Bard Board of Governors at a gala dinner on April 3.

For both honors, Pedrosa was recognized for his extensive curatorial experience and a career that has been marked by innovative thinking, fearless vision, and thoughtprovoking examination of history. Prior to his work at MASP, Pedrosa was adjunct curator of the 24th Bienal de São Paulo (1998), curator in charge of exhibitions and collections at Museu de Arte da Pampulha, Belo Horizonte (2000–2003), co-curator of the 27th Bienal de São Paulo (2006), and curator of the São Paulo pavilion at the 9th Shanghai Biennale (2012).

The Biennale is certainly the most important platform for contemporary art in the world, and it is an exciting challenge and a responsibility to embark on this project. I look forward to bringing artists to Venice and realizing their projects, as well as to working with the Biennale’s great team.

Pedrosa’s work with the Biennale includes organizing the large-scale group show as well as dozens of independently organized national exhibitions. The Biennale Arte 2024 is scheduled to open on Saturday, April 20, running through Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. ⁂

THE FALL AND RISE OF THE ANIMATION A-BLOCK

By Greg Houle

A-Block, the wing of CalArts’ Main Building that has been the stomping grounds for decades of storied animation artists—including such highly accomplished filmmakers as Tim Burton, Lauren Faust, Jorge Gutierrez, Pete Docter, John Lasseter, and Brenda Chapman—was struck by a unique tragedy on June 5, 2021. It was on a quiet Saturday when a decades-old cooling tower located on the fifth floor malfunctioned and overflowed, causing a substantial amount of water to spill down into the spaces below.

Thankfully, nobody was injured. But the place where hundreds of current undergraduate and graduate students hone their crafts—including A221 and A115 that are used by the Institute’s two renowned animation programs, Character Animation and Experimental Animation, as well as The Herb Alpert School of Music’s famed Gamelan Room— was rendered completely unusable.

“I remember essentially watching ‘rain’ falling in three of the faculty offices,” Abigail Severance, the dean of the School of Film/Video, said about that day.

This devastating event presented administrators, particularly Severance and the School of Film/Video’s Director of Technology and Operations Nathan Crow, with an unenviable predicament. Suddenly, they would need to find a new space for their hundreds of animation students to work during the upcoming fall 2021 semester and beyond. Luckily, a suitable spot was found at the former Princess Cruise Corporation offices in the Valencia Town Center just a few miles from campus. That space, among other things, once held a small-scale replica of television’s famous “Love Boat.”

As a writer, Pedrosa has been published in Artforum, Art Nexus (Bogotá), Bomb, Frieze (London), and The Exhibitionist (Berlin), among others. In 2013, Pedrosa worked with artist and CalArts faculty emeritus Leslie Dick to create the volume: A List of Students Enrolled in Post Studio Art, with Michael Asher at CalArts 1976–2008. The late artist and faculty member Asher was famously known for critiques in his Post Studio Art course, which could stretch from 10 am until evening. All proceeds from the sale of the book were donated to the Michael Asher Scholarship Fund at CalArts.

In a press statement about his appointment as curator of the Biennale Arte 2024, the world’s longest-running contemporary art exhibition, Pedrosa noted:

I am honored and humbled by this prestigious appointment, especially as the first Latin American to curate the International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, and in fact the first one based in the Southern Hemisphere.

In the meantime, A-Block needed to be rebuilt. There was a silver lining to this tragedy, however: The flood presented an opportunity to remake a long-outdated facility, replacing it with a modern 21st-century workspace designed to meet the needs of current-day animators. Severance and her team got to work. But first they wanted to be sure that the redesigned space would support the development of their artists and help to set them up for success in the future. With that in mind, the team consulted with a major animation studio as well as with students, faculty, and staff in both the undergraduate and graduate Character Animation and Experimental Animation programs.

“We got some really terrific support from the administration to evaluate what our needs for these two really important programs are,” Crow said.

Their careful evaluation has led to a thoughtful and intentional new design for A-Block that takes into account

6. Photo: Adriano Pedrosa by Daniel Cabrel, courtesy of MASP

16 THE POOL — CALARTS' 50 TH ANNIVERSARY

three main priorities: creating a space that is flexible and adaptable based on current and future needs; ensuring that the space artfully incorporates technology; and making certain that the well-being of students is considered by incorporating a variety of environments, including natural light, community gathering spaces, as well as quiet spaces.

Phase one of the A-Block’s construction is scheduled for completion in May. And while the new offices and cubicle spaces may not have the historic, “lived in” charms that it once contained, the updated and modern A-Block stands ready for students to make art and films that will become part of CalArts’ grand legacy.

⁑ Architectural renderings, courtesy of HGA ⁑

Architectural renderings, courtesy of HGA ⁑

⁂

ADRIANO PEDROSA NAMED CURATOR OF THE 60th INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION OF LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA

By Christine N. Ziemba

(Art-Critical Studies

MFA 95). The board of La Biennale di Venezia and its

The certainly most important platform for art in the world, it is an exciting challenge a responsibility embark on this project. I look forward bringing artists to Venice and realizing their projects, as well as to working with the Biennale’s great team.

THE FALL AND RISE OF THE ANIMATION A-BLOCK

By Greg Houle

“I remember essentially watching ‘rain’ falling in three of the faculty offices,” Abigail Severance, the dean of the School of Film/Video, said about that day.

Artforum, Art Nexus Bomb, Frieze (London), and The Exhibitionist

volume:

As a writer, Pedrosa has been published in Nexus (Bogotá), (Berlin), among others. In 2013, Pedrosa worked with artist and CalArts faculty emeritus Leslie Dick to create the volume: A List of Students Enrolled in Post Studio Art, with Michael Asher at CalArts 1976–2008.

Michael at CalArts 1976–2008. The late artist and his Post Studio Art course, which could stretch from 10 am

faculty member Asher was famously known for critiques in his Post Studio Art until evening. All proceeds from the sale of the book were donated to the Michael Asher Scholarship Fund at CalArts.

In a press statement about his appointment as curator of the Biennale Arte 2024, the world’s longest-running contemporary art exhibition, Pedrosa noted:

“We got some really terrific support from the administration to evaluate what our needs for these two really important programs are,” Crow said.

Their careful evaluation has led to a thoughtful and intentional new design for A-Block that takes into account

18 THE POOL — CALARTS' 50

6. Photo: Adriano Pedrosa by Daniel Cabrel, courtesy of MASP

60TH

A mysterious and strangely placed door, located on the fourth floor between the E400 theaters, has been the subject of a Reddit thread speculating on its purpose.

⁂

⁑ Architectural renderings, courtesy of HGA ⁑

A WITHCONVERSATION DON CHEADLE

CONVERSATIONWITH DON CHEADLE

When Don Cheadle ( t heater BF a 86) stepped from the stages of the Mod Theater and E400 to the sets of Hill Street Blues and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the late 1980s, CalArts was a very different place—or was it? Recent graduate Jo Siri ( t heater BF a 22) talked to Cheadle for The Pool about his journey as an artist, his influences, and the ongoing legacy of the CalArts Halloween party.

Jo Siri: First of all, I’d love to hear about your journey. What brought you to theater?

Don Chea D le: What brought me to theater was just the expression of a latent performer who then became an actual performer. My family was very creative, with a lot of frustrated artists that had never done it for real. But everybody sang and everybody was funny, and we loved messing around and being playful with one another.

When I got to elementary school, I met a teacher named Barbara Althouse who was sort of our music teacher, but she would do all the play productions, choir, and all of the creative arts. We did a production of Charlotte’s Web, and I played Templeton the Rat.

It was the first time I had experienced theater in a formal setting. I felt the power of the stage and the power of performance and the ability to transform not only yourself, but to take the audience on a journey.

I was also very fortunate to have a great high school teacher, Kathy Davis. I just talked to her a couple days ago, actually. She introduced me to Uta Hagen and [Sanford] Meisner and great playwrights. She realized that I had an aptitude for it and said, “If this is something that you actually want to pursue, you should study it formally. And these are some of the schools where you can study it.” So she’s the one who introduced me to CalArts as well as Carnegie Mellon and NYU, places that had strong acting programs like Northwestern and Yale.

FROM MEISNER TO

MARVEL

AINTERVIEWED BY Jo Siri (TheaT er BF a 22)

THE

CINEMATIC UNIVERSE:

Jo Siri: So it was through your high school teacher that you came to CalArts. Tell us more about that.

Don Chea D le: I had an audition at CalArts, and it was a really bad audition. I think I did a Molière. I kind of forgot the monologue halfway through and then thought, “OK, I’ll just improv.”

I’m used to jazz [laughs]. The dean stopped me and she’s like, “I don’t know what that was. It’s a wrap, basically. We’re good.” And I said, “No, no, no, I have another piece. Let me do my other piece!” It was from The Shadow Box. And she was like, “OK, that was really good—because you were outta here after that Molière thing.” But somehow I got accepted, and I went to CalArts and spent four years there studying.

Do you have a favorite moment that you hold onto from your four years at CalArts? A special play, a workshop, a teacher?

I had an amazing time at CalArts. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The friends I made there are still lifelong friends. Jesse Borrego ... his daughter is my goddaughter. She and my kids actually live together and are extremely close. Myself, Bruce Beatty, Geoff Thorne, Rhys Greene took the initiative and performed plays on our own in the Black Box Theater, no help from anybody. We just did ‘em. We did Fugard plays, ‘Master Harold’ ... and the Boys, and The Island, too. Everybody came. It was in one of those spaces above the Main Gallery … E400? Are they still up there? Yeah, they are. During my freshman year, there were amazing studentled projects in E400. Students got together and made beautiful work. Now usually they’re in the Coffee House, and it’s still the same thing. Really? That’s so wild. Yeah, those spaces were the space. Those were our main theater spaces. Those, and when you got to do something, obviously in The Mod, you’re like, “Whoa.” But most of our things were in those black-box spaces. CalArts hasn’t really changed much. I mean our Halloween party, my first year there, Los Lobos performed. And the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

No way. Are you serious?

Yeah, it was a great time. All of it. I loved Studio. I loved Tai Chi and took Tai Chi every year and learned the whole form. Sherry Tschernisch was one of my favorite teachers. Lou Florimonte, who was one of my favorite teachers. Wow. They do capoeira now. Where? That’s so wild.

It’s wild. They do it in the Main Gallery. I remember my freshman year, I was like, “Oh! OK, we’re serious. We’re getting down.” They would be straight up fighting in the Main Gallery.

Tai Chi really was something else that I took away from school that I love and still practice. When I got to school, I was 17. To have something like that, that was centering. That taught you how to just slow down and focus on one thing and tap into yourself. I thought it was a great addition to everything we were learning, and it was invaluable to me. I thought the program was very well constructed. It was hard, but it was really good.

I think my time at CalArts was all consuming. We were in the theater morning, noon, and night. When I attended CalArts, there wasn’t really an interdisciplinary program. On Wednesdays, our Critical Studies days, you had to take something in another métier, but actors weren’t doing movies for the most part, or doing voice-overs for animated shows. Some of us were doing that. But for the most part, we were doing Tai Chi, movement, speech, voice acting studios, script analysis, then crew; it was sunup to sundown.

Wednesday is still Critical Studies day for actors.

Which for us meant go to Ventura Beach and take mushrooms. But that’s off the record, right?

I mean, that’s still pretty similar. Yeah. OK. Then it’s on the record. What was your post-grad journey like in the acting industry?

Well, I think I had a pretty unique experience. I was very fortunate because when I graduated, I graduated with other actors, other young Black actors that were tight. We were the same type and we moved into LA kind of all together, kind of found places near each other. Some of us were roommates with each other and we would actually rush each other’s auditions. So if I had an audition,

Don in 1998 Photo by Chris Meeks

BEFORE HE JOINED CALARTS FACULTY, JOHN BALDESSARI

Every experience is different. We didn’t know that Ocean’s Eleven was gonna be anything when we did it. We were just like, “Oh, this is a cool movie.” And I’ve worked with Steven [Soderbergh] before, and we stayed in touch.

I would bring my other friends. If they had one, they’d bring us. The casting directors were really tripped out because obviously it’s like if you get a job, then your friend can’t get a job. And if your friend’s gonna get that job, then you can’t get the job. We’re not really in competition with each other for individual roles. And anyway, at least one of us needs to get it because we’re all borrowing money from each other so we can pay rent, right?

Somebody in this crew needs to get it, somebody needs the job. So I think what actually happened, interestingly enough, was that we kind of became the darlings of these casting directors at the time, because we’d all show up as a pack and hang out with them and be goofing around and they would watch us perform. And it was just a whole thing. So that was kind of unique.

I don’t think we ever know. And the same thing goes for Marvel. Nobody knew that it was gonna do what it did. It’s trickier, obviously, when you’re in something like that as opposed to something like Things Behind the Sun, where you’re very small. There’s no bells and whistles. You’re there for the love of the game. You’re not making any money, and you’re not there for that reason. You’re trying to tell a real specific and important story. Those are the ones that I really love being a part of. It’s sad that those are so hard to find, and no one’s really making them. You have to grind so hard to get those made. It’s fun doing the Marvel stuff, and you get all of the bells and whistles and all the toys and all the cool shit to work with. In those movies, you’re working with a lot of good actors because a lot of strong actors are doing those movies now. At some point, everybody will be in a Marvel project, either on streaming or in the movies. But yes, they’re very different. At the core of it, though, you’re still trying to do the same thing. You’re still trying to find the truth of the character, the truth in the moment where you fit in the story.

GATHERED ALL OF HIS PAINTINGS IN HIS POSSESSION AND BURNED THEM. HE THEN FOLDED SOME OF THE ASHES INTO COOKIE DOUGH AND DISPLAYED THE BAKED COOKIES AS PART OF INFORMATION, A GROUNDBREAKING 1970 SURVEY OF CONCEPTUAL ART AT THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART IN NEW YORK.

You mentioned some of the other films that aren’t as appreciated and valued. As a storyteller, how does advocacy play a role in your work?

Let’s talk about your music and interdisciplinary practices in general. I loved you in Miles Ahead and Talk To Me. How have music and other practices besides acting played a role in your career? They work with one another. Language is music and a lot of what happens in script analysis. I think when you’re trying to understand not only a character but a story, there’s a lot that has to do with rhythm and there’s a lot that has to do with space, which is a big part of music as well as acting, obviously. Listening, being permeable, porous, and open, and allowing things to affect you. To be in this feedback loop of you affecting it, it affecting you. Finding that sweet spot where those things are just naturally happening. It’s magic when it happens.

You’ve been in a lot of films or stories that end up having such a wide audience—either cult classics or giant projects. What is it like as an actor being in something like Boogie Nights or something like Ocean’s Eleven that has a cult-classic feel to it, as opposed to something like Marvel films, which have become part of a giant Disney conglomerate?

As a producer, I’m always trying to support those voices and trying to center those who have not been centered and bring people to the table that, as you say, are often overlooked. As an actor, I’m often trying to find those storylines within that. It’s not just in front of the camera. I have a diversity mandate and have had one long before that became a thing to do. Always trying to make sure that the crews look like the world and that we always have people that are allies. That’s a big part of it. In this post-George Floyd moment, a lot of companies started having these wake-up calls and looking at their practices and realizing, “Wow, we’re not participating in the world in a way that’s conducive to really supporting everyone.” Some have done a 180. What I also feel now is there’s been kind of a blacklash, proceeding back to the normal that it was prior to this. We’re still struggling to find space and create opportunities for people. That’s always been, and not just in my professional life but in my personal life, something that’s important to support.

Don Cheadle & David Duensing Photos: Paula Riff

Jo Siri: So it was through your high school teacher that you came to CalArts. Tell us more about that.

Don Chea D le: I had an audition at CalArts, and it was a really bad audition. I think I did a Molière. I kind of forgot the monologue halfway through and then thought, “OK, I’ll just improv.”

I’m used to jazz [laughs]. The dean stopped me and she’s like, “I don’t know what that was. It’s a wrap, basically. We’re good.” And I said, “No, no, no, I have another piece. Let me do my other piece!” It was from The Shadow Box And she was like, “OK, that was really good—because you were outta here after that Molière thing.” But somehow I got accepted, and I went to CalArts and spent four years there studying. Do you have a favorite moment that you hold onto from your four years at CalArts? A special play, a workshop, a teacher?

I had an amazing time at CalArts. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The friends I made there are still lifelong friends. Jesse Borrego ... his daughter is my goddaughter. She and my kids actually live together and are extremely close. Myself, Bruce Beatty, Geoff Thorne, Rhys Greene took the initiative and performed plays on our own in the Black Box Theater, no help from anybody. We just did ‘em. We did Fugard plays, ‘Master Harold’ ... and the Boys, The Island, too. Everybody came. It was in one of those spaces above the Main Gallery … E400? Are they still up there? Yeah, they are. During my freshman year, there were amazing studentled projects in E400. Students got together and made beautiful work. Now usually they’re in the Coffee House, and it’s still the same thing. Really? That’s so wild. Yeah, those spaces were the space. Those were our main theater spaces. Those, and when you got to do something, obviously in The Mod, you’re like, “Whoa.” But most of our things were in those black-box spaces. CalArts hasn’t really changed much. I mean our Halloween party, my first year there, Los Lobos performed. And the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

No way. Are you serious?

Yeah, it was a great time. All of it. I loved

During Robert Benedetti’s immersive theater production of Kafka’s The Trial, several audience groups bonded so strongly with Joseph K. that they obstructed the warders from killing their protagonist in the final scene.

You mentioned some of the other films that aren’t as appreciated and valued. As a storyteller, how does advocacy play a role in your work?

Don Cheadle & David Duensing Photos: Paula Riff

Jo Siri: What movies and music inspired you growing up?

Don Chea D le: I’ve always been into jazz from a very young age and was listening to the albums that my parents had—Miles Davis; Earth, Wind & Fire; The Spinners; as well as classical albums. My parents were pretty eclectic, and it just continued from there. I loved the artistry. I love listening to people who can really play their instruments and really do their thing. I still have a pretty eclectic palate for the music that I love. So we were listening to everything.

In terms of movies, I was very fortunate to grow up during a golden age: ‘70s movies—The Godfather, Dog Day Afternoon—you can go down the line. Great filmmakers and great stories. That’s what I grew up on. I really miss that kind of storytelling and that kind of attention to detail and taking your time. The Godfather was on the other day, and you look at the sequence where he finds the horse’s head in his bed, how long it takes to actually get to the horse’s head. They would cut that all out today. We don’t have the attention span. And social media and every aspect of our popular culture has, I believe, just undercut our ability to sit in something, not want to rush to the end. It’s sad because I think we’ve missed out on a lot in the desire to make sure that somebody doesn’t change the channel or make sure that somebody doesn’t get bored. Is there an actor that inspired you? My dad said you reminded him of Paul Robeson when he first saw you on screen. He was really taken aback by your performance. Wow, that’s amazing. I mean, a lot of them. The great ones, right? Denzel [Washington], Laurence Fishburne, a great performer. Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro. I think Maggie Gyllenhaal is really good. Gary Oldman is amazing. Tom Hardy.

I do think they’re few and far between, right? There’s not a ton of amazing anythings—doctors, painters, lawyers. It’s not easy to be excellent and stand out in your field. I think that when you do it, it’s because of not just your practice and your study and your focus, but there’s something also that’s nebulous. You can’t necessarily determine what it is that makes someone compelling to watch.

What’s your hope for the future of the industry?

You’ve mentioned in past interviews that this is a very different industry than when you started.

I think it cuts both ways right now. It’s a very good time to try to be a part of this because there are so many platforms and there are so many places that are desperate for content and that need performers and actors and creatives, writers. All of these different seats need to be filled for all these different projects. There’s always going to be the crucible that you have to figure out how to get through, but at least there’s more opportunities. Now let me qualify that by saying, as I said earlier, at the same time I see that potentially the window is closing, so it’s high time to do it now. We’re seeing something that never would happen when I came out. Now when people wanna cast you in a movie they are checking how many followers you have on social media, and that could be a determining factor on whether you get a gig or not, which is bananas to me.

To wrap up, I want to thank you for your continued work in theater—I know you still are continuing with things like Strange Loop. Thank you for your work in film, obviously for many reasons. Thank you for your involvement in the community at CalArts specifically, and the work you do on the Board of Trustees. I also want to thank you for supporting marginalized voices. Hosting Saturday Night Live and choosing to wear the “Protect Trans Kids” shirt was very powerful. It was a proud day for CalArts. It’s such a simple and important thing to say. It’s crazy that it’s radical, but it was. Thank you for that work, and thank you for your time today as well.

Thank you very much. I appreciate that. ⁂

Don Cheadle’s Prolific Career (So Far)

BY Greg Houle

Don Cheadle hosted Saturday Night Live in 2019 and wore a statement.

’86 ’90 ’00 ’04 ’07 ’10 ’15 ’19 ’21 ’22

’ Upon graduating from CalArts, Don Cheadle (TheaTer BFa 86) scored supporting roles in such decade-defining television series as Fame, Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Night Court, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, as well as the Vietnam War-era film Hamburger Hill and the action movie Colors. ’ By the early 1990s, Cheadle had booked his first starring role, in the The Golden Girls spinoff The Golden Palace, which aired for two seasons on CBS. ’ His first major film role came in 1995, alongside Denzel Washington in Devil in a Blue Dress. That performance caught the attention of critics, earning him Best Supporting Actor awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics, as well as nominations from the Screen Actors Guild and the NAACP Image Awards. ’ By the late 1990s and early 2000s, Cheadle had become a prolific actor, appearing in a range of popular and critically acclaimed films, including Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights and the Steven Soderbergh projects Traffic and Ocean’s Eleven. ’ In 2004, Cheadle’s much-lauded performance as activist Paul Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda garnered Best Actor nominations from the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Screen Actors Guild. That same year, he also appeared in, and co-produced, the eventual Academy Award-winning Best Picture, Crash, where he also earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He received a 2004 Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album for his narration of the Walter Mosley novel Fear Itself. ’ An outspoken activist and humanitarian, Cheadle co-founded the nongovernmental relief organization Not on Our Watch with George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, David Pressman, and Jerry Weintraub, with the goal of bringing attention and aid to those suffering atrocities in Darfur and around the world. He received a BET Humanitarian Award and the Peace Summit Award by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates for his work in support of the people of Darfur and Rwanda in 2007. Cheadle also serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme, among other charitable activities. ’ In 2010, Cheadle began starring in the blockbuster Marvel franchises: Iron Man, Avengers, and Captain America. To date, Cheadle, as James Rhodes/War Machine, has appeared in seven Marvel films.

’ In 2015, the actor made his directorial debut—as well as co-writing, co-producing, and starring as Miles Davis— in the unconventional biopic Miles Ahead. ’ On the small screen, Cheadle earned a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series and an NAACP Image Award for his performance as Marty Kaan in House of Lies, which he executive produced for its five seasons on Showtime. From 2019 to 2021, Cheadle starred in and executive produced the series Black Monday, also on Showtime. ’ In addition to his work as an actor, director, and producer for films and television, Cheadle produced the 2022 Tonywinning Broadway musical A Strange Loop

Photo: Screenshot via CNN

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

BY Juliet Bennett Rylah PORTRAIT BY Rafael Hernandez

Alarge kiddie-sized pool filled to the brim with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Cardboard cut-outs celebrating a quinceañera. At first, they don’t seem to have much in common. But both connect to themes that run through much of Jazmín Urrea’s visually striking work: an exploration of her Mexican and Honduran cultures and food. “Food makes it

Urrea (arT MFa 17) grew up in South Los Angeles, where she lives to this day. It was here, during a senior-year journalism class, that she developed an interest in photography, capturing images to accompany articles. It was also where, in middle school, she and her friends stopped at convenience stores before and after school to fill up on Gatorade, spicy candies, and her favorite snack: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. We’re not talking about those little vending machine baggies. We’re talking jumbosize bags, which she’d consume all day long. Eventually she reached a point where she was subsisting mainly on Cheetos, swapping them for breakfast and snacking between and after lunch and dinner. Dessert? Hot Cheetos.

One night, Urrea woke up shivering and her mother took her to the ER. At first, doctors weren’t sure what was causing Urrea’s symptoms. But ultimately they determined her appendix was about to burst. She went into emergency surgery where doctors removed it. “The doctors told my mom that it was my diet,” she said. “Essentially, the dyes and the Cheetos irritated my appendix.” The worst part? “As I was recovering, I was literally asking them, ‘So, I can still eat hot Cheetos, right?’” Yes, they told her, in moderation.

But as a kid, Urrea really had no guidance as to what a balanced or healthy diet entailed. She also had no idea that she lived in a food desert: an urban area where access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food is limited, which can lead to a variety of health conditions, including diabetes and hypertension.

A 2018 study from the Center for Urban Resilience and Loyola Marymount University found that while South LA grocery stores had fresh, local produce, such stores were few and far between. About 94% of all food stores were actually convenience stores. There were also 12.5 times more fast food restaurants than grocery stores. For Urrea, if it hadn’t been Cheetos, it likely would have been another highly processed snack.

It wasn’t until she began carpooling and driving between her South LA home and CalArts that, she says, “I started seeing how much more accessible grocery stores and healthier foods were in Santa Clarita and Valencia.” Her work since has often explored the concept of food deserts and her personal experience living within them, often imagining them as “alien landscapes.”

In Imperishable, part of LA’s 2019 Public Art Triennial Current: LA Food, which featured art installations across 15 public parks, Urrea filled six 8-foot-tall Plexiglas towers with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. They stood in a circle in South LA’s Martin Luther King Jr. Park. She describes the piece as one of the most difficult she’s made, requiring her to work with a structural engineer and a construction crew to ensure the pillars and their concrete bases wouldn’t collapse. Though individual Cheetos seem airy, each tower weighed between 800 and 1,000 pounds. “I wanted you to feel like you were encased by Cheetos—a sense of drowning in them,” Urrea says. “I just wanted you to feel what it’s like to live in that world—surrounded by so much of something that is considered super bad for you. It’s standing as a representation of what certain communities are facing.”

Other works have incorporated Cheetos as well. In RED 40, Urrea’s 2017 CalArts thesis project, she filled a pool with about 300 pounds of the puffed cornmeal. The title comes from the particular artificial dye that gives Flamin’ Hot Cheetos their searing red color.

In I Saw Red at Gallery Sade in Lincoln Heights, Cheetos lined the floor of a Technicolor labyrinth, its walls plastered with photographs of candies. Cheetos crunched underfoot as guests navigated the maze, filling the air with what Urrea describes as the snack’s “pungent, disturbing odor.” (Weirdly, some people asked if they could eat them. Urrea had to warn them that they weren’t exactly in a sanitary setting.)

ARTWORK PHOTOGRAPHY

Jazmín Urrea

I wanted you to feel like you were encased by Cheetos—a sense of drowning in them .… to feel what it’s like to live in that world— surrounded by so much of something that is considered super bad for you.

—Jazmín Urrea

so you can relate with everyone,” she says. “Everyone has a food story.”

RED 40

After dabbling in photography in high school, Urrea enrolled at Cal State Long Beach, where she earned a BA in Fine Art Photography (2014). “I always like to say that photography gave me an outlet to turn the camera on myself, to immediately document all of my surroundings and just explore my environment,” she says. “It was a gateway to explore all these different narratives.”

During her undergrad years, she began taking self-portraits in which she cast herself as a variety of stereotypes often directed at Latinos/Latinx people like her and her family. “People would assume I was gonna be a chola or that I was gonna end up pregnant and drop out of school,” she says. She turned those self-portraits into life-size cardboard cutouts, then photographed them in various real-world scenes: a leering construction worker standing on a loading dock, a pregnant woman in a tube top flashing the peace sign outside a discount fashion store, a woman in a low-cut top and blonde wig smiling in the front window of a trendy boutique.

After graduating, Urrea took a gap year before applying to a handful of art schools. When she received her acceptance letter from CalArts, she was “ecstatic.” To honor the achievement, she wanted to create another cutout piece that, rather than addressing stereotypes, paid tribute to her background, “like a coming-of-age celebration.”

Well before they reached Urrea’s age, many Latinas would have had a quinceañera, a coming-of-age celebration that marks a girl’s transition to womanhood on her 15th birthday. For the occasion, the girl usually dons a beautiful dress and is surrounded by family and friends. The tradition is marked with lots of food, photos, and dancing.

Urrea’s mother, however, found quinceañeras unnecessary, so Urrea never had one—but her cutouts did.

For Quince Años, Urrea posed her cutouts in CalArts’ Main Gallery and lit them like performers on a stage, where they stood greeting entrants with their smiles. Urrea put herself in every cut-out: the birthday girl in a

RED 40

I Saw Red

beaded white dress and tiara with her court of honor. The artist wore burgundy dresses and heels as the girls and black tuxes as the boys. For the show’s opening, she threw, well, a quinceañera replete with music, tamales, and horchata. She enjoyed explaining her piece during critiques to those from other cultures who were unfamiliar with the custom, as well as hearing from those who thanked her for showcasing their shared backgrounds. “And because I had been working with negative associations of being a Latina, it was uplifting having that conversation of positivity,” she said.

Throughout her time at CalArts, Urrea appreciated its supportive faculty and the freedom to explore. “I wouldn’t say necessarily everyone understood what I was doing, but they were definitely supportive, like, ‘No, go for it. This is what you’re here for,’” she says with a laugh.

She particularly enjoyed the mentorship of artist Harry Gamboa Jr., co-director of the Program in Photography and Media, whom she’d admired and hoped to work with when applying to CalArts. She recalls field trips exploring Downtown Los Angeles by Metro and on foot as part of his LA Urbanscape course, and how he frequently told stories about his life experiences, which would ultimately help her figure out what she was doing in her own work. “At first, you’re like, ‘Wait, why am I listening to this story?’ But then somehow, it comes full circle,” she says. “I’m an LA girl, Harry is an LA person. I think our experiences really helped create a strong relationship, and I was really happy that he was my mentor.”

The goal of LA Urbanscape, Gamboa says, is to introduce students to “the broad socioeconomic spectrum of LA.” He remembers that Urrea accompanied him on his longest exploration, a 12-hour journey from East LA to Beverly HIlls. “Along the way, we were talking about what it is to attribute an experience to a particular space,” he recalls. “She was reflecting on a lot of that, and I think it was during that that she really started talking about her own experiences of having an adverse effect from eating too many hot Cheetos.”

Gamboa was in Europe as Urrea assembled RED 40, but he was able to see the piece shortly before the show opened at CalArts. “It looked like that work could have been anywhere in Paris or Berlin or Stockholm,” he said. “I told her this work looks like it’s ready for a museum. Not everyone gets to the top of the learning curve so quickly.” He recommended she reach out to local journalists. She did, and several outlets covered the project. A month later, Gamboa returned to Europe, where “all the young students were excited I knew Jazmín Urrea.”

Urrea often misses the structure of academia and the collaborative environment of creative individuals who are constantly seeing and discussing one another’s work. But she hasn’t left academia entirely behind. Urrea taught classes with Artworx LA, a nonprofit that offers arts programming to LA students, before the pandemic shut down in-person education. She’s now working at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena in the graduate art department. She runs the print lab and does exhibition photography, and she has the option to teach. “I just haven’t figured out what I’d like to teach,” she says.

The artist eventually plans to revisit her cut-outs and would love to do more public artwork akin to Imperishable “It gave me the opportunity to bring my work to a different audience,” she says. “I loved being able to have different conversations and provide a platform for people to be able to share their stories.”

In the more immediate future, Urrea is working on a new sculpture series incorporating candy—and diving back into the Cheetos pool. Her newest iteration of RED 40 is part of this spring’s Mexicali Biennial, on view through May at The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum. ⁂

Recent Sculptures

I’m an LA girl, Harry is an LA person. I think our experiences really helped create a strong relationship, and I was really happy that he was my mentor.

—Jazmín Urrea

CALARTIANS’

AGENCY IN ACTION: Doing their part to solve an overwhelming problem, and finding hope and inspiration in the process

CALARTIANS’

AGENCY IN ACTION: Doing their part to solve an overwhelming problem, and finding hope and inspiration in the process

“The spirit of this endeavor is so different from how we usually address climate change,” McCann said. “Most of the time, we focus on the apocalyptic nature of it all but, instead, this project is about finding a way to actively exist, with agency, inside the circumstance and connect with the very nature that will be so impacted by it.”

McCann had met Sweet two years earlier and was moved by the work in which she and her team were engaged. He quickly told Bryant about it with the hope that the two of them would be able to recruit some CalArts students to participate and, eventually, develop ongoing participation in the project. Sweet was eager for the assistance. And in fall 2022, six students—two MFA Creative Writing students, an MA in the Aesthetics and Politics program, and three BFA students from Bryant’s classes—signed up to participate. The group spent a long, hot weekend at the park in September 2022, observing and recording plant species alongside UCR and NPS climate scientists, as well as taking measurements and gathering other critical data. This information will be used in sophisticated climate models that will enable scientists to accurately predict what is likely to happen in the park as it warms over the coming decades.

“It’s this amazing project that covers both a huge area but is also designed to cover a lengthy amount of time,” Bryant said.

“The data that we were gathering while we were there will inform scientists and policymakers about the decisions that they have to make now in order to ensure the survival of many of these species 50 years down the road.”

As a result of data collected by the CalArtians, as well as many others over a number of years, scientists will be able to understand whether specific sections of the park will be more viable for Joshua trees and other critical plant species than other areas of the park decades into the future. The snapshots of data being gathered today will ultimately help inform what decisions are made with regard to resource allocation. For example, if Joshua trees are predicted to be more viable in one area, policymakers and park officials can focus their resources now and in the coming years on mitigation efforts in that area in order to help enable longterm survival of the flora. The effort will ensure that resources are spent wisely where they are needed the most.

Most of the time, we focus on the apocalyptic nature of it all but, instead, this project is about finding a way to actively exist, with agency, inside the circumstance and connect with the very nature that will be so impacted by it.

-Anthony McCann

“The area that we were working in seemed to have the right conditions to support the Joshua tree and other species,” said Jackie Hensy, an MA student in the Aesthetics and Politics program and a participant in the project. “So things like fire breaks and resources can be focused in this area as a means for protecting the plant species there.”

While doing their work, the participants witnessed firsthand the damage that climate change has already wrought in the park. “I documented a remote pinyon pine woodland plot, and we found one young living tree,” Hensy said. “We measured the length of about 25 mature, felled trees.”

Yet, in spite of this, the clear feeling among the student participants—as well as Bryant and McCann—was pure exhilaration. They seemed to find themselves energized at the thought of being able to flip the script on the usual narrative surrounding climate change. They were hopeful about doing work

specifically designed to mitigate and protect valuable plant species in the face of warming temperatures. Some of the students even found inspiration for their art, taking photos, writing poems, and ruminating on their experience. It also altered their outlook on climate change and the role that they can play adapting to it.

“I left Joshua Tree with a much more hopeful outlook on individual efforts,” said Natalee Park, a BFA1 in the School of Art who also participated in the project. “I now see how even seemingly small efforts mean something.”

“I’ve certainly spent a fair amount of time grieving about climate change, but lately I don’t,” Hensy said.

“I find education and action-oriented work related to climate change to be hopeful. And being able to witness the overlap between the sciences and the humanities in this way is very encouraging to me. A livable planet is dependent on reversing past systems of dominance and oppression, and art helps to tell these stories.” ⁂

I now see how even seemingly small efforts mean something.

—Natalee Park

Joshua Tree Photo: Jackie Hensy

Additional photography by Michael Bryant. Collage Imagemaking by Handbuilt.

Dancer and choreographer Jasmine Sugar (danCe BFa 18) has forged her career by taking on both commercial and concert work. Her efforts have led to projects with A-list stars—from dancing under the direction of Solange Knowles (with the developed work featured in Solange’s art book In Past Pupils and Smiles) to dancing at the 2020 Grammys with Lizzo and working on movement and direction with Zendaya and Amanda Seyfried on a Lancôme mascara campaign. In addition, Sugar has expanded her personal artistic practice to include sustainable fashion, design, drag artistry, and exploring the physical relationship between the three.

In the following conversation with Yusha-Marie Sorzano, BFA program director of The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance at CalArts, Sugar discusses her time at CalArts and her art practice. Here are excerpts from their conversation, which was edited for length and clarity.

Yu S ha-Marie Sorzano: I’m happy to meet you and to be sharing this space to learn more about you. Can you tell me about yourself, when you graduated from CalArts, where you came from, how you grew up, and how you came to dance?

Ja SM ine Sugar: I grew up in Centennial, Colorado, and I started dancing at the age of 4. Just your typical ballet, tap, jazz. When I turned 6, I started competing, and I did that up until I graduated high school. Then I went to CalArts. And it’s funny, but CalArts was the place you go to strip all of your knowledge of competitive dance training, which I grew to really appreciate. When I was there, the feedback I received was: “Technique is good, but let’s prioritize your artistry. Let’s start from the base and grow as an individual.” And when you’re 17, you’re like, “Oh my God, what’s happening?” But now I’m so glad that I went through the entire process of CalArts to become the artist and mover I am today.

What was the first work that you did after CalArts?

The first work I did was with Solange Knowles. I started my fourth year of college while she was curating this piece called Metatronia, in partnership with two directors, Gerard & Kelly, who I worked with further. I believe Solange has moved beyond the space she holds as Beyoncé’s sister and has truly developed into a creative force in the fine art world. She truly is an artist. She creates entire worlds from her own inspirations and intuitions, and it feels so organic to be in that space. That was a unique experience where I could take a step out and say, “OK, this is both what I know from CalArts and the commercial world. I like how this is feeling. This feels authentic and organic, and I’d like to stay on that path.”

So you would say that you’re a hybrid [artist], and you can’t say one or the other is better. They both feed you. They really do. Although industry work does provide a greater income, there is also a flash and “fabulocity” about it that I feel is lacking in the contemporary sphere. However, I feel more grounded in the artistic space of exploration and collaboration. There’s really a constant pull from both worlds.

At CalArts, many of my friends went through gender transformation, exploring their sexuality, changing who they are, and evolving and growing because we were so young. And then to come out as young adults, it’s just a beautiful transformation. And when you apply the complexities of becoming your own artist, that’s not an experience I would ever take away from myself.

Even when I step into more commercial experiences, I feel so much more in my body because I have that training and went through that process of asking, “Where does movement come from? What kind of artist do you wanna be?” So I would say I’m more of a hybrid, especially working with all of the different schools. Working with the actors and the vocal department and animation, all of that feeds into who you are as well. That’s so powerful. Can you tell me about all of that information marinating and bubbling up in you? How have you used it specifically in some of the jobs that you’ve never expected to take? Could you tell us what that job has looked like and how you’ve brought your hybridity to it?

Absolutely. I was recently working on the [Apple TV+] show The Shrink Next Door with Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd. I had to step into this character where I was auditioning as a dancer, but they asked me to lip sync in the audition. And then when I arrived on set for rehearsal, we had to sing the song because in the show, it’s set up like we’re doing Jesus Christ Superstar. And I was playing Mary. The choreographer I was working with— Kat Burns—she has her dancers sing. So every time we were running the piece, I had to sing it and vocalize it. And throughout a lot of my time being a dancer, I didn’t use my voice and I didn’t take acting classes. You pull from memories of people you went to school with and friends you have that are bold and brave. I had to tap into my friends that sing and how to breathe in that way, and my friends that act and have that calm presence and confidence.

That speaks to the interdisciplinary, the collaboration between the schools at CalArts. What do you hope to do going forward? What are your dreams for Jasmine Sugar?

JASMINE

SUGAR TALKS DANCE, DRAG, AND FACING THE FEAR

theBuilding Haus of Sugar

INTERVIEWED BY Yusha-Marie Sorzano

Spotlight.

CALARTS: A PORTRAYAL OF TRUE EVENTS

Photo: Stephen Achziger, courtesy of the artist.

—Jasmine Sugar

THE POOL — CALART S' 50 TH ANNIVERSARY

Jasmine Sugar performed in the premiere of 'Bridge-s,' directed by Solange Knowles and Gerard & Kelly at the Getty Center in 2019. Photo: Ryan Miller, courtesy of the artist.

Yusha-Marie Sorzano is currently the BFA program director of The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance at CalArts. A performing artist, choreographer, and leader in the dance world, Sorzano is a member of Camille A. Brown & Dancers, a founding co-artistic director of the Zeitgeist Dance Theatre, as well as an associate director for program development with Francisco Gella Dance Works. Concurrently, she is at work as choreographer for Jeannette, a new musical.

Sugar: My dreams for Jasmine Sugar … there are so many! I’m in the process of curating a fashion house, exploring the relationship between drag, queer art, and high fashion. I am calling it Haus of Sugar. It’s a project that I’ve spent years drafting, learning, and dreaming. My first collection, which was shown in March, shows how I make recycled materials the heart of the brand. My main focus is [making fashion] in a way that won’t contribute to harming the environment.

I feel like it can live in a space on the runway—high-fashion chic, editorial, drag, theatrical. It can all be one thing. It’s not just a size 0 model walking for Chanel and a drag queen on the runway of RuPaul’s Drag Race It’s all this beautiful, sculptural, huge show. That’s what I hope to see. So that’s what I want to create.

Yu S ha-Marie Sorzano: One of the things that is challenging for artists today is fear. What has scared you as an artist in this very crazy world?

A lot of what scares me is time. I used to pressure myself that I should be here by this age or be doing X, Y, or Z by this time. I would always be racing against time. And then the pandemic happened, and time just stood still. In a way, I felt all my anxiety go away. I don’t have to put myself in an uncomfortable situation because I feel pressured to stay relevant or appear to be working or busy. It was about removing the pressure from myself to subscribe to societal and industry expectations. So I was able to ask ‘Who is Jasmine Sugar?

What do I wanna say? And how can I use this time to come back into my own body?’ Fear was important. Fear hindered me. But I also feel like it’s a good tool to identify what I don’t wanna feel again.

For example, I have an audition, and I’m nervous. I can break down that fear. The worst they can say is no.

I know you’ve spoken about the house you want to build, but can you just give me, off the top of your head, a list of the things that you feel you’re equipped for that you never even thought about doing?

Designing, sewing, drag. I always wanted to do these things. I always dreamt of being in that space. Now that I’ve started this journey, it looks a little different than I thought, but all the more rewarding. Videography, movement direction. I’ve done a lot of movement direction for artists, and it’s been such a beautiful experience showing someone how to be comfortable in their own body. I didn’t know I could sing, but I love to do it. I had to put my

fears aside because you’re in a room and you have to just deliver.

Hair. Hair is a huge thing. I never thought I would be on set doing hair and makeup for a film, but it happened. I never thought I would figure out how to heal my hair, but it happened.

I use hair in a lot of my work, in a lot of my looks. I always feared dealing with my hair. I think a lot of young Black women have fallen prey to the flat iron—the godforsaken flat iron—especially in the commercial industry. Giving my hair time and patience in a fast-paced industry, and appreciating the range of Black hair, has been so informative and inspiring. It has not only encouraged me to expand my knowledge of how to do hair, but it has also helped me find my voice in this industry with regard to my hair. Having that conversation, making sure it’s protected, making sure I’m comfortable, and so on. What would you consider to be your first big break, and how did you get that?

My first big break was probably dancing with Lizzo at the Grammys in 2020. She posted on Instagram that she was looking for thick Black ballerinas. And I was like, “That’s amazing. I am one!” She wanted us to dance en pointe. At CalArts I took pointe one day a week for 45 minutes so I really had to dust off those old shoes. So I drove myself down to Valencia, got in the studio, made a video, and submitted it. I heard back from the choreographer that they wanted to work with me on the project. It was incredible. I think that was my first runin with the commercial world: the Grammys, and the hair and makeup teams (glam squad). The videographer coming in to make Lizzo’s documentary—the big show!

I love Lizzo so I think that was a really big opportunity that came from manifestation. I attended her concert in October with my mom in Denver, and that following January I just said, “You know, I’m gonna dance for her.” I remember saying it at the concert. “She’s gonna change the world of music and the way that Black women and curvy women see themselves. She’s doing something amazing and I wanna be a part of it.” And three months later, BAM! It was insane! How did you develop your drag persona?

My drag persona kind of lives in a virtual/ theatrical space. Her name is Spotlight. She came from a pile of thoughts, dreams, and sketches. I think I’ve been building Spotlight for a long time, a very long time. She has traces of my past, present, and future self. She represents all that I love about the club, the theatrical, and the world of movement. She will meet you soon. ⁂

Ja SM

ine

CALARTS: A STORY BASED ON HISTORICAL FACT

On Spotify, Pandora, or any other music-rich platform, songs flow like water from a spigot—no waiting and no travel necessary.

But for as much as technology transformed the ways people listen, the music industry failed to think through all the implications—all the possibilities—of the digital revolution, argues Volker Straebel, dean of The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts.

The COVID-19 pandemic has started to change that, setting groundwork for a broader reimagination of how musicians make music and build connections with listeners, Straebel says. A musicologist, composer, and curator, he joined CalArts in 2021 from the University of the Arts Berlin and launched the Futures of Music effort the same year.

He describes the endeavor as a collective, open-ended process to review and rethink the Institute's music programs. "With practically no touring or live shows, musicians really had to reconsider their relationships to their audiences during the pandemic," Straebel says.

In particular, some leveraged streaming technology to develop music specific to individual situations—composition as a musical backdrop. Straebel says that begs a 21stcentury question: Could algorithms create this atmospheric accompaniment in real time, "rather than having tracks or albums that are sold?"

I have the impression that these questions are coming to the foreground now because of the pandemic," he says. "This will lead to questions about the concepts of authorship and expression. If you don't have a human author who talks to you, how do you perceive the music?"

Volker Straebel , the new dean of The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts, asks students and colleagues to reimagine how musicians make music and build connections with listeners.

Drawing on conversations with colleagues and musicians, Straebel imagines a world where live, computer-created music recasts the long-term bonds between musicians and their audiences. The notion marks an evolution of blending audio tracks recorded at different times—a practice that dates back more than a half-century, he says.

Digital tools have made such combinations more easily available through online collaboration over the past decade or so. Music education joined the trend, especially during the pandemic, as specialized services have eased real-time transmission delays among collaborators.

“I thought studying music online during a pandemic would be useless. Turns out it's not,” Straebel concedes. “There is a need, and the experience shapes the ways both students and instructors approach music.”

To composer Michael Pisaro-Liu, Music faculty and director of Composition and Experimental Sound Practices, the pandemic spurred discovery. Musicians are now recognizing their art's foundation as a social activity, he says.

“I think we're seeing the limits of virtual and other private ways of making music, which people have been using for a long time but increased in the pandemic,” Pisaro-Liu says. “You can't sustain musical creation in isolation; it has to be grounded in social interaction. Ideas, inspiration, camaraderie, and solidarity all flow from working together in the same physical space. The desire for that is perhaps stronger now.”

Reestablishing musical culture as a communal effort “is like trying to rebuild any kind of organism: It needs exercise and nourishment,” Pisaro-Liu adds. “That's where I'm putting my energy these days.”

BY Adam Smeltz PHOTOGRAPHY Rafael Hernandez

Now as music students become more interested in producing and collaborating with other musicians—but not necessarily in performing live—a studio is no longer essential. “You just need a computer and a few interfaces to do this at home—which is amazing and a more democratic approach to music,” Straebel says.

A drawback? For those receiving the music in a home environment instead of a live venue, he says, the sound quality and overall experience are probably lackluster by comparison. Straebel urges artists to take that into account as they design and improve remote engagement in their work.

“You have so much popular music that seems to reference a live act,” he says. “So you listen in the comfort of your home to something that reminds you of a concert in a sweaty bar with human bodies close to you. What happens when you can't connect to this experience anymore, when everything external to the music is gone? Musicians will lead us through the paradigm shift.”

Through the Futures of Music initiative, the Music school is making sure CalArts musicians are prepared for that shift. Straebel kickstarted the effort about a year into the pandemic to establish “a better understanding of where we are as a faculty and where we're going with our programs,” he explains.

By late 2022, the school was continuing to review its BFA offerings, with an eye toward introducing new requirements for different programs. The school also is looking to fine-tune its application process “to be more transparent about the types of students we're looking for,” Straebel says.

It's vital to him that such steps arise from conversations involving the entire school— collaborative discussions rooted again in that core question of “who we are and where we want to go.” Because music and art “are always two steps ahead,” he expects the curricular review will continue in perpetuity.

“This kind of confrontation with yourself as a teaching artist, and with the way you perceive the reality around you, is not always uplifting,” Straebel says. “At the same time, I hope we created a situation where faculty could share ideas and engage in meaningful conversation.

Straebel sees automation and algorithmdriven music-making not as a threat but as a liberating opportunity for artists, affording them more freedom to plug into and cultivate their original voices as "we realize the mainstream is taken care of." He senses diminishing interest in mainstream work.

And while CalArts has never been a hub for the mainstream anyway, students have long stressed over their professional survival once they graduate. In the fall, the Music school recently put a weeklong pause on classes for visiting artist residencies to help students talk through that question.

The visitors were blunt, telling students to “just do what you need to do,” Straebel recalls.

“The moment you look for recognition or acknowledgment from a wider audience, you're already losing your originality as an artist,” he says. “I have a feeling that this interest in the mainstream is on the way out, that serving the mainstream will become more a matter of programming and computer science in the long run.”

But original work forever will remain an exclusively human endeavor, Straebel says. “We need to find our original voices to respond to the reality that we live in.”

That novelty is a hallmark of the school, which has long drawn students who are “already imagining a different musical future instead of the traditional paths,” Pisaro-Liu notes.

“We don't pigeonhole artists by the kind of music they create, the kind of program they're in, or the instrument they come in playing,” he says. “We're much more interested in guiding them as they imagine a kind of music that doesn't exist yet.”

Cultivating those visions means interrogating students about their thought processes and helping them to see and assess their own work, Pisaro-Liu says.

“Each and every student has something in them. But they have to craft it; they have to become conscious of it, maybe find words for it, and make music that embodies this thing,” he says. “It can take awhile to learn to cut away the chaff, but in the long run it's not the teacher who's doing that. It's the student.” ⁂

I did a lot of listening.”

We need to find our original voices to respond to the reality that we live in.

—Volker Straebel

You can't sustain musical creation in isolation; it has to be grounded in social interaction. —Michael Pisaro-Liu

King Lear, directed by Travis Preston, world premiere at the Brewery Arts Complex in Los Angeles, Frictions Festival, Théâtre Dijon Bourgogne.

New Performance ’02 KING LEAR

’13 PROMETHEUS BOUND Prometheus Bound: A new translation by Joel Agee, directed by Travis Preston, world Celebrates Two Decades 13 WHAT TO WEAR

’16 SHELTER

Shelter: Una obra sobre travesías (A play about journeys), conceived and written by Marissa Chibas, directed by Martin Acosta, world premiere at the Plaza de la Raza in Los Angeles.

’18

THE CAROLYN BRYANT PROJECT

The Carolyn Bryant Project, created by Nataki Garrett and Andrea LeBlanc, directed by Nataki Garrett, world premiere at REDCAT.

’18

NIGHTWALK IN THE CHINESE GARDEN

Nightwalk in the Chinese Garden, a collaboration between CalArts Center for New Performance and The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, written and directed by Stan Lai, world premiere at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens Garden of Flowing Fragrance.

CalArts Center for New Performance (CNP) was established to provide a unique artist- and project-driven framework for the development and realization of original theater, music, dance, media, and interdisciplinary projects.

CNP has sought to bring forth and nurture the vague, the opaque, the inchoate, the anarchic—the impulses that are barely manifest to things that whisper within, that can be barely heard. Based on the conviction that the great idea, the important idea, will often not shout itself—but is present to us only as a murmur. We ask artists to listen to themselves. We see our role as to assist in that process of listening. WE MISTRUST THE RATIONAL. WE MISTRUST THE PRESCRIBED, THE FORMULAIC, THE MODELS OF PROVEN SUCCESS

There are other places designed to support these. We don’t have a “season.” We present work when it is done. Some work is done and doesn’t need presentation. Some of the most profound work an artist can do never needs an audience. That said, we are proud of the legacy of production that we have generated over the last 20 years. We hope that artists have been deeply nurtured in the process.

Text adapted from the introduction of the Center for New Performance 20th Anniversary book. Written by Travis Preston, Executive Artistic Director, CalArts Center for New Performance and Dean, School of Theater.

⁂

ALL IMAGES Courtesy of the CalArts Center for New Performance

If you’re a fan of B-movies or iconic television series from the 1970s and 1980s, then you’ve probably seen the Brutalist architecture of the CalArts campus on your screen—even if you didn’t realize it at the time. The Main Building and grounds have played a variety roles over the years, from evil institutional headquarters and pseudo-government buildings to art galleries and television studios. As soon as the Valencia campus opened in 1971, Hollywood location scouts seemed to fall in love with the limitless possibilities that CalArts’ inscrutable institutional aesthetic and wide-open spaces provided.

Whether it was the graffitied and rubblestrewn Main Gallery as a post-apocalyptic New York City in the sci-fi cult classic Escape from New York (1981) or the library transformed into the perfect ‘70s-chic cocktail lounge in the so-badit’s-good Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973), CalArts adeptly played its part in some of the era’s most iconic and camp productions.

Michael Buitrón (Art BFA 87, MFA 08) witnessed several productions during his time as an undergraduate at the Institute during the midto-late 1980s. He’s even curated a collection of screenshots from movies and television programs filmed at CalArts on his blog, Leap Into the Void.

For Buitrón, no experience captured the zeitgeist of 1980s television and its unique intersection with CalArts better than Airwolf, a particularly on-the-nose ‘80s action series starring bad-boy actor-of-the-moment

Jan-Michael Vincent as helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke.

“We loved irony in the ’80s and there was no better moment than when set builders arrived a couple of days before shooting and built a fullscale replica of an art gallery in the Main Gallery,” Buitrón says. “It was the kind of simulacra that Roland Barthes could only dream of.”

In addition to scenes from Airwolf, Escape from New York, and Invasion of the Bee Girls, CalArts’ Main Building has stood in for the “Department of Biological Sciences” in the TV series Wonder Woman (1975–79) and the headquarters of the “Office of Scientific Intelligence,” the semisecret (and fictional) organization of the U.S. government responsible for reconstructing Steve Austin for the iconic 1970s show The Six Million Dollar Man (and later, Jaime Sommers in the spinoff, The Bionic Woman). And, for the much-beloved 1980s Angela Landsbury television series Murder, She Wrote, the iconic CalArts Blue Wall became the fictional Denver television studio KBLA.

Largely forgotten television series, such as The Invisible Man (1975–76) and Banacek (1972–74), as well as movies such as Woody Allen’s dystopian slapstick Sleeper (1973) and the Oscar-nominated Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas nuclear-powerplant disaster film The China Syndrome (1979) all filmed at 24700 McBean Parkway. And while filming has continued at CalArts to the present day, there was something particularly endearing about those early days and the films and television shows of that era, when the building on the hill was strange and new. ⁂

BY Greg Houle

Ready for Its Closeup:

CalArts in Classic Film + TV

TheChinaSyndrome

(1979)

We loved irony … set builders arrived a couple of days before shooting and built a full-scale replica of an art gallery in the Main Gallery …

—Michael Buitrón Escape from New York (1981) Banacek(1972–74) Murder, She Wrote (1984–96) The Six Million Dollar Man (1973–78)

ABOUT HANDBUILT

This 50th anniversary issue of The Pool was designed by Handbuilt, a Los Angeles-based graphic design practice with a passion for interdisciplinary collaboration. Founded in 2001 by Juliette Bellocq (arT MFa 00), Handbuilt is now a team of three CalArts alumna. Brooke Irish (arT BFa 14) joined in 2019 and Makena Janssen (arT MFa 22) recently jumped in.

Together they work in numerous formats, from print to digital, to environmental. They use design as a tool to collaborate with communities that advance diverse social agendas to visualize the stories that make them unique.

ABOUT FISK

The CalArts 50th anniversary logo was designed by FISK, a Portland, Oregon-based graphic design studio that focuses on the enhancement of art and design in our daily lives. FISK utilizes graphic design, websites, objects, and physical spaces to visualize their ideas.

Founded by Bijan Berahimi (arT BFa 13) in 2009 while he was still a student at CalArts, FISK works with clients to make long-lasting, thoughtful design systems, campaigns, and experiences. Its goal is to express the nuanced feelings of their multifaceted collaborators through typography, image-making, and world building. By creating a practice that champions the wide ranging ethnicities, voices, and backgrounds of their team, clients, collaborators, artists, and consumers, FISK is able to appreciate and begin dialogues within their local and global communities.

SCHOOL OF FILM/VIDEO FACULTY DON LEVY

Is this Tim Burton’s door in Chouinard or an homage to the director?

THOUGH CLASSROOM A113 HAS REACHED LEGENDARY STATUS AS AN EASTER EGG IN EVERY PIXAR FILM, CHARACTER ANIMATION CLASSES ARE NO LONGER HELD THERE. GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDENTS HAVE LONG CALLED THE STUDIO HOME.

“WHAT KIND OF SHIT IS THIS?”

TAUGHT A CLASS CALLED SEX, VIOLENCE, AND EXPONENTIAL NIRVANA, SAID TO BE SO MIND-BLOWING THAT STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE INSTITUTE WANTED TO ENROLL. LEVY ARRIVED ON CAMPUS AMID CENSORSHIP THREATS FROM STUDIOS ABOUT HIS FILMS, NOTABLY HIS 1967 DRAMA HEROSTRATUS. IN CLASS, HE SCREENED FILMS THAT WERE BANNED IN HIS HOME COUNTRY OF AUSTRALIA (AND ELSEWHERE).

Taken from an editorial about the music selection in the jukebox in a 1970s edition of the student newspaper, The Big News.

Composition faculty Arthur Jarvinen did some far-out experimental work influenced by various factions of new music (John Cage, Stockhausen, Lou Harrison, and others). Whenever a student was too quirky and the faculty didn’t know what to do with them, they were sent to Jarvinen because he knew how to communicate with them.

In The Simpsons episode “3 Scenes Plus a Tag from a Marriage,” preeminent conceptual artist and CalArts founding faculty John Baldessari made an appearance in a flashback scene with Marge, who attempts to snag an interview with him at a gallery for the Springfield Shopper . The episode also features Bart repeating lines at a chalkboard, a possible reference to Baldessari’s seminal work I Will Not Make Any More Boring Art (1971). Credit: ‘The Simpsons’ © and TM 2017 20th Television. All rights reserved. AT A WEEKEND WORKSHOP LED BY ANDRÉ GREGORY, STUDENTS HAD TO FORGET ALL OF THEIR SOCIAL LEARNING AND CREATE AN ENTIRELY NEW SOCIETY FROM SCRATCH (INCLUDING A BASIC LANGUAGE) BEFORE BEING ALLOWED TO LEAVE.

The CalArts pool opened in the summer of 1974.

ABOUT HANDBUILT

ABOUT FISK

BEFORE UBER AND LYFT, THERE WAS CALARTS’ HITCHHIKING PROJECT. THESE STICKERS WERE DESIGNED BY SHEILA LEVRANT DE BRETTEVILLE (WHO FOUNDED THE WOMEN’S DESIGN PROGRAM AT CALARTS) AND WEREMEANT TO HELP EASILY IDENTIFY HITCHHIKERS AND DRIVERS HEADED TO AND FROM THE VALENCIA CAMPUS.

SCHOOL OF FILM/VIDEO FACULTY DON LEVY

TAUGHT A CLASS CALLED SEX, VIOLENCE, AND EXPONENTIAL NIRVANA, SAID TO BE SO MIND-BLOWING THAT STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE INSTITUTE WANTED TO ENROLL. LEVY ARRIVED ON CAMPUS AMID CENSORSHIP

THREATS FROM STUDIOS ABOUT HIS FILMS, NOTABLY HIS 1967 DRAMA HEROSTRATUS. IN CLASS, HE SCREENED FILMS THAT WERE BANNED IN HIS HOME COUNTRY OF AUSTRALIA (AND ELSEWHERE).

AT A WEEKEND WORKSHOP LED BY ANDRÉ GREGORY, STUDENTS HAD TO FORGET ALL OF THEIR SOCIAL LEARNING AND CREATE AN ENTIRELY NEW SOCIETY FROM SCRATCH (INCLUDING A BASIC LANGUAGE) BEFORE BEING ALLOWED TO LEAVE.

Is this Tim Burton’s door in Chouinard or an homage to the director? The CalArts pool opened in the summer of 1974. Composition faculty Arthur Jarvinen did some far-out experimental work influenced by various factions of new music (John Cage, Stockhausen, Lou Harrison, and others). Whenever a student was too quirky and the faculty didn’t know what to do with them, they were sent to Jarvinen because he knew how to communicate with them. In The Simpsons episode “3 Scenes Plus a Tag from a Marriage,” preeminent conceptual artist and CalArts founding faculty John Baldessari made an appearance in a flashback scene with Marge, who attempts to snag an interview with him at a gallery for the Springfield Shopper . The episode also features Bart repeating lines at a chalkboard, a possible reference to Baldessari’s seminal work I Will Not Make Any More Boring Art (1971). Credit: ‘The Simpsons’ © and TM 2017 20th Television. All rights reserved.

California Institute of the Arts

24700 McBean Parkway

Valencia, CA 91355-2340

CALARTS.EDU

The Pool is the alumni magazine of California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), an internationally recognized visual and performing arts university located in Valencia, California. This special edition of the magazine commemorates CalArts’ 50+ years of artistic and educational endeavors— grounded in openness, experimentation, critical engagement, and creative freedom. Find additional features and bonus content at The Pool online: thepool.calarts.edu.

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID SANTA CLARITA, CA PERMIT NO. 18

CalArts: Based on a True Story

Based on a True Story

CalArts: Based on a True Story

From the Editor

From the President:

CalArts: Based on a True Story

From the President:

Recent news from the CalArts community

MINDY JOHNSON HONORED FOR ANIMATION HISTORY DISCOVERY

BARRY SCHRADER REVISITS ARCHIVAL RECORDINGS FOR LOST ANALOG

JANET SARBANES ON RADICAL DEMOCRACY AND THE RADICAL IMAGINARY IN LETTERS ON THE AUTONOMY PROJECT

CALARTS ALUMS NAMED 2023 UNITED STATES ARTISTS FELLOWS

SCHOOL OF ART LAUNCHES ROSALIND HARRIS VISITING CRITIC PROGRAM

ADRIANO PEDROSA NAMED CURATOR OF THE 60th INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION OF LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA

THE FALL AND RISE OF THE ANIMATION A-BLOCK

ADRIANO PEDROSA NAMED CURATOR OF THE 60th INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION OF LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA

THE FALL AND RISE OF THE ANIMATION A-BLOCK

A WITHCONVERSATION DON CHEADLE

CONVERSATIONWITH DON CHEADLE

BEFORE HE JOINED CALARTS FACULTY, JOHN BALDESSARI

Don Cheadle’s Prolific Career (So Far)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

CALARTIANS’

CALARTIANS’

JASMINE

theBuilding Haus of Sugar

’16 SHELTER

’18

THE CAROLYN BRYANT PROJECT

’18

NIGHTWALK IN THE CHINESE GARDEN

CalArts in Classic Film + TV

TheChinaSyndrome

ABOUT HANDBUILT

ABOUT FISK

“WHAT KIND OF SHIT IS THIS?”

ABOUT HANDBUILT

ABOUT FISK

Articles inside

“WHAT KIND OF SHIT IS THIS?”

CalArts in Classic Film + TV

theBuilding Haus of Sugar

CALARTIANS’

BEFORE HE JOINED CALARTS FACULTY, JOHN BALDESSARI

A WITHCONVERSATION DON CHEADLE CONVERSATIONWITH DON CHEADLE

ADRIANO PEDROSA NAMED CURATOR OF THE 60th INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION OF LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA

JANET SARBANES ON RADICAL DEMOCRACY AND THE RADICAL IMAGINARY IN LETTERS ON THE AUTONOMY PROJECT

BARRY SCHRADER REVISITS ARCHIVAL RECORDINGS FOR LOST ANALOG

Recent news from the CalArts community

From the Editor

Based on a True Story