The vast majority of UCLA's research budget, which topped $1.4 billion last year, is spent in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math to develop vaccines and robots as well as break new ground in agriculture, chemistry, nanoscience, and other fields.

Although the arts and humanities historically receive considerably less research funding than the STEM fields, they are just as vital to UCLA’s research environment, said Roger Wakimoto, UCLA’s vice chancellor for research and creative activities.

For this episode of the UCLA Arts podcast "Works In Progress," Wakimoto discussed the importance of arts-related research on campus, his own creative interest in photographing tornadoes, and how his office is promoting diversity and inclusion in research at UCLA.

UCLA’s Roger Wakimoto champions the arts and creative activities

Dance Camera West, the world-renowned dance film festival, marks its 20th anniversary this year. From March 24-April 2, the festival will screen the top films selected from a record of over 400 submissions from around the world, in a live in-person event at two Los Angeles venues. 

UCLA professors of choreography Lionel Popkin and David Roussève, who are board members of Dance Camera West, and the festival's executive and artistic director Kelly Hargraves join the UCLA Arts podcast "Works In Progress" for a conversation about the festival and the evolution of dance on film.

Twenty years of Dance Camera West

This winter quarter, design media arts students researched Los Angeles and its ecologies through the lens of climate change. Department of Design Media Arts professor and vice chair Peter Lunenfeld emphasized the importance of design research in the hybrid seminar/studio course “Introduction to Ecological Art and Justice,” part of a three-quarter sequence. Students conducted original research in order to think through historical and on-going issues of environmental racism in Los Angeles and surrounding areas.

Mapping climate justice in Los Angeles

The Fowler Museum exhibition "Aboriginal Screen-Printed Textiles from Australia’s Top End" invites us to explore more than 70 distinctive, screen-printed textiles made by contemporary artists at five Aboriginal-owned art centers across northern Australia. These textiles combine traditional cultural knowledge with contemporary production techniques to produce dazzling, unique fabrics. Their bold colors and striking patterns have inspired interior design, furnishings, and fashion apparel.  

Joanna Barrkman, Senior Curator of Southeast Asian and Pacific Arts at the Fowler Museum, joins the UCLA Arts podcast "Works In Progress" to share stories about the artists and inspirations behind these textiles, on view at the Fowler through July 10.

Australian Aboriginal screen-printed textiles at the Fowler

Native American Indigenous artist and UCLA alumna Mercedes Dorame will deliver the keynote address at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture’s 2022 commencement on Saturday, June 11th at 4 p.m. This will be the first commencement ceremony to be held in-person since 2019. Dorame spoke to the UCLA Arts podcast Works In Progress about how her Tongva heritage informs her practice, which encompasses photography, sculptural installations, and sound art.

Mercedes Dorame: Making art on Tongva land

Design media arts students worked alongside environmental science students this spring to create design and art projects that draw attention to climate change and ecological inequality. Professor and department chair Rebeca Méndez led the “Introduction to Ecological Art and Justice” class this quarter, the final part of a three-quarter sequence, and joined several students to discuss design’s ability to change minds and spur action.

Designing with climate change in mind

Artists Jackie Amézquita M.F.A. ‘22 and Roksana Pirouzmand M.F.A. ‘22 both currently have work on view at the Hammer Museum at UCLA’s biennial "Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living." For the first episode of the new season, the UCLA Arts alumnae join "Works In Progress" to discuss what originally drew them to art, their work in the show, what they gained from their graduate studies at UCLA, and what it's like to be a working artist in Los Angeles.

Jackie Amézquita and Roksana Pirouzmand: "Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living"

Dancers and UCLA Arts alumni Jackie Lopez ‘04, Harry Weston ‘12, and Alli Gray ‘10 join "Works In Progress" to discuss what initially drew them to Hip Hop; what they gained from their time at UCLA; the history and future of Versa-Style Dance Company, a non-profit organization and dance ensemble; and any advice they can provide to aspiring dancers.

Jackie Lopez, Harry Weston, and Alli Gray: Versa-Style Dance Company

UCLA Arts alumni and active practitioners Dami Olufowoshe M.Arch. ‘16 and Katie Chuh M.Arch. ‘16 join "Works In Progress" to discuss what initially drew them to architecture, what they gained from their time at UCLA, how they have adapted to rapidly evolving technology, and any advice they can provide to aspiring architects.

Dami Olufowoshe and Katie Chuh: Form and Function

UCLA Arts alumna, emerging researcher, and education evaluation specialist Lindsey Kunisaki ‘15 joins "Works In Progress" to discuss what initially drew her to the arts, what she gained from her time in UCLA’s Visual and Performing Arts Education (VAPAE) program, the importance of culturally sustaining pedagogy, and California Proposition 28, the largest investment in arts and music in our nation’s history.

Lindsey Kunisaki: Arts and Music Education for All

UCLA Arts alumnus and Detroit-based artist and professor Osman Khan M.F.A. ‘04 joins "Works In Progress" to discuss his remarkable journey from the tech world to the art field, how he arrived at UCLA, the inspirations behind his provocative and poignant work, and his upcoming solo exhibition at MASS MoCA, "Road to Hybridabad."

UCLA’s Roger Wakimoto champions the arts and creative activities

UCLA Arts

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