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Arts News

December 04, 2018
DVD box set curated by Shelley Stamp wins 2018 New York Film Critics Circle Award
"Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers"--a Kino Classics box set curated by UC Santa Cruz film and digital media professor Shelley Stamp and executive produced by actress, director, and screenwriter Illeana Douglas--has received a 2018 Special Award from the New York Film Critics Circle.
November 30, 2018
Summer abroad programs offer hands-on learning opportunities
UC Santa Cruz has significantly expanded its faculty-led summer abroad programs, now offering seven different opportunities for students to further their education in other countries.
November 16, 2018
Last chance to see 'Forest Law' by Ursula Biemann and Paulo Tavares at UC Santa Cruz
Forest Law 2014, a 38-minute multi-channel video installation and photo text assemblage based on research carried out by Ursula Biemann and Paulo Tavares in the Ecuadorian Amazon, is currently on display at the Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery through December 1.
November 07, 2018
SocDoc alumna’s film about Syrian women refugees to have world premiere at DOC NYC
We Are Not Princesses, the first feature film by UC Santa Cruz alumna Bridgette Auger (SocDoc ’11) will have its world premiere on November 14 at DOC NYC, the largest documentary film festival in the United States.
October 17, 2018
UC Santa Cruz receives Mellon Foundation humanities grant to explore Earth Futures
Catastrophic environmental breakdown, mass species extinction, financial collapse, racist separatism, global nuclear war…there is much speculation these days that we are living at the end of democracy, liberalism, capitalism, a cool planet, and civilization as we know it...
October 11, 2018
Getty Research Institute and PBS feature work by alumna book artist Felicia Rice
On October 20, The Getty Research Institute will present the world premiere screening of Visionaries, the newest episode from PBS's award-winning documentary series, Craft in America. UC Santa Cruz arts alumna Felicia Rice is featured in that episode.
October 10, 2018
Arts professor to participate in Television Academy Foundation’s 2018 Faculty Seminar Program
UC Santa Cruz associate professor of film and digital media L.S. Kim is one of 25 professors from colleges and universities across the country selected for the Television Academy Foundation’s 2018 Faculty Seminar Program.
October 04, 2018
New twist on 'The Turn of the Screw' to have West Coast premiere at UC Santa Cruz
The West Coast premiere of a new interpretation of the Henry James Gothic classic, 'Strange Window: The Turn of the Screw'--directed by acclaimed stage director and UC Santa Cruz theater arts professor Marianne Weems--will take place October 12-14 on campus at the Experimental Theater in the Theater Arts Center.
October 01, 2018
19 UCSC film students collaborate on documentary about Santa Cruz housing crisis
"At Capacity"—a collectively-made documentary feature film by 19 students in a UC Santa Cruz film class--will screen twice at the 2018 Santa Cruz Film Festival, which takes place downtown October 3-7.
September 25, 2018
New faculty to advance campus teaching, research
UC Santa Cruz is welcoming more than 35 new faculty members this year, bringing the campus total to 603.
September 07, 2018
Sounding it out
Alumnus Alexis Harte’s long career as a singer/songwriter has included original albums and songs for TV and film, and his company has become a pioneer in scoring and sound design.
August 29, 2018
Bay Area’s 'Soundwave' festival to feature work by UC Santa Cruz arts faculty and alumnae
"Soundwave ((8)) Infrastructure" runs September through October with six curated performances throughout San Francisco and Oakland. It kicks off on Sept. 8, at Counter Plus in San Francisco with "HVAC: Thermal Comfort," a new work by art lecturer and alumna Dana Hemenway and San Francisco media artist and composer Surabhi Saraf.
August 27, 2018
Film professor Jennifer Taylor wins grant from the SFFILM 2018 Documentary Film Fund
UC Santa Cruz associate professor of film and digital media Jennifer Maytorena Taylor has received a grant from the SFFILM Documentary Film Fund to support her latest project, "The Gut."
August 17, 2018
Alumna Reyna Grande pens NY Times op-ed on immigration
Earlier this week, the New York Times published an op-ed by UC Santa Cruz alumna Reyna Grande titled "The Impossible Choice My Father Had to Make." The piece was a response to a statement by Ivanka Trump that appeared to blame immigrant parents for the separation of families this summer at the U.S.-Mexico border.
August 13, 2018
New book by UC Santa Cruz arts professor examines cultural impact of video games
In her new book, 'On Video Games: The Visual Politics of Race, Gender and Space,' UC Santa Cruz professor Soraya Murray goes beyond the technical discussions of games and instead offers a deep dive into their cultural dimensions.
July 20, 2018
Professor’s new film 'Redneck Muslim' now streaming on PBS
Redneck Muslim, a new short film by associate professor of film and digital media Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, is one of 25 films currently screening in the 2018 PBS Online Film Festival as a presentation of the PBS series POV.
July 19, 2018
UC Santa Cruz receives grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts has awarded a $57,000 grant to the UC Santa Cruz Arts Division’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences.
July 10, 2018
Alumna and film producer Stephanie Allain champions diversity
Stephanie Allain is a rare gem in the film industry. Not only is she brilliant and successful, but as an African-American woman who got her start over 25 years ago in a notoriously and overwhelmingly white and male-dominated business, she has charged ahead to break open established perceptions.
July 10, 2018
From Math Major to Renowned Hollywood Music Editor, Alumnus Bill Bernstein Knows All the Right Notes
Having been the music editor on over 60 outstanding films during the course of his career, Bill Bernstein’s musical talent is epic. From working on such movies as The Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty (for which he won a Grammy), The Help and Skyfall to many Pixar hits including Finding Nemo, Wall-E, and Finding Dory…it seems like every project he touches is a resounding success.
July 06, 2018
Gallery between North and South Korea features exhibition by art professor Jimin Lee
The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates North and South Korea is an unlikely setting for an art gallery. Established in 1953 as part of an armistice agreement that ended three years of brutal war, the DMZ is a 2.5-mile-wide band that runs 155 miles across the Korean peninsula, serving as a buffer zone between the two countries...
June 26, 2018
B. Ruby Rich invited to join Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
UC Santa Cruz arts dean's eminent professor of film and digital media B. Ruby Rich has been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this year. The world's preeminent film organization, it is best known for presenting the annual Academy Awards.
June 22, 2018
Climate scientist Nicole Feldl wins NSF CAREER Award
NSF grant includes funding for climate research and for a cross-disciplinary environmental game project for students to develop a learning game about climate science.
June 21, 2018
Five UC Santa Cruz students present futuristic game at IndieCade Showcase
A group of five students from UC Santa Cruz presented their game, "Meet Me in the Garden," at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles last week as part of the annual IndieCade Showcase.
June 21, 2018
Alumnus Dency Nelson's Brilliant Hollywood Career
With an amazing career in Hollywood spanning nearly 40 years, Dency Nelson has been the stage manager for almost every major award and event show for the past 25 years, including the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, and Kennedy Center Honors.
June 18, 2018
Graduates mark new era, seek to improve world for all
More than 3,200 students participated in commencement ceremonies in the colleges, Graduate Division, and Baskin School of Engineering.
June 14, 2018
Commencement stories: Vincent Williams
Vincent Williams uses graphic design, sculptural installations, collage, and photography to comment on the history of black identity both in the United States and in Western art.
June 11, 2018
SocDoc graduate documentary films to be screened June 13 at Del Mar Theater
UC Santa Cruz will present the premiere of thesis films by three graduating students in the field of social documentation on Wednesday, June 13, at the Del Mar Theater in downtown Santa Cruz.
June 11, 2018
New Grateful Dead Archive exhibit opens at McHenry Library
"Put Your Gold Money Where Your Love Is, Baby: Counterculture, Capitalism, and the Grateful Dead" is the title of a new exhibition now open to the public at UC Santa Cruz.
May 22, 2018
Bettina Aptheker to lead 'Women In the Arts' panel at Kuumbwa
The Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation Presidential Chair for Feminist Studies and The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz will present "Always Moving Uphill: Women in the Arts," on Tuesday, May 29, at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in downtown Santa Cruz.
May 16, 2018
'Future Garden' environmental art installation opens at Arboretum
The Institute of the Arts and Sciences presents the opening of "Future Garden for the Central Coast of California"--a site-specific environmental art installation by emeritus arts research professors Newton Harrison and his late wife Helen Mayer Harrison at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanic Garden.
May 11, 2018
UC Santa Cruz collaborates with SF Academy of Arts for spring production of 'The Magic Flute'
The UC Santa Cruz Music Department will present a fully-staged production of Mozart’s comic fantasy: Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), May 31 through June 3, on campus at the Music Center Recital Hall.
April 27, 2018
Dancing into a community
The Pagkakaisa Dance Troupe, which promotes Pilipino cultural history and performs traditional folk dances from the Philippines, helps students build both camaraderie and stronger ties to their heritage.
April 25, 2018
Film professor Jennifer Taylor wins fellowship for summer residency at MacDowell Colony
Assistant professor of film and digital media Jennifer Maytorena Taylor has received a fellowship for a summer residency at one of the nation’s leading contemporary arts organizations.
April 23, 2018
Leaving their mark, inspiring others
This year's Distinguished Graduate Student Alumni honorees are making their mark on the world. During Alumni Weekend, they will be back on campus to inspire a new generation of scholars at a career panel.
April 18, 2018
In Memoriam: Helen Mayer Harrison  (1927-2018)
Helen Mayer Harrison, artist, educator, activist, and mentor to generations of artists and activists passed away peacefully in her home in Santa Cruz, CA on March 24, 2018.
April 17, 2018
DANM 2018 MFA student exhibition culminates two years of intensive study and creative work
Nine graduate students from the Digital Arts and New Media M.F.A. program (DANM) will conclude two years of artistic study at UC Santa Cruz with "Interstices"--an exhibition of their work running April 27-29, at the UCSC Digital Arts Research Center.
April 10, 2018
Hip-Hop Hesteria heading to Music Center Recital Hall on April 20
The UC Santa Cruz Music Department will present an evening of new hip-hop with live experimental jazz featuring music professor Karlton Hester and his band, Hesterian Musicism, on Friday, April 20, at the Music Center Recital Hall. The concert will include performances by winners of the 2018 Hip-Hop Hesteria Contest.
April 05, 2018
Sesnon Gallery exhibition to celebrate family’s influence on the arts in Santa Cruz County
In 1968, a gift from Barbara Sesnon Cartan established the Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery at UC Santa Cruz, in memory of her mother. Beginning April 12, the gallery will present a special exhibition celebrating the life of Mary Porter Sesnon (1868-1930) and her influence on the arts in Santa Cruz County.
March 16, 2018
What does a forest hear? Canadian artists bring epic sound art project to Arboretum
"FOREST (for a thousand years...)", a 28-minute sound installation by renowned Canadian artists Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, will open April 7, outdoors in the redwood grove of UC Santa Cruz's Arboretum and Botanic Garden.
March 13, 2018
Alumna and Renowned Actress Adilah Barnes Returns to Campus for A Raisin In The Sun
Being very successful for over 50 years in the entertainment industry is no small feat. But actress Adilah Barnes takes it all in her stride.
March 13, 2018
UC Santa Cruz ranked among top schools for game design
As in past years, UC Santa Cruz is featured on Princeton Review's 2018 lists for top undergraduate and graduate programs in game design.
March 02, 2018
From Student Artist to Hollywood Producer, Alumnus Brian Kavanaugh-Jones Has Always Been Passionate About the Arts
From his passion for the arts and accompanying his father on travels around the globe, to his keen enthusiasm for collaboration and bringing outstanding creative projects to fruition, it’s no wonder that Brian was destined to become such a successful Hollywood film producer.
February 28, 2018
Robin Hunicke to host Game Developers Choice Awards
Associate arts professor Robin Hunicke is set to host this year’s Game Developers Choice Awards, which will take place on March 21 during the 2018 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.
February 20, 2018
Alumna Adilah Barnes joins cast of 'A Raisin in the Sun' at UC Santa Cruz
The Theater Arts Department and the African American Theatre Arts Troupe at UC Santa Cruz will present Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking play, A Raisin in the Sun, on campus, March 2-11, at the Theater Arts Second Stage.
February 14, 2018
UC Santa Cruz named one of best colleges to study 'Film, Video & Photographic Arts'
UC Santa Cruz has been ranked No. 6 in the country by College Factual for the best colleges and universities in the U.S. to study for a Film, Video & Photographic Arts degree.
February 09, 2018
Climate Conference features visionary artist and Smithsonian biologist
The fifth annual Climate Science and Policy Conference presented by UC Santa Cruz brings together a visionary artist and a Smithsonian scientist for an engaging, interdisciplinary conversation about how humans and ecosystems will cope on a warming planet.
February 08, 2018
Arts professor to premiere film at 2018 Berlin International Film Festival
UC Santa Cruz film and digital media professor Irene Lusztig will premiere her new film, 'Yours in Sisterhood,' at the 2018 Berlinale, running February 15-25 in Berlin, Germany.
February 01, 2018
'Spoken/Unspoken: Forms of Resistance' to open Feb. 8 at Mary Porter Sesnon Gallery
The Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery will present Spoken/Unspoken: Forms of Resistance, a new public exhibition running February 8 through March 17 at UC Santa Cruz.
January 30, 2018
Alumnus Michael Shipley's Creative Brilliance Continues to Shine
Santa Cruz native and UC Santa Cruz alumnus, Michael Shipley, found Santa Cruz to be an idyllic place to grow up during the 1970s and ‘80s. It was the place where he discovered his creative passion, eventually leading him to become not only a very talented photographer and musician, but also an award-winning television writer and producer for highly successful television shows, including Family Guy and American Dad!.
January 25, 2018
Field trip of a lifetime
When he transferred to UC Santa Cruz, Ray Gutierrez didn’t foresee he’d soon be in India making a documentary about youths with disabilities at a crossroads between globalization and tradition.
January 10, 2018
Questions That Matter public humanities series to explore 'Freedom and Race'
The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz will present "Freedom & Race"--the fourth installment of its signature "Questions That Matter" series--on January 30, at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in downtown Santa Cruz. The evening will feature a conversation with humanities dean Tyler Stovall and history of art and visual culture professor Jennifer González.
January 04, 2018
David Dunn awarded Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship
UC Santa Cruz assistant professor of music David Dunn has been selected for a Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship for 2019. He is one of four local artists who will receive $20,000 grants from the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County in 2018-19.