Arts News

Theater fireside chat aimed at bringing attention to African American students at UC Santa Cruz

Recently the founder and director of AATAT, Professor Don Williams, sat down with colleagues, including Lisa Marie Rollins, for a fireside chat about the organization and its future.

Foundry celebrates 50th anniversary with a bronze pour

The foundry on the University of Santa Cruz campus has a long tradition of inviting guests to watch their spectacular bronze pour. This year’s pour is especially significant given it is the 50th anniversary of the Foundry.

Bringing Broadway to Santa Cruz with ‘Into the Woods’

Sheila Willey, a lecturer in voice and opera in the Music department, is bringing Broadway to Santa Cruz. Into the Woods is a three-time, Tony Award-winning Stephen Sondheim musical, and it’s coming to campus. This 75-minute production will feature lead staff accompanist Luke Shepherd along with a cast of students.

UC Santa Cruz Music Department is gearing up for a holidays filled with music

One of the most important aspects of a music education is the ability to perform. At the University of California, Santa Cruz the Music Department arranges numerous events every quarter to make sure students have opportunities to show their skills and gain valuable experience on stage.

Professor A.M. Darke creates groundbreaking work in Black representation

A.M. Darke, an associate professor of Performance, Play, & Design at UC Santa Cruz, has spent her career becoming one of the leading voices of diversity in games, especially in the context of representing Black hair. For her latest work Darke has helped compile a program that better represents coily hair in animation.

Modern politics reexamined through classic play ‘Inspector General’

Michael Chemers’, a professor of Performance Play and Design and chair of the department at University of California, Santa Cruz, most recent project adapts The Inspector General, a Russian play by Nikolai Gogol which criticized 19th century Russian politics, for a contemporary audience. The show will open on November 15 and runs through November 24 at the Theater Arts Mainstage on the University of California, Santa Cruz campus

UC Santa Cruz professor Anna Friz wins international prize in radio

Anna Friz, an associate professor of Film and Digital Media, has been raking in awards and honors. The multi-disciplinary artist who took a sabbatical last winter after receiving a Guggenheim fellowship, recently received the Karl Sczuka Prize for radio from SWR Germany.

2024 CITRIS Interdisciplinary Innovation Program supports wide range of campus research

The CITRIS Interdisciplinary Innovation Program (I2P) provides UC Santa Cruz Principal Investigators with funding for projects focussed on developing information technology solutions to significant societal challenges.

UC Santa Cruz professor Derek Conrad Murray appointed Editor-in-Chief of leading arts publication

Derek Conrad Murray, Professor of History of Art & Visual Culture (HAVC), has recently been appointed editor-in-chief of Art Journal. After previously serving on the journal’s editorial board, Murray will be taking on an expansive position where he can shepherd the journal’s distinguished mission for the next three years.

New AI-driven multimedia lab bridges art and technology

This year the UC Santa Cruz Art Division is introducing a state-of-the-art AI multimedia lab. The Ai Art Augmentation and Acceleration Lab, also known as A4, is aimed at assisting students across the Arts Division and includes $50,000 dollars worth of state-of-the-art equipment.

Welcome the new faculty in the Arts Division

As a new quarter starts, the Arts Division is welcoming eight new faculty members who represent the creativity, diversity, and thoughtfulness that are key pieces of the division’s identity.

New exhibition honors groundbreaking artist and professor emeritus Doyle Foreman

As part of the Mary Sesnon Porter’s Sesnon Art Gallery’s goal to place a greater emphasis on faculty, students, and alumni, they are opening the new school year with an exhibition featuring the work of Doyle Foreman.

Sparking creativity: Clinch Fuentes’s lasting impact on arts education at UCSC and beyond

Clinch Fuentes, founder and president of nonprofit organization Chance to Excel, supports UC Santa Cruz’s ArtsBridge program, which connects university faculty and scholars with classroom teachers and diverse student populations across Santa Cruz County.

2024 Arts Division Convocation honors Eduardo and Alison Carrillo

The annual Arts Division Convocation brings together the community to celebrate the new school year. The Distinguished Banana Slug Awards in the Arts is given every year to an honoree who exemplifies excellence and a dedication to the Arts Division. This year’s recipients are (posthumously) former professor Eduardo Carrillo, and his wife Alison Keeler Carrillo.

"An Aesthetics of Resilience" fosters interdisciplinary conversations and research

Commencing last fall, An Aesthetics of Resilience is a collaborative research initiative between UC Santa Cruz’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences (IAS) and Friedlaender Lab that creatively addresses shared experiences of vulnerability in the face of ongoing climate crises.

Santa Cruz Symphony opens new concert with music from professor

Despite his background in astrophysics former professor Martin Gaskell has always had a passion for music. This weekend the Santa Cruz Symphony will be opening their first concert of the season with one of Gaskell’s pieces.

A special look into art exhibition Seeing through Stone

For First Friday this September 6, Director and Chief Curator, Dr. Rachel Nelson will give a special curator-led walk-through of the major Visualizing Abolition exhibition, Seeing through Stone, at the UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences Gallery on the Westside of Santa Cruz.

Distinguished Arts and History of Consciousness Professor Sir Isaac Julien elected as a Fellow of the British Academy

Sir Isaac Julien, University of California, Santa Cruz Distinguished Professor of the Arts and Humanities, has been named a Fellow of the British Academy, joining a prestigious group whose past members include Sir Winston Churchill and the celebrated poet and playwright Seamus Haney.

New internship program gives high school students a hands-on education in art

A first for high school students in Santa Cruz County, the Institute for Arts & Sciences just wrapped up its inaugural youth program, Art For All. Funded by the Monterey Peninsula Foundation,The program brings together high school juniors and seniors from around the Santa Cruz area to give them a hands-on, behind-the scenes look at cultural spaces and exhibition curation.

Fall 2024 exhibition highlights at UCSC’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences

The Institute of the Arts and Sciences (IAS) is pleased to announce exhibitions and events for Fall 2024, including the multi-sited exhibition Seeing through Stone, performances by sound artists, along with many other events.

UC Santa Cruz alumnus named semi-finalist in Student Academy Awards

Despite having only graduated last June, John Ortiz (M.F.A. ‘24, Social Documentation) is already finding success in the film industry. His documentary, Jerhy, is in the running for a Student Academy Award. He and his film currently rank as semi-finalists in the documentary category.

Gaining professional experience and helping fellow Slugs through Chancellor’s Undergraduate Internship Program

In her last year at UC Santa Cruz, Jane Grantham tackled numerous challenges, but one project stands out: developing a resource to assist fellow students in preparing for their careers.

Artist-led walk-through offers rare opportunity to hear a creator discuss their own work in relationship to peers'

Seeing Through Stone opened in April, but is now hosting a unique opportunity to walk through the exhibition with one of the artists.

Iconic concert film ‘Stop Making Sense’ playing at the Quarry Amphitheater

Of the many iconic figures who’ve come to Kresge Hall, none seem to be remembered as widely or as fondly as Talking Heads. Their 1977 performance and its history is what, in-part, led Jose Reyes-Olivas, the events and facilities general manager of the Quarry Amphitheater, to host a showing of the bands 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense.

EmpowHer Sound: A seminar to help pave the way for women in music

UC Santa Cruz will be hosting EmpowHer Sound, a three hour exploration of a music production for women. The July 11 event is free for everyone. As an introductory course audience members will learn basic skills and tools to help that on their career journey in music.

UC Santa Cruz alumna receives prestigious Sundance Fellowship

Brenda Avila-Hanna, who finished her MFA in Social Documentary in 2013, has won a prestigious fellowship at Sundance as part of their Producer Program. Her new film which combines fiction and documentary is her second ever feature film.

The Harrisons' 'Survival Piece #5: Portable Orchard' on display at the Whitney

Survival Piece #5: Portable Orchard conceived and designed in 1972 by leading pioneers of the eco-art movement and UC Santa Cruz emeriti professors Helen Mayer Harrison (1927–2018) and Newton Harrison (1932–2022) will be exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York starting on June 29, 2024.

The UC Santa Cruz Film and Digital Media Department celebrates 25 years

The Film and Digital Media Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz proudly marks 25 years, celebrating a legacy of success and innovation.

The print sale celebrates its 50th anniversary

The Art Department is celebrating the 50th anniversary of UC Santa Cruz’s annual print sale. The widely beloved event features unique, handmade works and it is open to the public.

The UC Santa Cruz Film and Digital Media Department presents: 'Echoes of Home'

To celebrate their achievements over the past two years the graduate film students are showcasing their works. The presentation at the Del Mar Theatre marks years of progress and the end of their time at University of California, Santa Cruz.

In Memoriam: Larry Polansky

Composer, theorist, and professor emeritus Larry Polansky passed away on May 9, 2024 at age 69. Following a successful career in the music industry, Polansky (‘77, math and music) returned to the UC Santa Cruz campus in 2013 to join the Music Department faculty. He retired in 2019, but his years here left a lasting impact on his colleagues, students, and campus as a whole.

The UCSC Arts Division & Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery present 'Material Matters'

Once a year the art department hands out its most prestigious award, the William Hyde Irwin and Susan Benteen Irwin Scholarship. Every year twelve students receive this merit scholarship to help them create work that will be presented in the Mary Porter Sesnon Gallery. This year the 38th annual Irwan Exhibition runs from May 29 through June 15.

The UCSC Arts Division presents Los Mejicas annual Spring show ‘Grupo Folklorico’

As one of the oldest organizations on campus, Los Mejicas has over half a century of bringing people together to celebrate their Mexican heritage. Their upcoming annual spring show, which marks the 52nd anniversary of the groups existence, celebrates traditional dance forms from six different regions in Mexico.

UC Santa Cruz Arts Division presents "Iolanthe"

Iolanthe may not be Gilbert & Sullivan’s best known work but according to music lecturer Sheila Willey “I actually think the music is more interesting and a little bit more sophisticated, but not less accessible,” than their other productions. The upcoming performance of the operetta at UC Santa Cruz marks the first time in five years the music department has put on a Gilbert & Sullivan show since they did Pirates of Penzance in 2019.

UC Santa Cruz Arts Division Presents 'Find Your Path!'

Find Your Path! is a two-day experience that guides students through potential career pathways through both in person and online events.

$1M grant to help prepare students for impactful careers in the arts

The UCSC entity Moving Image Lab, a new partnership between the Isaac Julien Lab and The Humanities Institute, will receive the prestigious Mellon Foundation funding that will provide the hands-on experience and career-building training in production, curation, and research and publication that distinguishes this project.

UC Santa Cruz Arts Division presents "An Iliad"

Professor Patty Gallagher, in collaboration with other UCSC faculty, arranged an upcoming of 'An Iliad,' a retelling of Homer's classic. The show represents years of work, and has been showing around the world since 2022.

UC Santa Cruz Arts Division presents Prahlad Singh Tipanya

University of California, Santa Cruz is happy to welcome Prahlad Singh Tipanya and his ensemble for a rare performance of Indian folk music featuring the poetry of singer-saint Kabir. The Sunday performance will include music that is rarely heard in the United States.

Slug 48: The new 48 hour film challenge for students

The Department of Film and Digital Media is introducing the first event of its kind, Slug 48. Participating undergraduates will have 48 hours to create a film from start to finish including script writing, filming, and post production. Students can participate in groups or sign up alone, it all starts this Friday April 19.

Arts Division alumnus and artist, Fritz Chesnut, teaches art workshop for students

Recently, the University of California, Santa Cruz Arts Division hosted a workshop with alumnus and noted artist Fritz Chesnut. For three days Chesnut worked with a group of Art students teaching them a technique for applying paint distinctively to canvas using unexpected tools and materials as a new mode of creating abstract art.

UC Santa Cruz Digital Arts and New Media program presents the 2024 MFA exhibition: "Embodiments"

The Digital Arts and New Media (DANM) program is showcasing the students’ best work in its annual MFA exhibition. Entitled Embodiments, the show features multimedia exhibits including visual novels, games and virtual reality as explorations into identity.

The Institute of Arts and Science & the San Jose Museum of Art present "Seeing Through Stone"

The Institute of the Arts and Sciences at UC Santa Cruz (IAS) and San José Museum of Art (SJMA) are pleased to present Seeing through Stone, a multi-sited exhibition bringing together works by international artists whose works engage a history of struggle against prisons and their harms.

UC Santa Cruz Arts Division presents “Search Party”

The Environmental Art & Social Practice (EASP) MFA looks at the intersection of the arts in terms of climate change and other systemic conflicts. This year’s MFA show is the second ever and features work from seven artists.

April in Santa Cruz Creative Music and Arts Festival 2024: "A Time For Change"

The annual month-long celebration of the arts is back at UC Santa Cruz. There will be a dozen performances by talented professionals in art forms including dance, animation and much more.

The Hindustani music concert featuring Uday Bhawalker accompanied by Sukhad Manik Munde

As a part of the (unofficially titled) Indian Music Series, University of California, Santa Cruz is welcoming Uday Bhawalkar to campus for a concert on Friday, April 12. The renowned vocalist will be performing Dhrupad music, one of the oldest musical genres in the Hindustani tradition.

Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu launches her new book: "The Movies of Racial Childhoods"

To celebrate, Shimizu will be hosting a book launch on the University of California, Santa Cruz Campus at the Sesnon Gallery, where the book will be available for purchase from Two Birds Books. The book will be discussed in conversation with Shimizu and the Sesnon Gallery director Valeria Miranda.

The Center for Creative Ecologies presents "Nuclear Nows: Contemporary Art, Radiation, and Militarized Ecologies”

This two-part symposium is the work of Zoe Weldon-Yochim, a Ph.D. Candidate in Visual Studies, in collaboration with T.J. Demos, Professor in the Department of the History of Art and Visual Culture and Director of the Center for Creative Ecologies, and will discuss the intersection of contemporary art, militarized ecologies, and nuclear nationalism.

The UCSC Music Department presents "The World Making Aura of Sonic Blackness" with Moor Mother & James Gordon Williams

On Wednesday, March 6, 2024, the University of California, Santa Cruz Music Department presents a very special performance by guest artist Moor Mother (Camae Ayewa) and James Gordon Williams, assistant professor of music composition at UC Santa Cruz in the Recital Hall of the Music Center.

Stranger Things VR game co-written by UCSC’s Samantha Gorman launches in partnership with Netflix, Meta

A new virtual reality (VR) game set in the world of Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things launches today — and UC Santa Cruz Assistant Teaching Professor of Computational Media Samantha Gorman is a key creative mind behind it as the game’s co-writer and narrative director.

Legal Studies major Lauren Elscott found her passion with music and events on campus

Lauren Elscott is senior in the legal studies program whose true passion lies in music and events. At UC Santa Cruz she discovered the electronic music minor and how to be involved on campus.

Innovation at the intersection: An alum’s trailblazing ventures in tech, film, and social change

Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler is an award-winning tech entrepreneur, a filmmaker and producer, a social justice advocate, and a scholar.

After Man: Alterhuman Ethics and Poetics at the Climate Change Tipping Point

Join associate professor micha cárdenas for her talk about the meeting point between the end of humanity and contemporary art.

The UCSC’s African American Theater Arts Troupe presents Clyde’s by Lynn Nottage

Light-hearted comedy captures the struggles of the formerly incarcerated staff as they hope for a better life

UCSC Central Asian Ensemble honors traditional Uzbek music with special guest master dutarist Rozibi Khodjaeva

UC Santa Cruz is home to the only Western dutar ensemble. They will be playing along with Rozibi Khodjaeva, a master dutar player who is visiting from her home in Uzbekistan. Under the instruction of associate music professor Tanya Merchant, the show will be a culmination of what her students have learned so far.

The Department of Performance, Play, and Design depends on crucial funds from Measure 11

Many are hoping for an adjustment to Measure 11, which dictates the quarterly ticket price for all shows. If the measure makes it onto the ballot and passes it will bring in hundreds or thousands of dollars in revenue.

We are all in this together: Favianna Rodriguez and the ecology of social movements

The redwood trees that tower over the UC Santa Cruz campus are glorious manifestations of an ecosystem built on symbiotic relationships. The mighty redwoods, the iconic banana slug, the small sorrel are all interwoven in their existence and survival.

Renowned Sitarist Nishat Khan playing at UC Santa Cruz

The classical Indian musician will play at Music Center Recital Hall along with tabla player Nitin Mitta. The two are internationally recognized musicians. We will be welcoming Khan back after he last played in 2015.

Music Professor Russell Rodriguez wins the Américo Paredes Prize

The American Folklore Society awarded UC Santa Cruz professor Russell Rodriguez the annual Paredes prize in recognition of his work in the arts with the local community and his contributions to folklore and tradition.

Institute of Arts and Sciences announces new interdisciplinary initiative on climate change

A new multi-year initiative will bring together arts and science to start a conversation about marine biology and the effects of climate change. The new exhibit is set to premier in 2025, and the project is already in progress as the Friedlaender lab collaborates with nationally recognized artists.

Institute of the Arts & Sciences announces inaugural artists in the Coha Nowark Art + Science Residency Program

Duke University Press publishes Arts Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu’s new book: The Movies of Racial Childhoods

UC Santa Cruz’s Dean of the Arts Division, award-winning filmmaker and author publishes her fourth sole-written book, exploring contemporary representations of Asian American youth.

UC Santa Cruz’s Center for Coastal Climate Resilience partnering with EY on Open Science Data Challenge on Coastal Resilience for students

Climate change is here, and so are its impacts on our communities. Globally, coastal hazards produce increasing costs, often to the most vulnerable populations. That’s why UC Santa Cruz’s Center for Coastal Climate Resilience (CCCR) and the University of California Disaster Resilience Network (UCDRN) are partnering with EY on its 2024 Open Science Data Challenge, focused on coastal resilience. CCCR will be hosting an event on campus on Jan. 25 for interested undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty to learn more about this significant opportunity.

UC Santa Cruz Division of Undergraduate Education appoints Soraya Murray as new Provost of Porter College

The Division of Undergraduate Education at UC Santa Cruz is pleased to announce the appointment of Soraya Murray as the new Provost of Porter College, effective July 1, 2024. Murray, an esteemed interdisciplinary scholar with a passion for mentorship, will bring a unique perspective to her new role.