News Highlights
ChatGPT ‘Massive Experiment’
Ethical Concerns Raised about AI Chatbots
By Jennifer Kastner | San Diego Business Journal
A lively debate about AI breakthrough ChatGPT was the subject at UC San Diego’s recent on-campus event “ChattingGPT,” which featured a series of panels discussing the future of AI chatbots. The event was sponsored by the San Diego Supercomputer Center, Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute (HDSI) and the Institute for Practical Ethics at UC San Diego.
ChatGPT – a so-called ‘Large Language Model’ (LLM) created by OpenAI – is novel in its accessibility. It’s free and anyone in most countries with an internet connection can use it. “LLMs are costly to operate, and so previously they were kept under wraps and used internally. Or, maybe they were difficult to work with – you had to be a software engineer to access them,” said UC San Diego and HDSI Teaching Professor Dr. Justin Eldridge, PhD. “It’s an incredibly useful tool for information, but that information isn’t always accurate,” added Dr. Eldridge.
In front of the room, Dr. Eldridge asked ChatGPT to provide papers on feline laryngitis. (If you weren’t aware, felines don’t get laryngitis.) Still, the chatbot perceived it as true – even though it was false – and provided a list of papers to support it, Dr. Eldridge added. “It has a problem with hallucination – LLMs will make something up.”
“We are being used as subjects in a massive experiment without our consent and I think that’s an enormous ethical challenge,” said HDSI and Philosophy Professor Dr. David Danks, PhD. “You might be thinking this is just math and just code and ethics doesn’t have anything to do with it. I want to push back on that.”
Read the full article in The San Diego Business Journal >>
(Photo of Professor David Danks/Courtesy: Jake Drake, SDSC)
News From Campus
Tony Award Nominations
Congratulations to alumni Paloma Young MFA ‘06 (Theatre and Dance) in Best Costume Design of a Musical for “& Juliet” and Dominique Fawn Hill MFA ‘16 (Theatre and Dance) in Best Costume Design of a Play, for “Fat Ham.”
There are still 14 million displaced Syrians in crisis. We must listen to their stories. (opinion)
The traditional American asylum and refugee program, a vaunted feature of the post-World War II human rights consensus, has been shredded, writes Michael Provence (History, Institute of Arts and Humanities).
NEH Announces $35.63 Million for 258 Humanities Projects Nationwide
Congratulations to Ryan M. Bessett (Literature), who received a grant for the project “Bilingual Voices in the U.S./Mexico Borderlands: Preserving, Expanding, and Elaborating Sociolinguistic Collections” in collaboration with Katherine Christoffersen (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) and Ana Carvalho (University of Arizona).
In the News: Current selection of press mentions
MIT Press: “Autodrive” by Jordan Crandall
“Autodrive” by Jordan Crandall (Visual Arts) is a work of literary fiction that melds techno-scientific inquiry and storytelling, critical theory and comedy, speculative fiction and satire.
TECHnically Speaking: USITT23 Series with Judith Dolan — 2023 DAA for Education Winner
Listen to costume designer, director, Distinguished Professor at UC San Diego, and the 2023 Distinguished Achievement Award for education winner: Judith Dolan (Theatre and Dance).
Sphinx Music: MPower Artist Grants
With funding provided by the MPower Artist Grant, graduate student Joy Guidry (Music) will be able to elevate the development of their sophomore album to a new level.
SD Voyager: Meet Jesca Prudencio
“The recent chapter of my story begins in San Diego,” writes alum Jesca Prudencio MFA ‘16 (Theatre and Dance). “I had never been to California before I was accepted as one of two directors for the UCSD MFA Directing program with a full ride.”
Drama League: The Drama League Awards
Alum Anne Kauffman MFA ‘99 (Theatre and Dance) wins Outstanding Direction of a Play for “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window.”
UC San Diego Today: The Class of 2023: Resilient and Ready for the World
Student Cianna Cloutier ‘23 (History, PATH) participated in the Chancellor’s Associates Scholarship Program and the Preparing Accomplished Transfers to the Humanities program, both of which aided her transition to the university and provided a well-needed support system during her tumultuous junior and senior years.
UC San Diego Today: UC San Diego Named 7th Best U.S. Public University by Center for World University Rankings
In April, Henry E. Allison (Philosophy), a professor emeritus was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. That same month, faculty member Jac Jemc (Literature) was announced as a Guggenheim Fellow, a prestigious distinction awarded annually by the Board of Trustees of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
UC San Diego Magazine: All About That Bass
Nathan East’s ‘78 (Music) career hits all the right notes.
Campus Notice: 2023 Chancellor’s Dissertation Medal Recipients
Recipients of this prestigious award are chosen based upon the quality of academic research. The School of Arts and Humanities winner is Marianna Hovhannisyan Ph.D. ‘22 (Visual Arts).
Department of Visual Arts: 13th Annual Adam D. Kamil Media Awards winners
This year’s Kamil Media Award winner is student Citlalli Martinez (Visual Arts) for “Les Girls.” Runners up are Ian Guzman (Visual Arts) for “Three Pochos” and Karen Avila (Visual Arts) for “Inside my Mind; Sounds of Serenity.”
UC San Diego Magazine: Chord Craft: UC San Diego grad takes center stage at Taylor Guitars
“I thought it would be great to study with these amazing musicians, educators and teachers who had a very diverse outlook on how they wanted to approach this kind of broad thing we call music,” said Andy Powers ‘04 (Music), chief guitar designer, president and CEO at Taylor Guitars.
Fordham University Press: “Topothesia: Planning, Colonialism, and Places in Excess”
“Topothesia,” the new publication by Ameeth Vijay (Literature), reads urban planning as a mode of speculative fiction, one inextricably linked to histories of British colonialism and liberalism through a particular understanding of place. The book focuses on town planning from the late nineteenth century to the present day, showing how the contemporary geography of Britain — sharply unequal and marked by racial division — continues ideologies of place established in colonial contexts.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Review: Art of Elan presents a winning world premiere by Rand Steiger
Rand Steiger’s (Music) “Grace” beautifully performed and warmly applauded at San Diego Museum of Art.
UCSD Guardian: ChatGPT Goes to College
UC San Diego instructor and MFA student Tina Hyland (Literature) wants students to examine where ChatGPT misses the mark.
NPR: Structural integrity: Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s rigorous, regenerative music
“Yet among all of this Nordic talent, composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir Ph.D. ‘11 (Music) stands out,” reads the NPR editor’s pick “The 45-year-old former cellist first studied composition in Reykjavík at what is now the Iceland University of the Arts, then earned a Ph.D. from the University of California San Diego, in 2011. Today, her music is routinely performed by the world’s top orchestras and ensembles. She’s enjoying something of a moment in the U.S. this year ....”
School of Arts and Humanities: Arts and Humanities Moments May 2023
Featured news includes the Center for Taiwan Studies launch event, undergraduate scholars in Literature and Chicanx and Latinx Studies awarded scholarships, a Guggenheim for Jac Jemc (Literature), and a research spotlighting Rebecca Jo Plant (History), among much more.
UC San Diego Today: Community Celebrates Center for Taiwan Studies Launch
Bridging Literature and Music, the grand opening concert featured guest artists, alumni and current graduate students. Ping-hui Liao (Literature) and Nancy Guy (Music) are co-directors. Related: Photo slideshow
Emeriti Association Chronicles: The State of the Arts at UC San Diego (PDF)
This may come as a surprise to some: The arts at UC San Diego are more visible, more interconnected, and stronger than ever before. And we are thriving,” writes School of Arts and Humanities Dean Cristina Della Coletta.
UC San Diego Today: Campus’s Remarkable Transformation Celebrated at Open House
Included in this roundup of the Chancellor’s presentation were the Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood and the Mandeville Art Gallery.
UC San Diego Today: UC San Diego Ranked Among Nation’s Top 10 Best Value Public Colleges by The Princeton Review
UC San Diego alumni stand out as distinct thinkers who make waves in their industries, such as Nathan East ‘78 (Music), one of the most-recorded in-studio session bassists in history.
UC San Diego Today: Uplifting Generations: Asian and Pacific Islander American Students Share Stories of Mentorship
“My parents immigrated from Vietnam to the San Gabriel Valley, the mecca of Southeast and East Asian immigration near Los Angeles County, and raised me to be successful in an American system,” said student Qui-Shawn Tran (Music). “They didn’t go to college but they promised me that a university education would be the life-changing accomplishment I would need to land the best jobs and have all my ducks in a row. My expectations were grand.”
UC San Diego Magazine: Broadcasting Live: Student-run KSDT radio continues a tradition of music and community.
Hannah Rosenberg ‘21 (Visual Arts), former station events manager, said she had her sights on KSDT from day one: “I knew I wanted to work in the music industry and KSDT was aligned with that goal. Aside from that, I was happy just being in that environment, around cool people and new music.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Mark Dresser redefines the bass anew: ‘He’s unique!’ says Pulitzer-winning composer Anthony Davis
Only 20 when he joined the San Diego Symphony, Mark Dresser (Music) makes bold leaps on his new ‘Tines of Change’ album. It features him using African thumb piano-inspired metal rods mounted on his four- and five-string basses.
San Diego Business Journal: UCSD Panelist: ChatGPT ‘Massive Experiment’
A lively debate about AI breakthrough ChatGPT was the subject at UC San Diego’s recent on-campus event “ChattingGPT,” which featured a series of panels discussing the future of AI chatbots. The event was sponsored by the San Diego Supercomputer Center, Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute and the Institute for Practical Ethics at UC San Diego. “We are being used as subjects in a massive experiment without our consent and I think that’s an enormous ethical challenge,” said David Danks (Philosophy). “You might be thinking this is just math and just code and ethics doesn’t have anything to do with it. I want to push back on that.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Review: Tom Johnson’s clever ‘Four Note Opera’ shines in the hands of kallisti ensemble
Composer’s 1972 work enjoys a compelling revival by Susan Narucki (Music) and her kallisti ensemble at the University of California San Diego.
Encinitas Advocate: May 5: Local and regional events
The Friends of the Encinitas Library will present a free concert by the David Borgo (Music) Quartet from 2 to 3 p.m. May 7 at the Encinitas Library.
The American Theatre Wing: The Tony Award Nominations
Congratulations to alumni Paloma Young MFA ‘06 (Theatre and Dance) in Best Costume Design of a Musical for “& Juliet” and Dominique Fawn Hill MFA ‘16 (Theatre and Dance) in Best Costume Design of a Play, for “Fat Ham.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Eric Clapton and Nathan East endorse Cream of Clapton Band, which features East’s son and Clapton’s nephew
The group features Noah East on keyboards and Will Johns, Clapton’s nephew, on guitar and vocals. Longtime Clapton band bassist Nathan East ‘78 (Music) was the special guest in San Diego.
Arkansas Democrat Gazette: ASO, guest conductor Kazem Abdullah to cap Masterworks season with barn-burner ‘Symphonie Fantastique’
Kazem Abdullah made his Met debut in debut in 2009; he’ll return there this fall helming Anthony Davis’ (Music) “The Life and Times of Malcolm X.”
Broadway Direct: Here Lies Love Announces Full Broadway Cast
“Here Lies Love” begins performances next month at the Broadway Theatre. The 23-member company includes Melody Butiu ‘96, MFA ‘99 (Theatre and Dance).
Times of San Diego: UC San Diego Graduate Students in Music Honored for Compositions
Graduate student Anthony Vine (Music) won the Rome Prize in musical composition, while fellow graduate student S Whiteley (Music) received a commission from Riot Ensemble, a London-based collective of contemporary solo artists.
Forbes: Clothing Entrepreneurs Can’t Wait To Fire Themselves As Models And Hire The AI Kind Instead
“When you’re presenting an image that could easily be mistaken for an actual person, I think you should disclose that it’s a computer-generated image,” said David Danks (Philosophy), whose research explores the ethical issues around artificial intelligence.
UC San Diego Today: Wagner New Play Festival to Feature 7 World-premiere Works by UC San Diego MFA Playwriting Students
The Wagner New Play Festival will return to UC San Diego from May 8 to June 10, 2023, showcasing seven new plays written by MFA playwrights in UC San Diego’s Department of Theatre and Dance.
UC San Diego Magazine: Experiment in Progress
UC San Diego music remains a laboratory for the arts, with this feature highlighting Lei Liang, Amy Cimini and King Britt, all of the Department of Music. “I love the way the department evolves,” says Rand Steiger (Music). “The energy and ideas from new faculty are inspirational and insightful.”
UC San Diego Today: A Festive Debut for Ann Hamilton’s ‘KAHNOP · TO TELL A STORY’
The celebration also included a world premiere performance of “step by step, line by line” by UC San Diego faculty composer Shahrokh Yadegari (Music), an atmospheric and bold ode to the complexity of ideas that are interlaced throughout the installation that left audience members in a spell.
UC San Diego Magazine: A Home for Music
Villa Musica’s Fiona Chatwin DMA ‘06 (Music) delivers music across San Diego County.
UC San Diego Magazine: Hope for Our Zebra: Alumni family takes on rare disease research to cure their child.
Alumni Michaelle Jinette ‘05 and Kevin Witt ‘05 (History) and their four sons, including the youngest, Tristan, diagnosed with the rare KCNH1 genetic mutation, are featured in this article written by Jinette.
El Pais: Patricia Churchland, the philosopher who looks at neurons
“For many aspects of moral decision-making and moral learning, you probably need to have what all mammals basically have: the capacity to care for others,” said Patricia Chruchland (Philosophy), one of the world’s leading experts in neurophilosophy.
Literary Hub: What Should You Read Next? Here Are the Best Reviewed Books of the Month
Featuring new titles by Rebecca Makkai, Nona Fernández, Jac Jemc (Literature) and more.
HereIn Journal: One Work: Naomi Nadreau
Alum beck haberstroh MFA ‘22 (Visual Arts) writes on work by current student Naomi Nadreau (Visual Arts): “‘vacuity detriment’ combines this variety of spiritual, material, and technical knowledge much like the best of the science fiction genre.”
American Academy in Rome: Announcing the 2023–24 Rome Prize Winners and Italian Fellows
The American Academy in Rome announced the winners of the 2023–24 Rome Prize and Italian Fellowships: graduate student Anthony Vine (Music) is awarded the Rome Prize in Musical Composition. These highly competitive fellowships support advanced independent work and research in the arts and humanities.
UC San Diego Today: Two UC San Diego Professors Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Civil war expert Barbara F. Walter and renowned scholar of philosophy Henry E. Allison (Philosophy) join the honorary society.
UC San Diego Today: Binational Community Conversations Shape New ‘Mi Universidad’ Program
UC San Diego is hiring more than a dozen new faculty members whose research and teaching focus on issues affecting Latinx and Chicanx students. Their courses will broaden offerings across the university, including the existing Chicanx and Latinx Studies Program in the Institute of Arts and Humanities.
UC San Diego Today: UC San Diego’s Graduate Programs Ranked Among Best in Nation by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News has also previously named a selection of other UC San Diego graduate programs as among the best in the nation, including: political science (8), fine arts (10), psychology (12), and economics (14).
UC San Diego Visual Arts: David Antin Prize
The Antin Prize Committee is pleased to announce Wren Gardiner (Visual Arts) as the David Antin Prize awardee for 2023. Wren’s recent body of work is an impressive achievement, bringing together linguistic, performative and technical experimentations. This annual prize was started to support a third-year MFA Visual Arts student who reflects David Antin’s focus on interdisciplinary work and the use of multiple mediums.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: There are still 14 million displaced Syrians in crisis. We must listen to their stories. (opinion)
The traditional American asylum and refugee program, a vaunted feature of the post-World War II human rights consensus, has been shredded, writes Michael Provence (History, Institute of Arts and Humanities).
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Moving from Syria to America taught me how to carry two cultures (opinion)
Early on when I moved to San Diego, I admired the strong diversity that exists in the community, writes staff member Sarab Aziz (History).
KPBS: Are San Diego theaters meeting the call for greater diversity?
Theater director and UC San Diego faculty member Lamar Perry (Theatre and Dance) said “on a systemic level, looking at the larger theaters in town — La Jolla Playhouse and the Old Globe — there were already substantive conversations happening based on the ‘racial reckoning’ that happened in 2020 ....”
National Endowment for the Humanities: NEH Announces $35.63 Million for 258 Humanities Projects Nationwide
Congratulations to Ryan M. Bessett (Literature), who received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for the project “Bilingual Voices in the U.S./Mexico Borderlands: Preserving, Expanding, and Elaborating Sociolinguistic Collections” in collaboration with Katherine Christoffersen (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) and Ana Carvalho (University of Arizona).
Passion Weiss: “The Thrill Is to Find Something That’s Yours”: An Interview With B+ About Madvillain
In this interview conducted during the writing process of his forthcoming 33 1/3 book on Madvillainy, Will Hagle speaks to photographer Brian Cross (Visual Arts) about the duo’s friendship, Madlib’s trip to Brazil and more.
Robinson’s Podcast: Craig Callender: Pseudoscience, Conspiracy Theories, and Philosophy (video)
In this episode, Craig Callender (Philosophy) and Robinson discuss the content of a course he’s been teaching called Science vs Pseudoscience. More particularly, they talk about the boundary between science and pseudoscience, as well as case studies of science, pseudoscience, and conspiracy theories. Related: Daily Nous
San Francisco Classical Voice: Susan Narucki Explores Connection on This Island (review)
Susan Narucki (Music) retains the unique timbre, accuracy, and steadiness that have made her soprano central to American contemporary vocal music.
La Jolla Light: Filmmaker stops by UC San Diego to talk freedom, dreams and ‘being OK with where you are’
Filmmaker and activist Tourmaline discussed her career and showed some of her short films — including one that is in progress and hadn’t been screened before — during a talk April 6 on the UC San Diego campus in partnership with the university’s Department of Visual Arts and Black Studies Project.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Four-hour chamber piece by Morton Feldman gets a rare and well-played airing at UCSD (review)
Steven Schick (Music), current student Alexander Ishov (Music) and Liam Wooding were hypnotic in “For Philip Guston” performed at the Conrad Prebys Concert Hall in the Department of Music.
San Diego Reader: Audrey Callahan connects, Mark Dresser experiments, Twin Ritual releases, Ratt collects, Billy Galewood develops
“I think of the bass as an orchestra,” says jazz bassist Mark Dresser (Music), who’ll present selections his upcoming solo album Tines Of Change on May 8 at UC San Diego’s The Loft.
KPBS: Cross-border artist makes piñatas with a message
Diana Benavídez ‘16 (Visual Arts) recently shared that the Mingei has acquired two of her piñatas for their permanent collection.
Star Tribune: Facing the music: ‘Cambodian Rock Band’ drums up war crimes and deep family history
Lauren Yee’s MFA ‘12 (Theatre and Dance) play “Cambodian Rock Band” is helping to change the perception of the Southeast Asian nation even as it grapples with a heavy history.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: The Arabic language, midwife to many modern languages, is almost criminalized in the U.S. (opinion)
Though Arabic is among the fastest growing languages in the world, it is often abused to massage false claims, writes Doris Bittar MFA ‘93 (Visual Arts).
The New York Times: Contemporary Music Champions Celebrate With the Hits (review)
Gil Rose led the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, which performed works by Lisa Bielawa, Lei Liang (Music) and Andrew Norman at Carnegie Hall.
The New York Times: The Cousins Who Ruled 19th-Century Europe, Miserably
“Empty Theatre,” a novel by Jac Jemc (Literature), reimagines the lives of two eccentric royals, King Ludwig II of Bavaria and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Related: Esquire, Literary Hub
Literary Hub: Encounters with a Mad King: Jac Jemc on Finding a Story While Lost in Research
“I needed to know everything so I could carefully carve out the something I wanted the book to be about,” writes Jac Jemc (Literature).
UC San Diego Today: Two UC San Diego Faculty Members Celebrated as 2023 Guggenheim Fellows
Patrick Anderson and Jac Jemc (Literature) will advance their scholarly and creative work through prestigious fellowship. Related: University of California
UC San Diego Today: Though Set in Stone, Newest Stuart Collection Artwork Tells a Dynamic Story
Artist Ann Hamilton will speak about her work “KAHNOP • TO TELL A STORY” and other recent projects on Wednesday, Apr. 26 at The Jeannie Auditorium, organized by the School of Arts and Humanities and Stuart Collection at UC San Diego.
UCTV: A Conversation with Artist and Author Art Spiegelman (video)
Pulitzer Prize-winning artist, illustrator and author of “Maus,” Art Spiegelman talks with Cristina Della Coletta, Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, as part of the UC San Diego Library Author Talk and Holocaust Living History Workshop (Jewish Studies Program) series.
UC San Diego Today: The Fifth Annual Women in Leadership Event Celebrates and Inspires Trailblazers
Former faculty member Natalia Molina (History) will speak at the May 25 event.
UC San Diego Today: Venturing ‘Into the Woods’ with Muir Musical
Students from the departments of Music and Theatre and Dance are included in this campus feature.
UC San Diego Today: Esteemed Science Fiction Writer to Close Out 2022-2023 UC San Diego Library Author Talk Series
The UC San Diego Library’s Author Talk Series concluded its third consecutive year of programming on April 17 with internationally-acclaimed author and prominent UC San Diego alum, Kim Stanley Robinson ‘74, PhD ‘82 (Literature).
UC San Diego Today: Cognitive Science Ph.D. Student Wins 10th Annual Grad SLAM Competition
Matt Ford (Literature) was one of 10 finalists competing April 13.
UC San Diego Today: Undergraduate Scholars Honored for Living Out César E. Chávez’s Values
César E. Chávez scholarship recipients are Briana Gomez, Norma A. Nava, Briana Parker (Literature, PATH) and Manuel Rodriguez (Chicanx and Latinx Studies minor).
UC San Diego Today: Diverse Undergraduate Research Spotlighted at Upcoming Conference
Abigail Wright (Literature) chose to present her research at the Undergraduate Research Conference in order to raise awareness around violence faced by Mexican women throughout history.
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation: Announcing the 2023 Guggenheim Fellows
On April 5, 2023, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation approved the awarding of Guggenheim Fellowships to a diverse group of 171 exceptional individuals in 48 fields. Congratulations to Jac Jemc (Literature), a 2023 Guggenheim Fellow in fiction.
Ms. Magazine: April 2023 Reads for the Rest of Us
“This is an important new exploration into the role of statehood, land dispossession and racism in the settler colonial expansion efforts of the 19th-century US. Significantly, Kathryn Walkiewicz (Literature) convincingly illustrates how Indigenous and Black communities used dissent and imagination to resist the removal of land and sovereignty,” writes Ms. Magazine about Walkiewicz’s new book “Reading Territory: Indigenous and Black Freedom, Removal, and the Nineteenth-Century State.” Related: University of North Carolina Press
Sequenza 21: Hearing Landscapes Hearing Icescapes – Lei Lang (CD Review)
“Artists are often, by necessity, so focused on short term deadlines for projects, that they don’t get to innovate. Lei Liang’s (Music) decade spent with his colleagues at Qualcomm Institute has resulted in considerable innovation and two significant works that resonate with cultural studies and ecology, while at the same time providing diverting music,” writes this reviewer. “Recommended.”
La Jolla Light: Best Bets: A quick guide to online and in-person entertainment and experiences
D.G. Wills Books presented UC San Diego professor Amelia Glaser (Literature) and poet Olga Livshin April 1. Glaser read from “A Crash Course in Molotov Cocktails,” her translation of Ukrainian poet Halyna Kruk’s work.
BBC: Tectonics Glasgow 2023
Alum Ian Power MA ‘09 (Music) will have a major new orchestra work premiered as part of the Tectonics Glasgow Festival in Scotland on April 30. His newest work and first for symphony orchestra, Power’s “Bye Bye Love” lasts some 16 minutes and features virtuosic passages, achingly slow volume changes, and blistering metric modulation.
National Geographic: Paganism is on the rise — here’s where to discover its traditions
“Most ancient Pagans did not use the term Pagan themselves or see themselves as belonging to a distinct group,” says Edward Watts (History).
Bass Musician: New Album: Mark Dresser Solo Album, Tines of Change
‘Tines of Change,’ due May 5, 2023 via Pyroclastic Records, features custom-designed four- and five-string basses with fingerboard-embedded pickups and a set of metal tines that offer stunning new possibilities that Mark Dresser (Music) vividly explores.
Campus Notice: 2022-23 Donald F. Tuzin Distinguished Service Award Recipients and Senate Service Reception
The Academic Senate will be hosting a Senate Service Reception on Monday, April 24 to honor professor Fonna Forman and professor and Institute of Arts and Humanities director Danny Widener (History) for their service contributions.
Los Angeles Times: How LGBTQ+ Muslims like me create — and find — community during Ramadan
“I haven’t always felt part of conventional Muslim spaces, but I’ve learned to create my own communities during Ramzan. That includes hosting iftar, with my partner, to cultivate a place where I can both feel a sense of belonging and extend that to others,” writes Kazim Ali (Literature).
- It’s a family affair for trumpeter Steph Richards (Music) and husband, drummer Andrew Munsey (staff member, Music)
- Our top 10 book events and picks for the season: Pulitzer-winning writer Luis Alberto Urrea ‘77 (Muir major) is coming home for the release of his new novel, June 9.
- Pandemic pivots enrich orchestral director Sameer Patel’s family, career: “Sameer’s an artist of the highest level,” said Steven Schick (Music)
- Our top 10 classical music picks for the season: A special treat will be an Art of Elan-commissioned world premiere written by Rand Steiger (Music)
Public Books: What Films Should We Teach?: A conversation about the Canon
“When the discipline of film studies was formed in the 1970s and 1980s, Japanese cinema was a primary focus—treated in many respects as the main non-Western contribution to an international aesthetic and technical avant-garde,” says Daisuke Miyao (Literature), one of only three scholars asked to discuss a new film ranking from Open Syllabus Movie Lab.
San Diego Union-Tribune: La Jolla Symphony premieres wonderful new work by composer Alex Stephenson
The La Jolla Symphony & Chorus’ Saturday concert at Mandeville Auditorium bore the title “Music Of The Spheres,” and consisted of the premiere of “An Elemental Music” by doctoral student Alex Stephenson (Music).
The New York Times: Zoë Chao Identified With ‘Party Down’ a Little Too Well for a While
Starz’s beloved cater-waiter comedy hit awfully close to home when Zoë Chao MFA ‘11 (Theatre and Dance) was still hustling to make ends meet at a bar. She’s less worried about that now.
Wise Music Classical: Danish String Quartet premieres Thorvaldsdottir’s Rituals
The Danish String Quartet will give the world premiere of Rituals by Anna Thorvaldsdottir Ph.D. ‘11 (Music) at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen on March 19. Related: Chicago Classical Review
Hasselblad Foundation: 2023 Hasselblad Award Laureate
The Hasselblad Foundation is delighted to announce Carrie Mae Weems MFA ‘84 (Visual Arts) as the 2023 Hasselblad Award laureate.
Juxtapoz: Sadie Barnette: The Lexicon Of
“At the beginning of the shutdown, I was so grateful to just have studio time, and my studio really became a refuge. Even as things are picking up, I’m trying to still balance that out,” says Sadie Barnette MFA ‘12 (Visual Arts) in this interview.
La Jolla Light: A quick guide to online and in-person entertainment and experiences
UC San Diego Library presents “A Conversation with Art Spiegelman,” moderated by Cristina Della Coletta, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities March 29.
Harvard Business Review: Case Study: Does Facial Recognition Tech Enhance Security?
Harvard Business Review’s fictionalized case studies present problems faced by leaders in real companies; this study is by Mary C. Gentile, Institute for Practical Ethics advisory board member David Danks (Philosophy), and Maralee Harrell (Philosophy).
Los Angeles Times: Here is a portrait of an L.A. artist having an intimate conversation among friends
Paul Mpagi Sepuya (Visual Arts) crafts pictures that feel as intimate and warm as they do formal and intellectual. His photos do what art does best.
UC San Diego Today: Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts Selects 10 Fellows for Inaugural Cohort
The Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts announced the recipients of their inaugural production and research fellowships, awarding a total of $20,000 to 10 filmmakers from across campus (Visual Arts and Literature included). “The inaugural fellows represent the depth and creative expertise of a broad community at UC San Diego, including faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduates,” said Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts director Michael Trigilio (Visual Arts).
UC San Diego Today: School of Medicine Student on Finding Love as a Trans Woman
Daniella McDonald ‘11 (Theatre and Dance) stayed local for college, receiving degrees in human biology and theater followed by a master’s in biology, all earned at UC San Diego.
School of Arts and Humanities: Arts and Humanities Moments, March 2023
News from the school includes a slideshow of the Mandeville Art Gallery opening celebration, staff member Sarab Aziz (History) participation in “The Suppliants Project,” a Black Europe Series special interview and more.
Institute for Practical Ethics: Practical Ethics Quarterly, Winter 2023
Research and news from the Institute for Practical Ethics includes new publications from faculty affiliates and Ph.D. students, plus an introduction to postdoctoral scholar Zinhle Mncube.
Arts and Humanities Events: 2023 Japanese Studies Alumni Perspectives (video)
The Japanese Studies Program celebrates 35 years and the continuing creation of outstanding scholars, strong professionals, and better citizens in a complex and interconnected world. Three alumni share their undergraduate and career experiences: Keikilani Cabus ‘17 (History, Japanese Studies), Megan Murata ‘19 (History, Japanese Studies), and Jack Stovold ‘07 (History, Japanese Studies).
Arts and Humanities Events: Meet the Editors: A Guide to Submitting and Publishing Your Academic Book (video)
Hosted by the director of the Institute of Arts and Humanities Daniel Widener (History) and associate director Amelia Glaser (Literature) with panelists Niels Hooper, Margo Irvin and Kathleen McDermott.
UC San Diego Alumni: Triton Leaders Conference 2023 (videos)
- UC San Diego student Qui Shawn Tran (Music) performs his original spoken word poetry piece “My Dream is a Choice” at the closing of the conference.
- Director of Alumni Engagement Blair Davis (Arts and Humanities) leads session two of the conference, “Healthcare Policy in Action.”
UC San Diego Today: Two Transformative Campus Projects Get the Green Light
UC San Diego’s second Living and Learning Neighborhood, Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood is scheduled to open in the fall of 2023.
Kelly Corrigan: Live From College - College Visit with UCSD’s Manuel Vargas (audio)
This is a conversation with UC San Diego professor Manuel Vargas (Philosophy) that might shake up your point of view on blame, determinism, midlife crises and what sets the table for cooperation.
La Biennale Di Venezia: Biennale Musica 2023
La Biennale di Venezia will present the Silver Lion to Miller Puckette (Music) Oct. 19, 2023. Related: Ruetir
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Drum legend Zakir Hussain a borders-leaping marvel: ‘He has blazed a trail’ says Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart
The 2022 Kyoto Prize Kyoto Prize Laureate in Arts and Philosophy Laureate, will be honored here Wednesday, give a lecture Friday at the UC San Diego Department of Music.
Deseret News: Experts speak out against hyper-realistic TikTok beauty filter
“It’s a step toward the world we have seen in sci-fi movies where we can no longer tell what is real,” Memo Akten (Visual Arts) said to the Post.
Ramona Sentinel: Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Choir to perform March 12 in Ramona
The choir sings primarily gospel, both traditional and contemporary. The group is directed by Ken Anderson (Music), who also teaches gospel choir at University of California San Diego.
Late Night with Seth Meyers: Zoë Chao Talks Party Down and Hiding Burgers Under a Car (video)
Alum Zoë Chao MFA ‘11 (Theatre and Dance) talks about the return of Party Down triggering food service nightmares before sharing two stories about her past work in a restaurant and the arts.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Local movie producer uplifts with another film
Nathan East ‘78 (Music) created the score for the movie, which he describes as giving viewers a “yummy, warm and fuzzy feeling,” inviting them to be part of the community.
The New York Times: Review: In ‘The Best We Could,’ the Players Follow Directions
The playwright Emily Feldman MFA ‘16 (Theatre and Dance) structures this work like a personal GPS that plots the course of a family.
People: ‘How to Defend Yourself’ Playwright Hopes Show Gives ‘Release’ to Sexual Assault Survivors
As a survivor of sexual assault, Liliana Padilla MFA ‘18 (Theatre and Dance) was not sure they wanted to write the play, but when faced with a time-sensitive assignment during a graduate school class at UC San Diego in 2016, they were “able to let go of the censor and just flow.” Reflecting on the experience, Padilla is happy they chose to create this play.
OperaWire: Ambur Braid & Anett Fitsch Lead New CD/DVD Releases
Avie Records releases “The Island” by American soprano Susan Narucki (Music), an album curated and featuring a unique set of art songs.
The Arts Fuse: Classical Concert Review: The Boston Symphony Orchestra Plays Davis, Dawson, and Bonds
While driving to a concert in Boston in the late ‘70s, composer Anthony Davis (Music) suffered a crisis he would never forget, opens this review. Related: The Boston Musical Intelligencer, The Boston Globe
UC San Diego Today: Ancient Texts to Foster Compassion and Empathy Today
Revelle College Humanities Program and the Institute of Arts and Humanities’ Center for Hellenic Studies and Chicanx and Latinx Studies Program bring ‘The Suppliants Project’ to campus for a strong community dialogue on immigration and refugees. “I would love to see opportunities in our campus community to share our own stories, to come together and to talk to each other on a personal, human level,” said staff member Sarab Aziz (History). “We all need that.”
UC San Diego Today: Mandeville Art Gallery Opening Celebration (slideshow)
The long-awaited opening of the university’s Mandeville Art Gallery took place Saturday, March 4 with a first-of-its kind exhibition and celebration, featuring work of the newest members of the UC San Diego Department of Visual Arts.
UC San Diego Today: Promising Preuss Composers Learn the Art of Music
For the past several months several The Preuss School students have been working with composer Alex Stephenson (Music), a doctoral candidate at UC San Diego. Each one built a two-to-four-minute piece that involved three or four instruments. The original student work will be on display at the upcoming La Jolla Symphony & Chorus concert, “Music of the Spheres,” March 18 and 19 at Mandeville Auditorium.
UC San Diego Today: Team of UC San Diego Entrepreneurs Pushes Biomedicine Forward with Virtual Reality
Nanome founders found mentors in Benjamin Bratton (Visual Arts) and VR expert Jurgen Schulze, then a research scientist at QI.
The UCSD Guardian: The Art of Studying the Arts at UCSD
Despite it all, though, when asked, all three interviewees [Parsa Farnad (Theatre and Dance), Lauren Reyes (Visual Arts) and Tessa Chan (Visual Arts)] responded positively to their UCSD experience. Chan expressed her love for the school; Farnad said he is consistently satisfied with the education he receives.
The UCSD Guardian: 39 Years Later, UC San Diego Continues to Fail APIMEDA Students
From the opinion editor: “UC San Diego does have an Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies Minor and APIMEDA Programs and Services. Yet similar to the uphill battle fought to establish an AAPI studies program on our campus, the fight for an APIMEDA center is one that has just begun.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Grammy-winning singer Susan Narucki draws from pandemic loss for stirring new album, ‘This Island
The isolation and loss caused by the pandemic was profound for Susan Narucki (Music), who turned to poetry and music for solace. From that emerged the beautiful, deeply moving new album, “This Island,” along with the discovery of little-known female composers and an appreciation for librarians. Related: OperaWire
Los Angeles Times: After a year of war, six Ukrainians share how their lives have changed
One of her translators, UC San Diego professor Amelia Glaser (Literature), points to Kruk’s intimate, intricate way of blending “formal experimentation with a straightforward documentation of the everyday reality of a twenty-first century war.” Related: Munk School, Literary Hub
Hyperallergic: How Art Helps Politicians Soften Their Image
Graduate student Hande Sever’s (Visual Arts) latest installation explores how leaders in the US and Turkey have used visual art and film to project, modify, and erase history.
La Jolla Light: New La Jolla gallery holds first exhibit with a vision of an artist-led space for community and collaboration
The show includes UC San Diego grad student Heige Kim’s (Visual Arts) “Best Wishes (3),” an installation described as “various debris collected in San Diego.” On an opposite wall, veteran artist Doris Bittar MFA ‘93 (Visual Arts) has three pieces in the show.
KCET: These Piñatas Aren’t for Smashing: Diana Benavídez and the Fine Art of Piñata-Making (video)
Piñatas by Diana Benavídez ‘16 (Visual Arts) are on view at the Mingei International Museum as part of the “Piñatas: The High Art of Celebration” exhibition until April 30, 2023.
ArtNews: Meet the Artists Who Double as Investigators, Revealing “Public Secrets”
“A huge chunk of my recent practice revolves around the 1921 Tulsa race massacre,” said Crystal Z Campbell MFA ‘10 (Visual Arts). “Even though I grew up in Oklahoma, I was not taught the history of that tragedy in public school, or even in college.”
Suncoast News Network: Community of Writers Welcomes Applications for its Esteemed Summer Writers Workshops in Fiction and Nonfiction
The Writers Workshop is preceded by the Community of Writers Poetry Workshop (June 19-25), which will feature staff poets Kazim Ali (Literature), among others.
The Washington Post: TikTok’s trendy beauty filter ushers in new tech and new problems
“The Bold Glam effect is a sign that very soon, technology that creates deepfakes can also be mainstreamed,” said Memo Akten (Visual Arts), a professor of computational art and design at University of California San Diego. “That doesn’t mean that tech will be released, just that it’s a sign it can be released.”
UC San Diego Today: Women’s Herstory Month Kicks Off by Exploring Reproductive Justice
Sponsored by the Film Studies Program, the March 7 film screening and Q&A with artist Soni Kum was listed.
UCSD Guardian: Festival Review: UCSD Film Fest 2023 — A Great Sequel
“It feels really great seeing people’s reactions to something you make, seeing if things are working the way you intended them to,” commented student London Huang (Visual Arts), a senior who worked on multiple films screened at the festival. “I love having so many people come out and watch these.”
Oxford University Press: ‘The Tangle of Science: Reliability Beyond Method, Rigour, and Objectivity’
In a new book by Nancy Cartwright (Philosophy), Jeremy Hardie, Eleonora Montuschi, current graduate student Matthew Soleiman (History, Institute for Practical Ethics), and Ann C. Thresher Ph.D. ‘22 (Philosophy, Institute for Practical Ethics), the authors show how any reliable piece of science is underpinned by a vast, diverse, and thick network of other scientific products.
The Association for Performing Arts & Entertainment Professionals: 2023 Distinguished Achievement Award Winners Announced
The Distinguished Achievement Awards honor individuals who have established meritorious career records in specific fields of expertise in any area of design or technology in the performing arts or entertainment industry. Judith Dolan (Theatre and Dance) is this year’s Education honoree.
Los Angeles Times: California lawmakers revive effort to ban involuntary servitude as punishment for crimes
“This system of unfree labor — slave labor — by constitutional law is something that I think anybody with a conscience would find reprehensible,” said Dennis Childs (Literature), author of the book “Slaves of the State: Black Incarceration from the Chain Gang to the Penitentiary.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune: New UC San Diego art gallery director hopes to encourage ‘alternative and socially conscious’ art practice
Ceci Moss (Visual Arts) is the new director and chief curator of the Mandeville Art Gallery at UC San Diego. Her first exhibition in her new role with the university is the faculty art exhibition, “Are We Not Drawn Onward to New Era,” from March 4 to June 18. Related: La Jolla Light, The UCSD Guardian, KPBS
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Review: Vocal experimentation thrives in kallisti vocal ensemble concert
A concert by the kallisti vocal ensemble on Friday at the Conrad Prebys Music Center Experimental Theater at UC San Diego maintained this rich tradition of innovation. The graduate student group, directed by Susan Narucki (Music), presented five U.S. premieres, most from Polish composers.
The New York Times: The Met Opera’s New Season: What We Want to See
The season will begin in September, and will feature the Met’s first performances of Anthony Davis’s (Music) “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.” Related: Opera News
Broadway World: Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops Announce 2023-2024 Season
In the 2023-24 season, Louis Langrée and the CSO will give the world premiere of a new orchestral song cycle by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis (Music).
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Nazi Germany borrowed from racist ideology from Jim Crow South; prof shares experiences of Black Germans
Natalye Pass Harpin ‘11 MA ‘12 (History) is a professor at Grossmont College and lecturer at UC San Diego, and will present “Afro-Descendants in Nazi Germany,” exploring the racial policies of the Nazis toward Black Germans during the 1930s and ‘40s, on Feb. 28 at Central Library in downtown San Diego.
The New York Times: Carnegie Hall’s New Season: What We Want to Hear
Coming this April: a new work by Anna Thorvaldsdottir Ph.D. ‘11 (Music).
Schott EAM: Lei Liang’s ‘Mongolian Suite’ Premiered in Spain
On Feb. 3, cellist Erica Wise performed the world premiere of Lei Liang’s (Music) “Mongolian Suite” for solo cello at Servei Solidari, an organization dedicated to helping refugees adapt to their new life in Barcelona, Spain.
Quanta Magazine: New Evidence for the Necessity of Loneliness
“Over the last roughly 15 years, there has been a tremendous increase in the desire to understand the basis of social behavior, including caring for others, social rejection, bullying, deceit and so forth,” said Patricia Churchland (Philosophy), who studies the brain and social behavior.
Novation: Blacktronika with King Britt
King Britt (Music) brings Afrofuturism to the classrooms to celebrate the contributions of black innovators in electronic music from the past and present and how they shape the future.
Hatje Cantz: ‘Royal Book Lodge’
After more than 30 years of activity by the Royal Book Lodge, renowned art historian John C. Welchman (Visual Arts) provides the first study of this project that generated a loose network of international artists.
ABC 7: The Grinch: Dr. Seuss’ fall from grace leaves many wondering, ‘Can people change?’
“When he was starting out in the ‘20s and ‘30s, he did a great deal of cartooning that was undeniably racist,” said Seth Lerer (Literature), an expert in the history of children’s literature.
The UCSD Guardian: Reflecting on UCSD’s DEI course requirement
“While taking their DEI course, students should remember why they are taking it: not as an end, but rather as a means. Although the DEI course is a requirement, it should be reframed as a privilege,” writes student Oishee Misra.
KPBS: Novel gives historical royals a wild and whimsical new life
Jac Jemc (Literature) said many of her students are already skilled at building the worlds around their writing, something she partly attributes to film and immersive role-playing video games. “My job ends up being more helping them to figure out what of those worlds — that they’ve spent sometimes years constructing before they’ve even gotten to one of my creative writing classes — how do you take that world and figure out how much of the world to share in service of the narrative that you’re trying to tell?” she said. Related: NPR (audio interview)
Resident Advisor: In King Britt’s Blacktronika Class, Electronic Music Legends Become Educators
King Britt (Music) arrived in San Diego four years ago to teach electronic music production. A short while into his teaching, one major oversight began to nag at him. “I’m checking out like all the classes and I’m like, wait, no one’s talking about funk,” Britt said. “No one is talking about house, Detroit techno. Nobody’s talking about freestyle. No one’s talking about dub [in academia]. And I’m like, yo, so I started looking at other colleges, there are no classes anywhere.”
San Diego Jewish World: In La Jolla, Steven Schick Ascends the Podium in New Role as Conductor Emeritus
Steven Schick (Music) has commissioned over 150 new works; his latest was awarded to UC San Diego alum Mary Kouyoumdjian ‘05 (Music) for her piece “Walking with Ghosts.” In the February concert, one major work was Richard Strauss’ “Four Last Songs.” The warmth and beauty of these songs about the seasons of life, was projected by Susan Narucki (Music): “Her silvery soprano soared above the orchestral texture like a bird taking flight,” the review reads.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego composer Roger Reynolds among this year’s American Academy of Arts and Letters inductees
Tuesday’s announcement of Roger Reynolds’ (Music) induction represents a remarkable trifecta for internationally acclaimed composers who are on the faculty at UC San Diego: Chinary Ung (Music) and Anthony Davis (Music) are also recent inductees. “I can’t imagine a more deserving recipient of this extraordinary award,” said Steven Schick (Music). “His energy, passion and commitment to music, all the time, is an inspiration to all of us.” Related: Associated Press, La Jolla Light
UC San Diego Today: Stories of Resistance: Amplifying Black Voices on Campus
Since his arrival to UC San Diego in 2007, Dennis Childs (Literature) often incorporates resistance into his teaching and research. Once course explores the relationship between slavery and prisons in the United States, sharing narratives from individuals such as former UC San Diego graduate student Angela Davis (Philosophy).
“It’s challenging the traditional models of history that say slavery ended in 1865, when we have the biggest prison system on the planet–at its peak with over 2.3 million people incarcerated,” Childs said, “and we know that close to half of those 2.3 million people are Black.” Childs is also the director of the Black Diaspora and African American Studies Program in the Institute of Arts and Humanities.
UC San Diego Today: Enhancing the Experience of Diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander Students
“I’m doing this with and for my loved ones; they are my backbone,” explained Eugene Tsim Nuj Vang, who is majoring in ethnic studies and studying dance. Students can also explore the Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies minor, run by the Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies Program in the Institute of Arts and Humanities.
Campus Notice: Notice of Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Alysson Satterlund’s Five-Year Review
The review committee members include Kazim Ali (Literature) and Ursula Meyer (Theatre and Dance).
Opera Wire: Sonya Yoncheva, Randall Scotting & Leah Crocetto Lead New CD/DVD Releases
Avie Records will release American soprano’s Susan Narucki (Music) upcoming album “This Island.” The album consists of a collection of songs, chiefly by women, written in the first half of the 20th century, some of them receiving their world premiere recording here.
The Guardian: First Tate Britain rehang in 10 years will put female artists at centre
A number of complex, large-scale works made from unusual materials will be on show, such as the eight tonnes of rice used in Vong Phaophanit’s Neon Rice Field, and 2,000 flowers that make up Anya Gallaccio’s (Visual Arts) Preserve ‘beauty’.
FIELD: Issue 23, Winter 2023
“FIELD” Issue 23 is dedicated to the pioneering environmental art practice of Helen and Newton Harrison. The Harrisons were long-time faculty members in the Visual Arts department at UCSD, where “FIELD” is produced, writes editor Grant Kester (Visual Arts).
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Review: Steven Schick returns to La Jolla Symphony with happy results
Steven Schick (Music) came back to the podium in UC San Diego’s Mandeville Auditorium, his first official appearance as Music Director Emeritus. The most eventful return that evening was the musical homecoming for composer Mary Kouyoumdjian ‘05 (Music), who came back to UC San Diego for a performance of her work “Walking with Ghosts.” Susan Narucki (Music) sang Strauss, the reviewer said, calling her voice “rich and lustrous.”
48 Hills: ‘Epic time’: King Britt reflects on the 30th anniversary of Digable Planets’ debut LP
Eminent DJ and UC professor King Britt (Music) breaks down the nightlife scenes that paved the way for ‘90s hip-hop trio’s triumph.
United States Artists: Artists Making Now: Celebrating the 2023 USA Fellows
Alum M.G. Evangelista ‘10 (Visual Arts), writer and director based out of Los Angeles, is the 2023 USA Fellow in Film. Evangelista was a guest of honor at the October opening of the UC San Diego Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts. Related: Grand Opening slideshow
IndieWire: AFI Announces DWW+ Class of 2023-2024 to Mark Program’s 50th Anniversary
The American Film Institute has unveiled the participants list for the DWW+ Class of 2024, including alum Joanne Mony Park ‘10 (Visual Arts). Park was also a guest of honor at the October opening of the October UC San Diego Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts. Related: Grand Opening slideshow
The San Diego Union-Tribune: France’s Quatuor Van Kuijk and Scotland’s Sean Shibe make beautiful music together
The quartet-plus-one will perform Friday at Conrad Prebys Concert Hall (Music).
HereIn: Tiffany Wai-Ying Beres on Huai Li
“A beloved instructor at UC San Diego who has spent the last thirty years making California her home, Huai Li (Visual Arts) is an artist whose playful and fiercely optimistic work questions geographic and cultural boundaries and defines identity on her own terms,” writes current graduate student Tiffany Wai-Ying Beres (Visual Arts).
Noema: The Model Is The Message
The debate over whether LaMDA is sentient or not overlooks important issues that will frame debates about intelligence, sentience, language and human-AI interaction in the coming years, writes Benjamin Bratton (Visual Arts) and Blaise Agüera y Arcas.
Resident Advisor: King Britt curates Afrofuturism and electronic music exhibit at UC San Diego
Running until March 25th, the exhibit spotlights the Blacktronika course taught by the U.S. artist King Britt (Music). On March 3rd, the exhibit will transform into a pop-up club experience, honouring electronic music’s innovators of colour. This will go down on campus at Conrad Prebys Music Center Experimental Theater. Related: Mix Mag
Arts and Humanities Events: Black Europe Series special: Fred Kudjo Kuwornu and Cristina Della Coletta
UC San Diego Dean Cristina Della Coletta (Arts and Humanities) and filmmaker and activist Fred Kudjo Kuwornu have a short conversation before Kuwornu’s 2021 public talk “Black Lives Matter In Italy and the Legacy of Colonialism.” The conversation was made possible by the Black Studies Project and European Studies Program, as part of their multi-year series Black Europe. Sara Johnson (Literature) and Ulrike Strasser (History) open the interview.
UC San Diego Today: Graduate Students Recognized as Equity and Diversity Champions
Five UC San Diego graduate students will soon join the ranks of the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, a distinguished organization that applauds scholars whose commitment to diversity, leadership and academic excellence pushes the boundaries of doctoral education. Arts and Humanities honorees include students Alexis Meza (History) and Jada Wiggleton-Little (Philosophy, Institute for Practical Ethics).
UC San Diego Today: Faculty and Students Sharpen Skills in Teaching and Learning
“Faculty are experts in their disciplines, and it is a primary function of ours to build their pedagogical confidence and help them think about the learning outcomes they want their students to achieve,” Teaching + Learning Commons Faculty Director David Ruiter (Theatre and Dance) said. Current student Alba Reyes (Literature) is also included in the feature.
PBS: Did Pirates Really Sing Sea Shanties? It’s Complicated
“Typically, at moments when sailors needed to synchronize their labor to furl or unfurl sails, they needed to work in unison,” said Mark Hanna (History) in episode four of Rogue History. “For the main sail you could have a dozen people pulling at one time, so a rhythmic song was actually quite helpful.” Related: PBS Rogue History, episode five
The Washington Post: 10 noteworthy books for February
Jac Jemc’s (Literature) sly, darkly comedic romp “Empty Theatre” tells the story of Empress Sisi of Austria and King Ludwig II of Bavaria — how these beloved national figures came to rule, how they came to know each other, and how they came to die mysteriously. Related: OC Register, Macmillan Publishers
The Wall Street Journal: ‘Of Age’ Review: Young Enough to Fight
During the Civil War, thousands of minors joined the Union army as boy-soldiers. Agitated parents clogged the courts appealing for their release. Frances M. Clarke and Rebecca Jo Plant (History) wrote “Of Age,” a book that explores the phenomenon of mass youth enlistment during the Civil War.
MoMA: Ten Minutes with Teddy Cruz and Fonna Forman: On Building Citizenship
Developed between political theorist Fonna Forman and architect and visual artist Teddy Cruz (Visual Arts), Manufactured Sites is the product of 10 years of research into the flow of material waste between these cities.
Blavity: Stanford University Acquired $2.3M Vinyl Record Collection of San Diegan Bram Dijkstra
Stanford University’s Music Library & Archive of Recorded Sound received a special gift donated by Bram Dijkstra (Literature), professor emeritus at UC San Diego, and renowned literary agent Sandra Dijkstra. Stanford now holds a culturally in-depth collection of Black music valued at over $2.3 million.
Call for Curators: Ceci Moss appointed as new Director and Chief Curator of the Mandeville Art Gallery
As Director and Chief Curator, Ceci Moss (Visual Arts) brings nearly 20 years of experience organizing solo, group, touring and online exhibitions, as well as public programs, performances and screenings, in museums, galleries and artist-run spaces.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Arts & Culture Newsletter (Jan. 12)
Project [BLANK’s] presentation of “Treatise on Violence: The Invention of Us” includes flutist Wilfrido Terrazas (Music).
Art & Education: School of Art Dean Sheryl Oring
Sheryl Oring MFA ‘11 (Visual Arts), a renowned artist, educator, activist and advocate for the arts, has been named dean of University of the Arts Philadelphia’s School of Art.
The New York Times: Review: A Guest Conductor Reveals the Philharmonic’s Potential
And Thursday’s program, in addition to the Stravinsky, opened with the New York premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s PH.D. ‘11 (Music) recent “Catamorphosis.” Related: New York Classical Review
KPBS: San Diego weekend arts events (Feb. 9)
Presented by interdisciplinary artist, staff member and alum Nick Lesley’s ‘01 (Visual Arts) SPACE TIME project, “Illuminated Music” is part of Project [BLANK]’s affordable, monthly concert series of experimental and new music. Composer (and alum) Mary Kouyoumdjian ‘05 (Music) brings her work “Walking with Ghosts” to the La Jolla Symphony’s upcoming performances.
UC San Diego Today: UC San Diego Library Receives Grant to Digitize Archive for New Poetry Collection
The Mellon Foundation awards the Library $250,000 to preserve audiovisual items in heavily used research collection. The grant period coincides with the 50th anniversary of the New Writing Series, a reading series run by the Department of Literature and supported, digitized and archived by the Library.
UC San Diego Today: UC San Diego, Point Loma Nazarene University Announce 2023 Kyoto Prize Symposium
UC San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene University will host the 22nd Kyoto Prize Symposium to celebrate and honor the laureates of the Kyoto Prize in free, public presentations held March 15-17. The presentation by Zakir Hussain, 37th Kyoto Prize Laureate in Arts and Philosophy, is March 17. “Maestro (Ustad) Zakir Hussain is a preeminent force in Indian classical music—a tradition that dates back several thousand years, is constantly thriving, and remains at the cutting edge of innovation,” said Kartik Seshadri (Music).
CBS 8: UCSD professor’s opera nominated for a Grammy
Anthony Davis (Music) has been a music professor at UC San Diego for the last 25 years and now his talents may be rewarded on the biggest stage, the Grammy Awards. Davis’ opera titled “X- The Life and Times of Malcom X” is nominated in the Best Opera Recording Category. “To write ‘X, the Autobiography of Malcom X,’ tells an incredible story during a volatile time in our history and his evolution is a fascinating story,” Davis said.
Asian Journal Press: City of San Diego announces selection of long-time resident as new poet laureate
The Poet Laureate selection committee included Amelia Glaser (Literature). Related: Hispanos Unidos (Spanish)
San Diego Metro: Daily Business Report: Monday, Jan. 23, 2023
The UC San Diego Mandeville Art Gallery will open its doors to the community under the guidance and direction of a new, dynamic leader: Ceci Moss (Visual Arts).
Broadway World: The Boston Modern Orchestra Project Makes Its Carnegie Hall Debut in April
The ambitious program caps Boston Modern Orchestra Project’s quarter-century celebration with three New York premieres commissioned, premiered, and recorded by BMOP: the Grawemeyer Award-winning pieces “Play” by Andrew Norman and “A Thousand Mountains, A Million Streams” by Lei Liang (Music), and “In medias res” by Lisa Bielawa. Related: BMOP
UC San Diego Today: Celebrating Black History Month at UC San Diego
Hosted at The Nest at Geisel Library, the “Blacktronika: Afrofuturism in Electronic Music” exhibit shines a light on the UC San Diego course Blacktronika. The course, created by King James Britt (Music), researches and honors the people of color who have pioneered groundbreaking genres within the electronic music landscape. The free exhibit is open Feb. 6 - March 25.
Campus Notice: Search for the Dean of the School of Physical Sciences
Members of the search advisory committee include David Danks (Philosophy).
Campus Notice: UC San Diego Observes International Holocaust Remembrance Day
To learn more about the Holocaust and to hear from survivors, witnesses, relatives and scholars, visit UC San Diego’s Holocaust Living History Workshop, a collaboration between the UC San Diego Library and the Jewish Studies Program in the Institute of Arts and Humanities. This year’s theme is “Rethinking Genocide: Fascism, Exploitation and the Holocaust.”
Campus Notice: Call for Director of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program, Nominations due February 17, 2023
“I am pleased to invite nominations, including self-nominations, for the inaugural Director of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program, to be housed in the Institute of Arts and Humanities,” writes institute director Daniel Widener (History). Working in conjunction with a steering committee, the Director will oversee the functioning of the DEI course requirement.
Zócalo Public Square: Can Kevin McCarthy Outlast an Ancient Roman Emperor?
“What happens when someone gains a prestigious political position but loses the respect and authority that its holders usually command? To answer that question, we can look to Marcus Didius Julianus, the Roman senator who became emperor by winning his crown at auction,” writes Edward Watts (History).
San Diego Magazine: PHOTOS: The Growing, UCSD-Backed Migrant Community in Tijuana
The upstart community, located in Alacrán Canyon near the Great Tenochtitlan sports complex, is one of four cross-border UCSD Community Stations, which operate as sanctuary spaces, according to Teddy Cruz (Visual Arts), UCSD Center on Global Justice Director of Urban Research.
American Composers Orchestra: 9 Composers Selected for two EarShot Readings + Sphinx Venture Fund Grant
The Next Festival of Emerging Artists EarShot Choreography Workshop will explore pieces for string orchestra by EarShot composers Michael R. Dudley Jr., Emil Ernström and current graduate student Akari Komura (Music).
Los Angeles Times: SoCal’s big ‘poetry Coachella’ is back — and more sprawling and diverse than ever
“The small press is always going to publish voices that are fresh and new and cutting-edge,” said Kazim Ali (Literature). “I think it is the job of a small press to highlight those writers that maybe don’t have audiences yet, or have smaller audiences than they should have.”
Arts and Humanities: Moments
The January issue of Arts and Humanities Moments includes a message from Dean Cristina Della Coletta welcoming several faculty members joining the school mid-year, plus these news highlights:
- Mandeville Art Gallery Director and Chief Curator Ceci Moss (Visual Arts)
- Faculty Equity and Staff Equity advisors announced
- Triton Leaders Conference
- Undefeated ethics bowl team
- Faculty Research: Saba Bazargan-Forward’s (Philosophy) new book
Smithsonian Magazine: Why the Union Army Had So Many Boy Soldiers
A new book by Rebecca Jo Plant (History) and Frances M. Clarke unearths the startling numbers behind underage enlistment during the Civil War. “Not only were thousands of minors legally emancipated from parental control through enlistment, but the federal government also centralized power by rewriting militia laws and preventing state and local courts from using the habeas process to check potential enlistment abuses,” they write. Related: “Of Age: Boy Soldiers and Military Power in the Civil War Era” (Oxford University Press)
Broadway World San Diego: La Jolla Symphony to Present Mary Kouyoumdjian’s ‘Walking With Ghosts’ Led By Steven Schick
On Feb. 11 and 12, the La Jolla Symphony will present Armenian-American composer and documentarian Mary Kouyoumdjian’s “Walking with Ghosts,” conducted by Steven Schick (Music). The orchestra will also present American operatic soprano Susan Narucki (Music) in Strauss’s Four Last Songs, Varèse’s Octandre and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite.
San Diego Reader: Weekends with Locals: Allan Havis
Allan Havis (Theatre and Dance) is author of “Clear Blue Silence,” and will read at Warwick’s Bookstore Sunday, Jan. 22 at 12 p.m.
Blok Magazine: What becomes a Legend most?
“I was an early practitioner of video art. My early videotapes included in this exhibition, ‘Dressing Up’ (1973) and ‘Take Off’ (1974), got some attention at the time they were made because I was part of the feminist art movement in Los Angeles,” said Susan Mogul MFA ‘80 (Visual Arts).
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Review: Chinese visual artist and Chinese composer find boundary-crossing connection in Art of Elan program
Composer Lei Liang (Music) collaborated with the Art of Elan musical ensemble and artist Shellie Zhang at ICA North in Encinitas last weekend.
UC San Diego Today: New Mandeville Art Gallery Director Ceci Moss Takes UC San Diego Into the Next Era
With renovations complete, the UC San Diego Mandeville Art Gallery will open its doors to the community under the guidance and direction of a new, dynamic leader: Ceci Moss, who joins the university poised to take arts education and outreach to new heights, building on the gallery’s expansive, 57-year history. The historic campus location opens March 4 with a show featuring work by Visual Arts faculty. Related: Mandeville Art Gallery
UC San Diego Today: Holocaust Living History Workshop Series Continues at UC San Diego in 2023
Established in 2008 as a collaborative project between the Jewish Studies Program in the Institute of Arts and Humanities and the UC San Diego Library, the Holocaust Living History Workshop 2022-23 series continues with six events that underscore this year’s theme “Rethinking Genocide: Fascism, Exploitation and the Holocaust.”
UC San Diego Today: Triton Leaders Conference to Address Inequities in Health Care
Highlighted sessions for the Feb. 3-4 “Building an Equitable Future in Health Care” conference will be led by former Institute for Practical Ethics Ph.D. fellow Alec J. Calac and current Music student Qui-Shawn Tran. Related: Triton Leaders Conference
UC San Diego Today: Take 10 With a Triton: Alumna Dishes on her Delicious Career in Dining
Norma Witzel Smith ‘10 (History minor) works with the dining units and vendors to ensure the university has all of the ingredients needed for a diverse set of menus.
BBC: The South Korean drag queen raising LGBT awareness
Drag and events like Seoul Drag Parade have “buoyed the LGBT community in Korea,” says Todd Henry (History).
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Martin Luther King Day to be celebrated with events across San Diego County
Jazz trumpeter and film composer Terence Blanchard will join UC San Diego Professor Emeritus Cecil Lytle (Music) for a live conversation at 6 p.m. Jan. 16 at The Guggenheim Theatre in UC San Diego Park & Market. Related: KPBS
The UCSD Guardian: Residing on Kumeyaay Land at UC San Diego and the Deficiencies of Land Acknowledgements
“Preceding many UC San Diego lectures or events — often from the humanities departments — professors or TAs note that UCSD students, members, and faculty reside on unceded Kumeyaay land,” writes current student Eunice Kim (Literature) to open this article.
Classic FM: Nine of the world’s top 20 most performed living composers are women, new report finds
An annual classical music statistics report has found that in 2022, nine of the top 20 most performed living composers were women; among them: Anna Thorvaldsdottir Ph.D. ‘11 (Music). Related: The Violin Channel, MusicalAmerica
UC San Diego Today: Native American and Indigenous Studies Offers New Minor and New Doctoral Certificate
The minor examines contemporary issues through an Indigenous lens, looking at topics such as climate change, mixed-race identities and land and water rights from a variety of disciplinary perspectives like oceanography, history or theater.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Looking back at music in 2022
Witness composer and UC San Diego professor Anthony Davis (Music), who won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for music for his politically charged opera, “The Central Park Five.” “When all my composing commissions were canceled during the COVID shutdown, I thought: ‘What am I going to do?’” Davis said in May. The answer: He revived and boldly revamped his first opera, 1986’s groundbreaking “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.” In November, a new album of Davis’ “X” by Boston Modern Orchestra Project earned a Grammy nomination in the Best Opera Recording category. Related: WBUR, Financial Times, Los Angeles Times
Book Riot: Wild Worlds: SFF Books By Unexpected Writers
“Citadel of Whispers” by Kazim Ali (Literature) is included in this “unexpected” list: “Not only is an amazing poet working in YA fantasy, but he’s doing so in this interactive and (for some) nostalgic form. Amazing!”
Gulf Today: Scholars dive into Indian Ocean from The Africa Institute platform
The four-part conference season themed ‘Thinking the Archipelago: Africa’s Indian Ocean Islands’ is organized by The Africa Institute in collaboration with leading scholars, including Jeremy Prestholdt (History).
Del Mar Times: Theater Notebook: Long-serving local theater critic, Pat Launer, retires after nearly 40 years, 5,000 reviews
“Right now, I always look forward to new work by three accomplished women: Lauren Yee [MFA ‘12 (Theatre and Dance)], Sarah Ruhl and Martyna Majok,” Launer said.
The Jewish News of Northern California: Passover in January: ‘In Every Generation’ comes to Mountain View stage
In a recent interview with J., playwright Ali Viterbi MFA ‘20 (Theatre and Dance) described “In Every Generation” as a “mystical, time-traveling journey through Jewish history and through our contemporary understanding of what it means to be a Jew.”
La Jolla Light: Best Bets: A quick guide to online and in-person entertainment and experiences
UC San Diego’s Visual Arts Department presents a remote guest lecture with Jennifer González at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, online.
Arts and Humanities News: UC San Diego ethics bowl team goes undefeated at California regional, earning berth to national tournament in March 2023
“It was a brilliant performance, and a great accomplishment,” said team coach Sam Rickless (Philosophy). Undergraduate students on the team include Ashley Feng, Tanmay Kulkarni, Rishabh Raj and Eva Zhuang.
Department of Visual Arts: Announcing the 2023 Longenecker-Roth Artist in Residence
The UC San Diego Department of Visual Arts is pleased to announce that Ceres Madoo ‘89 (Visual Arts) will be the Longenecker-Roth Artist in Residence in the Fall of 2023.
Today @ UC San Diego: Collaboration, Creative Partnerships Thrive at UC San Diego Park & Market
On Jan. 16, the venue will welcome celebrated jazz trumpeter and film composer Terence Blanchard for a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day-themed lecture as part of Park & Market’s Helen Edison Lecture Series. Cecil Lytle (Music) will interview Blanchard and moderate the event.
New Republic: The De-Extinction of the Woolly Mammoth Is a Legal and Regulatory Nightmare
“Regulating de-extinction is better than banning it: Biotechnology is evolving, and the case for de-extinction could change with it,” writes Andy Lamey (Philosophy). “But as things stand now, the case for de-extinction is weak.”
Photograph: Standouts from the New York Art Book Fair
Paul Mpagi Sepuya’s (Visual Arts) “Orifice + Aperture” continues his investigation of the studio as a stage and a subject in itself. Related: Vanity Fair, TBW Books
V Magazine: Viewing Pleasure: Paul Mpagi Sepuya
“Daylight Studio / Dark Room Studio” is artist Paul Mpagi Sepuya’s (Visual Arts) series that pays homage to the original Daylight Studios while examining the qualities that compose each image. Related: Contemporary Art Review LA, Das Ist Kinst (podcast, German/English),
Truth Out: Indigenous Argentineans Resist Becoming “Sacrifice Zone” for Ecocolonialism
The Global North’s demand for lithium threatens a new chapter of colonial dispossession, writes Luis Martín-Cabrera (Literature).
Institute for Practical Ethics: Practical Ethics Quarterly
Research and news from the Institute for Practical Ethics includes:
- Public engagement study results on human genome editing
- An introduction to the new D. Fellows (Science Studies Program, Philosophy) and
- The complete recorded sessions of “The Role of Conscience in the Practice of Medicine and the Rule of Law“ conference held Nov. 8, which include comments by Samuel Rickless (Philosophy).
UC San Diego Academic Senate: Distinguished Research Award
For the 2021-2022 academic year, two faculty members received the annual distinguished research award: Steven Schick (Music) and Joseph Wang of nanoengineering.
UC San Diego Today: A Look Back at 2022
As we look forward to the upcoming new year, UC San Diego Today invites readers to look back at some of the university’s milestones from 2022. Included in the feature are Steven Schick, Lei Liang, Rand Steiger, alum Anna Thorvaldsdóttir Ph.D. ‘11 and King Britt (all Music) regarding the debut of the Epstein Family Amphitheater, and the world premiere of “Six Seasons” by Lei Liang (Music). The African American Studies Program’s portion of a new faculty hiring initiative was also mentioned, along with two additional initiatives.
University of California: Fresh gift ideas that show your UC pride
Alumni authors Sarina Dahlan ‘98 (Visual Arts) and Marisa Reichardt ‘95 (Literature) each had their new releases included in this gift guide.
Al Arabiya News: The Africa Institute announces multi-disciplinary meet covering Indian Ocean region
The Africa Institute has announced its third country-focused season covering the Indian Ocean region. Following two successful seasons focused on Ethiopia and Ghana, the 2022-2023 season is titled “Thinking the Archipelago: Africa’s Indian Ocean Islands.” “[U]unlike its Atlantic and Mediterranean counterparts, the Indian Ocean’s unique nexus of translocal relationships has never received the attention it merits,” said Jeremy Prestholdt (History), a co-organizer of the conference series. Related: Gulf Today
Art Net: How a 1986 Cast of Michael Jackson’s Body Became a Spine-Tinglingly Creepy Sculpture at Art Basel Miami Beach
Artist Nicole Miller (Visual Arts) discovered a plaster cast of the music superstar’s body at the Los Angeles estate sale.
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly musicians shine through Grammy noms list as Beyoncé ties record
Anthony Davis’s (Music) “X, The Life And Times Of Malcolm X” had its origins in Philadelphia, developed in 1985 by the American Music Theater Festival.
ArtForum: Best of 2022: Malik Gaines on “Just Above Midtown: Changing Spaces”
“The exhibition rewards us with many unexpected works that stand on their own while capturing this spirit of entanglement,” writes Malik Gaines (Visual Arts).
TIME: The Romans Destroyed Their Republic in Partisan Warfare. We Might Too
Research by Edward Watts (History) is mentioned in this Ideas article.
JazzTimes: Pauline Oliveros & James Ilgenfritz with Anagram Ensemble: ‘Altamirage’ (Infrequent Seams)
The five “Trio for Trumpet, Accordion and String Bass” vignettes performed by Ilgenfritz, trumpeter Stephanie Richards (Music), and accordionist Nathan Koci serve as abstract jigsaw puzzles waiting to be solved.
The New York Times: The Women Behind the Camera
Some of the year’s best photography books come from artists like Carrie Mae Weems MFA ‘84 (Visual Arts) and Susan Meiselas, Rosamond Purcell and Lorna Simpson MFA ‘86 (Visual Arts).
Yahoo! News: John Legend Unveils Three New Remixes Of ‘Nervous’
John Legend has unveiled three new remixes of his hit song “Nervous” via Republic Records. Behind the new renditions are producer, composer, and performer King Britt (Music). Related: CBC Canada
San Diego News: La Jolla Symphony & Chorus bounces back with world premiere after hiatus
The concert will open with “The Chairman Dances” by Adams, followed by a world premiere by local composer and UC San Diego graduate student, Sang Song (Music). “I went to all of the rehearsals for the last rehearsal cycle of Steven Schick’s (Music) tenure. I was blown away,” Sang said. Featuring local trombonist [and current student] Berk Schneider (Music) as soloist, Song’s new concerto “Frozen Grief” will incorporate unusual staging and unique theatrical lighting elements that may surprise the audience.
UC San Diego Today: Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts Grand Opening
Campus leadership, faculty, staff, students and alumni joined invited guests Oct. 15 for the grand opening of the UC San Diego Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts. The community was treated with a welcome reception, photo opportunities and a special discussion with filmmakers and alumni Joanne Mony Park ‘10 (Visual Arts) and M.G. Evangelista ‘10 (Visual Arts), led by center director Michael Trigilio (Visual Arts).
School of Arts and Humanities: Greek Romans and Roman Greeks: the 10th annual Vassiliadis lecture at UC San Diego (video)
The UC San Diego Center for Hellenic Studies presented the 10th annual Vassiliadis lecture on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022: “Greek Romans and Roman Greeks: 10 Years of Byzantium” featuring Edward Watts (History), Alkiviadis Vassiliadis Endowed Chair in Byzantine Greek History. The online celebration included Watts, Denise Demetriou (History), Thomas Gallant (History) and School of Arts and Humanities Dean Cristina Della Coletta, with UC San Diego students and staff, family, friends and community supporters.
School of Arts and Humanities: Jerusalem’s elite during the 7th century BCE with Visiting Professor Yuval Gadot (video)
Professor Yuval Gadot heads the Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel-Aviv University and is lead archaeologist at the ‘City of David’ excavations project. The Dec. 1 live event was hosted by the Jewish Studies Program, in the UC San Diego Institute of Arts and Humanities.
UC San Diego Today: 2022 Triton Holiday Gift Guide
“RESET” is the debut sci-fi novel from author Sarina Dahlan ‘98 (Visual Arts), set in a post-catastrophic world where memories are erased every four years to preserve peace. For lovers of young adult fiction, the latest book “A Shot at Normal” from novelist Marisa Reichardt ‘95 (Literature) tells the story of a teenage girl who fights for the right to be vaccinated.
KCET: Artbound: A Rubén Ortiz-Torres Story
Since the early-80s, artist Rubén Ortiz-Torres (Visual Arts) has been working as a photographer, painter, sculptor, writer, filmmaker and video producer.
The Chronicle of Higher Education: When Divestment Isn’t Enough
“[Craig] Callender (Philosophy, Institute for Practical Ethics) still favors bans, imperfect as they may be, but also thinks that academic research as a whole would benefit from a standardized policy to disclose ties with all corporations,” writes the Chronicle. “Why not just have it all out in the open for everybody?” Callender said. Related: Sustainability Community
Los Angeles Times: Eileen Myles thinks some of the world’s best writing is pathetic (and that’s good)
Eileen Myles (Literature) is being tongue-in-cheek but also has a larger point. The anthology edited by Myles grows out of a conference at UC San Diego in 2006, where Myles was teaching a “Pathetic Literature” seminar.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Pulitzer winner Anthony Davis, Anoushka Shankar, Chris Thile among 2023 Grammy nominees with San Diego ties
The 2023 Grammy Awards nominees were announced Tuesday morning, and there are a number who have strong San Diego ties. They include Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis (Music), whose groundbreaking opera, “X — The Life And Times Of Malcolm X,” is nominated in the Best Opera Recording category. Related: Grammy Awards
KPBS: San Diego weekend arts events: Cog•nate Collective, ‘Mía,’ Iranian music and more
UC San Diego’s Music department is host to a performance from Persian wind instrument musician Khosrow Soltani and Iranian percussionist Mohammad Ghavihelm (event date: Nov. 19).
Kering: Women In Motion podcast
Babette Mangolte (Visual Arts) is included in this podcast series (in French).
The Chronicle of Higher Education: Hundreds of UC Faculty Members Stop Teaching as Strike Continues
“Some faculty have been engaged in a work stoppage since the beginning of the strike, but now the moment feels urgent to call on more faculty to join us,” said Simeon Man (History). Related: EdSource
La Jolla Light: La Jolla writer’s latest book delves into crime, politics and ignorance
UC San Diego professor Allan Havis’ (Theatre and Dance) “Clear Blue Silence” is his first novel for adults.
UC San Diego Today: Twelve New Faculty to Be Hired to Design Just Futures
For the 2022/2023 hiring the Designing Just Futures initiative selected six departments, including Theatre and Dance within the School of Arts and Humanities.
UC San Diego Today: UC San Diego Rises Five Spots to No. 29 in Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings
Professors at UC San Diego are also highly regarded leaders in their respective fields. Last week, UC San Diego professor Anthony Davis (Music) received a 2023 Grammy nomination for Best Opera Recording. The Pulitzer-winning composer was recognized for his opera, “X — The Life And Times Of Malcolm X.”
New Books Network: Authority, Cooperation, and Accountability
Saba Bazargan-Forward (Philosophy) discusses his new book “Authority, Cooperation, and Accountability” on this podcast. In the book, Bazargan-Forward develops a new theory of individual accountability for cooperatively committed harms, and helps us make sense of accountability in the context of joint action. Related: Oxford University Press
American Theatre: The Evolution of Anthony Davis’s ‘Malcolm X’ Opera
The Met Opera-bound revival, directed by Robert O’Hara and written by Anthony Davis (Music), plays this weekend in Omaha, where the influential Black leader was born Malcolm Little in 1925. Related: Omaha World-Herald
The New York Times: Music, Science and Healing Intersect in an A.I. Opera
The work-in-progress “Song of the Ambassadors” got a test run at Alice Tully Hall — with Lincoln Center’s artistic director lending her brain. “Just to the side of the stage, level with the musicians, sat a pair of neuroscientists, Ying Choon Wu and Alex Khalil Ph.D. ‘09 (Music), who had been monitoring the brain waves of two audience volunteers sitting nearby,” the story reads.
UC San Diego Today: Take 10 with a Triton: Jimmy Cong is a Disability Specialist, DJ and Digital Media Lover
“Part of my job is to meet with students to provide accommodations based on their current functional limitations relating to their disability,” alum Jimmy Cong ‘18 (Music) said. He works with students of all levels: undergraduate, graduate and even postdoctoral fellows, typically looking into their academic or housing accommodations needs.
UC San Diego Today: Epstein Family Amphitheater Debuts with a Memorable Lineup of Sights and Sounds
The Epstein Family Amphitheater at UC San Diego recently hosted two weeks of debut events, offering thousands of campus and community members a first look at the region’s newest arts and cultural destination. Included in this roundup are Steven Schick, Rand Steiger, Lei Liang (all Music) and alum Anna Thorvaldsdottir Ph.D. ‘11 (Music), along with King Britt (Music) and Michelle Lou (Music). “We called the festival ‘Where I Stand’ to bring together many cultural backgrounds, to unite under the power of true intention in carrying the sonic and political lineage of our ancestors,” Britt said of the Blacktronika festival. Related: UC San Diego Today (slideshow)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego Symphony plays new music for a new venue
Works by UC San Diego professors Rand Steiger (Music) and Lei Liang (Music), as well as by one of its music department’s most illustrious alumni, Anna Thorvaldsdóttir Ph.D. ‘11 (Music), were performed alongside music by Stravinsky and Barber.
Overthink Podcast: Interview with Matthew Fulkerson on touch (video)
Overthink interviews Matthew Fulkerson (Philosophy) on the concept of touch, as part of their series on the five senses. Fulkerson’s work on touch are key for understanding the unique perceptual phenomena. He is the author of “The First Sense: A Philosophical Study of Human Touch.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Music Notebook: Rob Shinno & Hemisphere at Humphreys, Blacktronika Festival at UCSD; Joshua White at Dizzy’s
Curated by DJ, producer and UC San Diego assistant professor King Britt (Music), this free festival on Oct. 29 at the new Epstein Family Amphitheater boasts a stylistically diverse array of performers. Related: Pacific Magazine
Playbill: Where the Mountain Meets the Sea New York Premiere Begins Previews October 11
“Where the Mountain Meets the Sea” is by playwriting alum Jeff Augustin MFA ‘14 (Theatre and Dance), and is being directed by alum Joshua Brody MFA ‘13 (Theatre and Dance) with alum Yonatan Gebeyehu MFA ‘18 (Theatre and Dance) in the cast. Related: Broadway World
The New York Times: 5 Classical Music Albums You Can Listen to Right Now
Anthony Davis’s (Music) Malcolm X opera is among the highlights.
Eastman School of Music: Opera as Theatre: Anthony Davis on “Lear on the 2nd Floor”
This work, first performed in 2012, is the work of dramatist Allan Havis (Theatre and Dance) and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis (Music).
UC San Diego Magazine: Origin Story: A re-imagining of the future through speculative fiction.
The university magazine interviewed speculative fiction writers who are also alumni: Kim Stanley Robinson ‘74 and Ph.D. ‘82 (Literature), Catherynne Valente ‘02 (History), Aimee Bender ‘91 (Literature), David Brin, Vernor Vinge, Luis Alberto Urrea, Nancy Holder and Gregory Benford. “I wrote my first fiction ever for a writing class at UCSD with Rae Armantrout (Literature), whom I had no idea is insanely famous in literary poetry circles,” Valente said. Related: UC San Diego Magazine
The San Diego Union-Tribune: DJ, producer and UCSD ‘Blacktronika’ creator King Britt does it all: ‘He’s had so much impact on so many’
“The worlds of DJs, academia, hip-hop, Miles Davis, Dua Lipa, electronic music, Sun Ra, cassette mix tapes and digital technology are all happy equals for King Britt (Music), who in barely four years at the University of California San Diego has become one of its most popular faculty members,” opens this piece by George Varga. Varga interviewed numerous UC San Diego community members for the profile in addition to Britt. Related: La Jolla Light
La Jolla Light: ‘Constraint and Transcendence’: La Jolla artist’s new exhibit explores merging versions of herself
Huai Li (Visual Arts), who grew up in China ‘isolated culturally [and] politically,’ finds herself constantly evolving as she reveals her ‘uniqueness.’ Her exhibition will run Oct. 22 through Feb. 26, 2023 at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido.
Sky News: Iran protests: Government uses internet ‘kill-switch’ as tech savvy youth continue to evade digital censorship
“It is extremely challenging. The minute you post something about an event happening on social media, the government also sees it,” said Babak Rahimi (Literature). “Their social media surveillance has increasingly become more sophisticated since [the civil unrest in] 2009.”
MIT Press: “Spatializing Justice: Building Blocks”
Written by Teddy Cruz (Visual Arts) and Fonna Forman, “Spatializing Justice” calls for architects and urban designers to do more than design buildings and physical systems.
Radio Taiwan International: “A Flower in the Rainy Night”: a song representing Taiwan
Nancy Guy (Music) explains what makes this song so significant to generations of Taiwanese people.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: At new SDSU exhibition, artists flip the ‘Script’
For over a decade, art historian and [UC San Diego alum] Amanda Cachia Ph.D. ‘17 (Visual Arts) has attempted to bring attention to disability in the arts.
American Council of Learned Societies: Fellows in Focus: Philomena Lopez F’21 Explores Chicano Art through Chaz Bojorquez’s Señor Suerte
Philomena Lopez (Visual Arts) is a doctoral candidate in art history, theory, and criticism, specializing in Latino and Latin American art. In 2021, she was awarded a Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellowship in American Art.
KPBS: A new performance and connections hub at UC San Diego
The official opening night is Friday, with a performance curated by UC San Diego’s Steven Schick (Music). “Art takes place in an environment. And the people who share that environment are the community for whom you are playing,” Schick said. Related: The San Diego Union-Tribune, KPBS
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: The 2022 Banff Mountain Book Competition category winners have been announced
“Northern Light: Power, Land, and the Memory of Water” by Kazim Ali (Literature) wins in the Environmental Literature category.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Review: An unconventional concert by the Mivos Quartet brings the Arctic to La Jolla
“Six Seasons” is a unique collaboration between composer Lei Liang (Music), oceanographer Joshua Jones, a team of audio engineers and the Mivos Quartet.
Jazz Corner: World Premiere Recording of Anthony Davis’s “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X”
According to composer Anthony Davis (Music), winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Music for The Central Park Five, there is no better time than now to revive “X.”
Inside Higher Ed: Promoting Institutional Change Through Inclusive Cluster Hiring: Part 1
Executive Vice Chancellor Elizabeth H. Simmons and Vice Chancellor Becky R. Petitt introduce an innovative approach to faculty cluster hiring with transformative potential. In the piece, they mention the African American and Black Diaspora Studies and Chicanx and Latinx Studies programs in the Institute of Arts and Humanities.
UC San Diego Today: Epstein Family Amphitheater Debut Events to Showcase Talent from UC San Diego and Beyond
“It occurred to me — kind of almost immediately — that the best thing we could do would be to unite different parts of the city of San Diego with a celebration of this space,” said Steven Schick (Music), who invited the San Diego Symphony to participate in the opening celebration. Work by Lei Liang (Music), Rand Steiger (Music) and alum Anna Thorvaldsdottir Ph.D. ‘11 (Music) are included in the Sept. 21 concert, with King Britt’s (Music) Blacktronika: Where I Stand Festival set for Oct. 29.
UC San Diego: Epstein Family Amphitheater (video)
“When you view the arts academic spaces on campus as a whole, from concert halls and indoor theaters to artist studios, museums, galleries and screening rooms, the amphitheater adds yet another way students can apply their training to real-world situations,” said School of Arts and Humanities Dean Cristina Della Coletta in this preview video, which also includes Steven Schick (Music).
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Composer Lei Liang and Scripps oceanographers take deep dive in Arctic to create game-changing ‘Six Seasons’
Acclaimed composer Lei Liang’s (Music) new work may suggest to some a dizzying, high-tech musical collaboration between mother nature, Jacques Cousteau and Jules Verne. “Six Seasons” will receive its world premiere Saturday in UC San Diego’s Conrad Prebys Experimental Theater with performances at 5 and 8 p.m. Six days later, the San Diego Symphony will perform Liang’s 2013 orchestral work, “Bamboo Lights,” as part of its Oct. 21 concert at UC San Diego’s new Epstein Family Amphitheater. Related: La Jolla Light
Hyperallergic: The Thriving Art Community of San Diego
This winter, the University of California San Diego’s newly renovated Mandeville Art Gallery is slated to reopen after a multiyear closure.
The New York Times: A Work of Mourning Comes to New York, With No Rothkos in Sight
Pianist Sarah Rothenberg ... is joined in the center of the space by the violist Kim Kashkashian, the percussionist Steven Schick (Music), and [Tyshawn] Sorey, as conductor. Related: The New York Times (review), San Francisco Classical Voice
Times of San Diego: Old Globe 2023 Season Features Premieres Inspired by Time Travel, Olympics – Even San Diego
Keiko Green’s MFA ‘22 (Theatre and Dance) “Exotic Deadly: Or The MSG Play,” developed on during Keiko’s time as a graduate student, is a genre-bending “time-traveling adventure told through the eyes of an awkward Asian-American teen who makes a shocking discovery.” Jesca Prudencio MFA ‘16 (Theatre and Dance) will direct.
Courier-Gazette: Strand, CMCA present contemporary dance performance
Dance soloist Marcos Duran MFA ‘20 (Theatre and Dance) performs “Shapeshifter” Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art.
Celebmix: Foxtide Share New Wave Inspired Rock Single “Already Gone”
Foxtide have partnered with industry heavyweights including Grammy award-winning Jazz producer Kamau Kenyatta (Music).
San Diego Magazine: Blacktronika: Where I Stand Festival
The “Blacktronika: Where I Stand” festival is spearheaded by King Britt (Music) and is set for Oct. 29 at the Epstein Family Amphitheater.
UC San Diego Today: UC San Diego Announces 2022 Revelle Medal Recipients
UC San Diego announced the 2022 recipients of the Revelle Medal, which recognizes current and former faculty members for sustained, distinguished and extraordinary service to the university. The 2022 Revelle Medalists are Patricia “Pat” Churchland (Philosophy), Lawrence S.B. Goldstein, Gilbert (Gil) Hegemier and J. Andrew McCammon.
Artforum: Into the Storm: Alexandro Segade on the Ororocene
“I offer the Ororocene as a stage on which to act out the reimagining of the human body and its lives, a way through the detention of unaliving,” writes Alexandro Segade (Visual Arts).
Blog of the APA: Undergraduate Philosophy Club: University of California, San Diego
“A unique feature of the philosophy club is that it is open to all students at UC San Diego, not just philosophy majors and minors so it allows anyone to join and enrich themselves in philosophy as most members hold a broad range of views and knowledge that can be quite interesting during lively discussions,” writes Monte Johnson (Philosophy) for the American Philosophical Association.
American Theatre: Les Waters: Theatre Spaces and Thin Places
In excerpts from a new book, the British-born director and faculty emeriti Les Waters (Theatre and Dance) talks about childhood mysteries, the theatre buildings he’s worked in, and his fascination with erasure and contradictions.
Freelands Foundation: Turner Contemporary, Anya Gallaccio
Turner Contemporary, Margate has been shortlisted for an exhibition with artist Anya Gallaccio (Visual Arts), to be held in the winter of 2024. It will include critical sculptures and installations from her 35-year career, many remade for the first time, alongside a significant new commission responding to the geology of Kent and environmental issues.
Health Law: Can one own human biological material that is donated for research? (Spotify)
In this podcast, Donrich Thaldar and postdoctoral scholar Bonginkosi Shozi (Institute for Practical Ethics) discuss the question of whether human biological material that is donated for research can be owned. Shozi appears in multiple episodes of Health Law, which has the “aim to engage in topical health law and ethics research and teaching from a uniquely South African perspective.” Related: Health Law series
UC San Diego Today: Stronger Together: Celebrating our Latinx Campus Community Members
“Whether they were marches for immigrant rights or Black Lives Matter protests, there were always Aztec dancers participating,” Rubén Ortiz-Torres (Visual Arts) said. “I see that solidarity as something that is very uplifting.”
UC San Diego Today: World Premiere Brings the Haunting Music of the Arctic to San Diego
On Saturday, Oct. 15 at 5 and 8 p.m., renowned composer Lei Liang (Music) unveils a new composition evoking cycles of life and change in the Arctic at UC San Diego’s Conrad Prebys Music Center Experimental Theater.
The Chronicle of Higher Education: Fossil-Fuel Money Is Warping Climate Research
“There are essentially two ways to try to fix this mess: separation and sunshine. Separation aims to disentangle fossil-fuel funding from academe altogether. Sunshine allows industry funding, but requires transparency,” writes Craig Callender (Philosophy), co-director of the Institute for Practical Ethics.
3:16: The Wentaculus, Time’s Arrow, Laws and vagueness...
Eddy Keming Chen (Philosophy) his research and time’s arrow with Richard Marshall. “I realized that my questions, albeit formulated in a naive and unsophisticated way, fell under the domain of philosophy. In college, I became a philosophy major and found my intellectual home,” Chen said.
UC Irvine: UCI School of Humanities welcomes three new senate faculty
Three senate faculty have joined the UCI School of Humanities this fall, including alum Kevan Aguilar ‘21 (History), who is now assistant professor in their Department of History.
Simon Fraser University: Fabiola Carranza and Michelle H Mackenzie on Althea Thauberger
Current graduate students Fabiola Carranza (Visual Arts) and Michelle Mackenzie (Music) discuss “Ecce Home” by Thauberger in this podcast.
Playbill: World Premiere Musical How to Dance in Ohio Begins Run at Syracuse Stage September 21
The production features scenic design by Robert Brill (Theatre and Dance). Alumni Justin Humphres MFA ‘17 (Theatre and Dance) was associate designer and Miranda Friel MFA ‘21 (Theatre and Dance) was assistant designer. Related: Playbill, Syracuse.com
Arts and Humanities: Moments newsletter, September 2022
“The mission of the School of Arts and Humanities is to provide ‘An Education for the Common Good,’” writes Dean Cristina Della Coletta. “What we collectively offer is foundational, transferable and enduring, and our commitment to this vision does not waiver.” News from the school includes the introduction of 14 new faculty members joining this fall.
UC San Diego news: Fall Move-In 2022 (video)
New student Eryn Cyia Tandoc (Visual Arts) is interviewed, saying she loves “working for art events that involve the community, exposing low-income families to our opportunities.”
UC San Diego Today: Triton Weeks of Welcome Sparks Student Spirit
Incoming first-year student Katie Canard (Theatre and Dance) is enthusiastic about diving in. “I chose UCSD because it seems to have a really unique theater program with a lot of access to local productions and ways to get yourself started with the La Jolla Playhouse—and also the campus is just beautiful, we’re right by the beach, which is awesome,” she said.
UC San Diego Today: Annual Convocation Inspires New Tritons to Embrace Their Curiosity
First-year student Maya Chang (Visual Arts) chose UC San Diego as the home of her collegiate journey because of its unique ability to let her combine her two passions: math and art. As an interdisciplinary computing and the arts major in Seventh College, Chang is excited to explore her interests surrounded by a group of like-minded students.
Daily Nous: 2021 Philosopher’s Annual
Congratulations to Monique Wonderly (Philosophy), whose “Forgiving, Committing, and Un-forgiving” was selected by The Philosopher’s Annual as one of the 10-best articles published in philosophy for 2021. Also recognized is alum Theron Pummer Ph.D. ‘13 (Philosophy), with their article “Impermissible Yet Praiseworthy” published in Ethics. Wonderly’s research was published in Philosophy & Phenomenological Research. Related: The Philosopher’s Annual, Philosophy & Phenomenological Research (article), Ethics (article)
The Boston Musical Intelligencer: Rechargeable Songs: Narucki-Berman
Susan Narucki (Music) and Donald Berman joined in a Faculty Artist Recital at Longy School of Music at Bard College Friday, Sept. 16.
Lambertronix: Bridge Podcast with David Borgo
In podcast episode #56 saxophonist and author David Borgo (Music) discusses improvisation in a complex age. Borgo is an ethnomusicologist and faculty affiliate of the Center for Research in Entertainment and Learning alongside previous Bridge Podcast guest, Shlomo Dubnov (Music). Related: YouTube (full interview)
Point Blank Plus: PBLA Instructor Spotlight: David Aguila
For this Instructor Spotlight, Point Blank Los Angeles interviewed renowned trumpet player, audio producer and current UC San Diego graduate student David Aguila (Music). “I knew that I couldn’t begin a program that would only have me viewed as a trumpet player. I needed somewhere that would allow me to hone this unique practice. UCSD was the place and I’m very happy to have landed here,” Aguila said, who is a Point Blank Audio Mastering instructor.
UC San Diego Today: UC San Diego’s Newest Class Makes an Entrance
New student Eryn Cyia Tandoc (Visual Arts) fell in love with UC San Diego after attending Triton Day in the spring. As a first generation Filipino American, she experienced some challenges while navigating the pathway to college. Tandoc is following her passion for art that was first fostered in middle school, and will major in visual arts with an emphasis on studio art this fall. After graduation, Tandoc would like to be part of a community art organization.
UC San Diego Today: UC San Diego Announces 2022-2023 Holocaust Living History Workshop Series
A collaborative effort between the UC San Diego Library and the UC San Diego Jewish Studies Program within the Institute of Arts and Humanities, the project emphasizes survivors’ continued relevance in the world today.
UC San Diego Today: Take 10 With a Triton: Campus Photographer Erik Jepsen is Chasing Rainbows — Literally
Erik Jepsen ‘10 (History) has worked for UC San Diego for 11 years, but also studied here, graduating in 2010 with a double major in management science and history.
UC San Diego Today: From Crafting to Dining to Wayfinding, New Services Enrich the Campus Experience
The Epstein Family Amphitheater will open with performances from San Diego Symphony (Oct. 21), Death Cab for Cutie (Oct. 22), Las Cafeteras (Oct. 27) and the free, full-day Blacktronika: Where I Stand Festival (Oct. 29), which is organized by King Britt (Music). For dining, one new option that will open during the fall quarter is Tahini, coming to North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Fall arts preview 2022: Musicologist Amy Cimini explores sound, gender, technoscience and heavy-metal karaoke
“As a teacher, I am drawn toward women and other understudied and marginalized figures in experimental music,” Amy Cimini (Music) said in this fall arts preview.
Fox5 San Diego: Visit the Titanic: This is how much the dive costs
“The Titanic sank in two hours and 40 minutes, the length of a classic play,” emeriti professor Stephen D. Cox (Literature) wrote for CNN. “Other disasters were either too big or too small to develop this kind of interest. They happened too fast, or too slowly…. There was no time for people to assess their options; to consider what they could do, or what they should do, morally.”
Fox5 San Diego: Remembering Queen Elizabeth II
UC San Diego visiting associate professor Jörg Neuheiser (History) joined FOX 5 to discuss Queen Elizabeth II’s legacy and impact.
Gloucester Daily Times: Artist, patron of the arts passes at 80
“What I cherished most were our endlessly wonderful conversations. It was the companionship of a fellow artist who understood the imagination, courage and hard work in artistic creativity,” said Lei Liang (Music) at the death of his friend and patron Rob Amory. Liang’s composition “A Thousand Mountains, A Million Streams,” commissioned by Amory, won the 2021 Grawemeyer Award.
Utah State University: Caine College of the Arts Brings Award-Winning Production Designer to Logan for Dean’s Convocation
Emmy Award-winning production designer and creative director Patrick Larsen MFA ‘13 (Theatre and Dance) will return to Utah State University for the Caine College of the Arts Dean’s Convocation, giving a talk entitled “The Magical Science of Creativity.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Our top pop, rock, jazz and Latin concert picks this season
Curated by faculty member King Britt (Music), this free festival is most notable for featuring a rare duo performance by Britt and the masterful drummer and composer Tyshawn Sorey.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Our top classical music picks this season
A special collaboration by professor-composer Lei Liang (Music), the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and new-music proponents Mivos Quartet sees the world premiere of “Six Seasons,” which incorporates sounds of ice, waves, whales and seals, all captured by hydrophones deployed at the sea floor of the Arctic Ocean.
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: Welcome, Tritons: Events to Look Forward to this Fall at UC San Diego
A few of the events planned for the Epstein Family Amphitheater’s opening include: Opening Celebration with San Diego Symphony (Oct. 21) with music from alum Anna Thorvaldsdottir Ph.D. ‘11 (Music) and faculty Lei Liang (Music) and Rand Steiger (Music), and “Blacktronika: Where I Stand Festival” (Oct. 29), bringing together six innovative musical groups ranging from free jazz to cosmic funk to create a full day of sonic cultural expression. Blacktronika is a course created by King Britt (Music) that honors the innovators of color who have contributed to the global advancement of electronic music.
UC San Diego News: QI Internship Provides Pathway to Workplace for Neurodiverse Youth
“I was four classes away from graduating [on a premedical track] when I realized I really didn’t want to be a doctor anymore,” said current speculative design major Em Findlay (Visual Arts). “I was excited to take this opportunity to jump headfirst into what I wanted to do with my life. This internship helped me realize I was on the right path.” Corly Huang ‘21 (Visual Arts) serves as coach for one of the related teams, and Craig Callender (Philosophy, Institute for Practical Ethics) is a researcher on the original NSF grant. Related: UC San Diego News
Campus Notice: In Memoriam: Founding Eleanor Roosevelt College Provost and Professor Emeritus James K. Lyon, Literature
During his longstanding service to UC San Diego, James Lyon (Literature) was associate dean of graduate students and chair of the Department of Literature before being selected as the founding provost of the newly established Fifth College, now Eleanor Roosevelt College.
UC San Diego News Center: UC San Diego Ranked No. 3 Best Public College by Forbes
The McNair Program is one of many research opportunities led by the Undergraduate Research Hub, with more than 150 McNair Program alumni successfully moving on to earn their doctorate. Some alumni have even come back to campus to serve as faculty members, such as current department chair Luis Alvarez (History).
Vera Files: Soprano Stefanie Quintin at CCP Black Box theater Sept. 7
“My teacher Susan Narucki (Music) is a specialist in contemporary music, and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to study with her. She is a pillar in contemporary vocal music. Her recordings are monumental,” said current graduate student Stefanie Quintin (Music). “Susan imparted to me the importance of knowing the composer’s intentions through an in-depth analysis of compositions, and showing these intentions through the delicate use of our instruments.”
Organised Sound: Thirty Years of Sound Hacking: From freeware to Eurorack
“For slightly more than 30 years I have been developing audio software and hardware under the moniker ‘soundhack,’” writes Tom Erbe (Music), where he explains in evolving sonic and design aesthetic. Related: Organised Sound (interview with Erbe)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Album reviews: Tyshawn Sorey Trio, Madonna and The Phantom Blues Band
Sorey has collaborated with ... electronic music innovator King Britt (Music), with whom Sorey will perform a free duo concert at UC San Diego’s new Epstein Family Amphitheatre on Oct. 29.
Take Effect: Wilfrido Terrazas “The Torres Cycle”
“The ambitious composer Wilfrido Terrazas (Music) presents us a 7 part album here,” the review states, “where ritual, indigenous tradition from his native Mexico, alternative notation, structured improvisation and spatialized live performance techniques make for a very expressive and unique body of work.”
KPBS: A great, big visual arts weekend in San Diego
San Diego-based interdisciplinary artist Yasmine Kasem MFA ‘19 (Visual Arts) is opening a solo exhibition in Bread and Salt’s main gallery, on view Saturday through Oct. 23, 2022. “I learned from the recent Bread and Salt podcast episode featuring Kasem that she was on her way to becoming a jazz drummer before getting distracted by a ceramics class in college,” writes Julia Dixon Evans ‘00 (Literature). Related: Bread & Salt Podcast
Light Work: Announcing Light Work’s 2023 Artists-in-Residence
Abdulhamid Kircher MFA ‘22 (Visual Arts) is a 2023 Light Work Artist in Residence.
Journal of Creative Music Systems: “Deep Music Information Dynamics”
A new comprehensive paper authored by UC San Diego Professor Shlomo Dubnov (Music), Ph.D. student Ke Chen (Music), and CSE master’s student Kevin Huang was published in the Journal of Creative Musical Systems.
Martin CID Magazine: Capacity, or: the Work of Crackling
The performances feature costumes by designer Rebecca Kanach and sound design by Shahrokh Yadegari (Music).
Organised Sound: ‘We Cross Examine with Old Sonic DNA’: King Britt and Tara Rodgers in conversation on Blacktronika, music technology and pedagogy
Composers, producers and educators King Britt (Music) and Tara Rodgers discuss music technology history and pedagogy in the context of King Britt’s Blacktronika course at the University of California San Diego, which researches and celebrates Black artists and other artists of colour who are pioneers of electronic music genres.
UC San Diego News: Culture of Collaboration Attracted New Vice Chancellor for Research to UC San Diego
“We are making great strides in so many fields from health to humanities to climate change. The possibilities are endless and fascinating, and I am excited to see what developments the next year of experimentation and collaboration will bring,” Vice Chancellor Corinne Peek-Asa said.
Squarecylinder: Black and Proud
Now on tour is an exhibition called “Young Gifted and Black: A New Generation of Artists,” on view through Dec. 19 at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis. Included in the exhibition are Paul Mpagi Sepuya (Visual Arts) and alum Sadie Barnette MFA ‘12 (Visual Arts).
Bangkok Post: Sports stadiums echo ancient divisions
Over a single generation, we have moved from sporting venues that encouraged interaction of all social and economic classes to Roman-style spaces that create rigid boundaries between spectators, writes Edward Watts (History).
KPBS: San Diego weekend arts events: Carolina Caycedo, ‘The Lion King,’ Tchaikovsky and more
Multiple artists from UC San Diego’s Visual Arts program have their work on view at the Institute of Contemporary (ICA) Art San Diego central Balboa Park campus, now through Sept. 4. ICA San Diego presented the 2022 NextGen Award to Isidro Pérez García MFA ‘22 (Visual Arts). Related: ICA San Diego
San Diego Art Prize: 2022 SD Art Prize
Congratulations to alum Alida Cervantes MFA ‘13 (Visual Arts), one of four artists selected to receive the 2022 SD Art Prize. The annual exhibit will be held at the Central Library Art Gallery starting Sept. 17.
Publiko: Moor Mother, concierto en Casa de Lago (in Spanish)
King Britt (Music) is mentioned in this article about artist Moor Mother.
Playbill: Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich’s Here There Are Blueberries Completes World Premiere Run at La Jolla Playhouse August 21
The cast includes UC San Diego Theatre and Dance MFA students Abby Huffstetler, Noah Keyishian, and Sabrina Liu. Bobby McElver (Theatre and Dance) is sound designer, and Lora Powell (Theatre and Dance) is stage manager.
Playbill: Recipients of 2022 Del Hughes Awards for Lifetime Achievement in Stage Management Named
The Stage Managers’ Association will also honor Lisa Porter (Theatre and Dance) and Narda E. Alcorn with a Special Recognition Award at the 2022 Del Hughes Awards Oct. 24. Related: Broadway World, Projection Lights & Staging News
Salon: Is this the worst time in American history to be a mom?
“I wouldn’t say there has never been a worst time to be a mother, I would not go that far — but it’s hard [right now],” Rebecca Jo Plant (History) said. “We have basically no social support for families and motherhood, [and] we have maybe the second highest rate of child poverty among so-called industrialized or wealthy nations.... [Y]ou’re more likely to be poor if you’re a child than if you’re an older person,”
International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques: Becoming: An Interactive Musical Journey in VR
New research led by Shahrokh Yadegari (Music) and the Sonic Arts research group at Qualcomm Institute was presented: “Becoming” is an operatic VR piece based on a Persian poem by Mowlana Rumi. The critical content of the piece is about the spiritual evolution of humans on Earth.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: At the Oceanside Museum of Art, a pop art exhibit by military veterans defies stereotypes
Current undergrad student Mike Stevens (Visual Arts) turned to ceramics in 2020, when a neck injury kept him from doing the surfing and bike-riding he loves. He spent the next six months hunkered down in the Veteran Art Project’s ceramics studio, where the physicality of working with clay kept him from going stir crazy.
Gramophone: Steven Schick: A Hard Rain
“The album’s first disc is devoted to solo works that often raise the question: how does he do that?” writes this reviewer of the latest release from Steven Schick (Music). Related: Opera Wire, Harlem World
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Music Notebook: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss; all-star Robert Bush benefit; Nabil Ayers and James Spooner
A benefit concert for writer Robert Bush is set for Aug. 23, featuring Mark Dresser (Music), Kamau Kenyatta (Music) and more.
KPBS: San Diego weekend arts events: ‘The Pleasure Trials,’ Festival of Books, Khalid Alkaaby and more
The San Diego Union-Tribune Festival of Books returns in person with a packed program, including Kazim Ali (Literature) and Rae Armantrout (Literature) among many others.
Broadway World: OPERA America Welcomes Six New Members to Its Board of Directors
OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, has welcomed a new class of six board members that includes Anthony Davis (Music), unanimously elected to a two-year term.
University of California Television: Becoming a Philosophy Professor with Manuel Vargas
Growing up in Bakersfield, California, Manuel Vargas (Philosophy) had parents who instilled the value of education and learning in him at an early age. Starting his academic career at a local community college, he found his way to UC Davis and then graduate school and a Ph.D. program. He is now a professor at UC San Diego and his research focuses on the history of philosophy in Latin America. He shares what life is like as a professor and his advice for prospective and current college students.
University of California Television: The Lemon Grove Incident and the Making of a History Professor with Luis Alvarez
More than 20 years before the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision, a small Mexican community in Lemon Grove, California fought for and secured for their children the right to an equal education. Luis Alvarez (History), a professor of history at UC San Diego, grandson of the plaintiff in Roberto Alvarez vs. the Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District, shares how his family’s history shaped his world view and career path.
University of California Television: Triton Talks: Life Without Earlids - Learning To Listen To the World
What does it mean to have no earlids? According to Steven Schick (Music), conductor and music professor at UC San Diego, it means we have no way of removing ourselves from the sounds that are all around us. The world-renown percussionist talks about the nature of sound and how to listen as he creates music through common clay flower pots.
CDM: The Daily Show takes on the Black and gay origins of house music
“If you want to delve deeper and pan out a bit – here is a terrific conversation with Greg Tate and Ytasha Womack about Afrofuturism from the Black perspective, conducted by our friend, the great King Britt (Music),” writes CDM. Related: Okayplayer (video)
Virginia Tech: Cube Fest 2022 offers stellar sonic adventures
This year’s Cube Fest celebrates immersive Afrofuturist music by artists King Britt (Music), alum Yvette Janine Jackson Ph.D. ‘17 (Music), Jupiter Blue and Sea Novaa. The festival runs from Friday, Aug. 19 through Sunday, Aug. 21.
San Diego Magazine: Fit for a King
DJ, composer, producer and UC San Diego professor, King Britt (Music) takes us inside his sanctuary and satellite classroom for students.
Penn State University Press: “Georg Forster: German Cosmopolitan”
Publishing in September 2022, this in-depth look at Forster’s work and life reveals his importance for other writers of the age. Todd Kontje (Literature) traces the major intellectual themes and challenges found in Forster’s writings, interweaving close textual analysis with his rich but short life.
East of Borneo: Still: Amy Adler
“Queering the pictures is essential to [Amy] Adler’s (Visual Arts) practice, and she explores the fluidity and complexity of desire—its production, expression, and permissibility—across male and female bodies,” writes Jordan Karney Chaim.
Oregon ArtsWatch: Maturity and innovation: An interview with Mark Steinberg
The Lei Liang (Music) commission comes out of a long term friendship between the Brentano and Liang’s composition teacher, the late Chou Wen-Chung, promoter of Chinese music and godfather to a generation of Chinese composers.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: UCSD taps Moonlight’s producer to lead new arts programming office
While in my position at Moonlight for the past four years, I have also been a lecturer with UC San Diego’s Department of Theatre and Dance. This new position allows me to prioritize both of these passions as we bring community together on campus and beyond while working directly with the next generation of performing arts leaders, creators and supporters,” says Colleen Kollar Smith.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Looking for outdoor concerts in San Diego? These are the region’s can’t-miss venues
Opening weekend of the new Epstein Family Amphitheater at UC San Diego includes the Oct. 21 celebration concert by the San Diego Symphony, conducted by Elena Schwarz and Steven Schick (Music).
Bandcamp: The Transcendence of Terry Jennings
When cellist Charles Curtis (Music) plays Terry Jennings’s 1960 work Piece for Cello and Saxophone, he feels the music’s emotional charge. “It is being carried by something, which is spirit,” Curtis says. The new album is mixed by Anthony Burr (Music). Related: Bandcamp
TIME: The Story Behind TIME’s Brittney Griner Cover
Although the photographer and multimedia artist Lorna Simpson MFA ‘86 (Visual Arts) has never met WNBA player Brittney Griner, she has no trouble imagining a vulnerability of the kind that Griner, another Black American woman, has been experiencing since being detained in Russia since February.
salt peanuts*: Jones Jones
Jones Jones is a sort of free improvisation supergroup, featuring three masters of their instruments: sax player Larry Ochs, drummer-percussionist Vladimir Tarasov, and double bass player Mark Dresser (Music). Their fourth album, “Just Justice” was recorded at UC San Diego in January 2020.
Playbill: See Photos of the World Premiere of Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich’s Here There Are Blueberries
The cast includes UC San Diego MFA students Abby Huffstetler, Noah Keyishian and Sabrina Liu (all Theatre and Dance). The creative team includes sound designer Bobby McElver (Theatre and Dance), and Lora K. Powell (Theatre and Dance) is stage manager. Related: Playbill, KPBS
University of California Television: Generational Change and the American Language with Seth Lerer
What is the nature of American English in its most recent forms? How does generational distance affect changes in language? How can the study of the history of English over past centuries help us understand the changes we see today? Seth Lerer (Literature) addresses these questions and more, and provokes discussion about the most recent features of the American vernacular.
Los Angeles Times: Arts groups raced to be more diverse. How one L.A.-area company tripped along the way
Black artists citing ‘racial tokenism’ quit Long Beach Opera, one of many arts groups nationwide facing scrutiny over their commitment to inclusion. Anthony Davis (Music) is interviewed.
Your Classical: Anthony Davis is an opera composer extraordinaire
Composer Anthony Davis (Music) has been creating operas that center on the Black experience for years. With a recent thirst for Black operas, it’s easy to forget composers who have been here all along.
History: 5 Ways Christianity Spread Through Ancient Rome
Edwards Watts (History) is cited multiple times in this feature: “[Constantine] starts a process that, by the end of the fourth century, will lead to the explicit restriction of pagan practices and the explicit promotion of Christian practices by the imperial government.”
Playbill: World Premiere of Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich’s Here There Are Blueberries Begins at La Jolla Playhouse July 26
The co-production with Tectonic Theater Project is inspired by an album of photos from the Holocaust. Several Theatre and Dance students are part of the production, as are faculty members Bobby McElver (Theatre and Dance) and Lora Powell (Theatre and Dance).
Bandcamp: The Best Contemporary Classical on Bandcamp: July 2022
The second batch of titles from the upstart Sawyer Editions label includes this minimalist gem - “empty spaces” - a collection of works by graduate student Lydia Winsor Brindamour (Music), who is studying with Rand Steiger (Music). The album includes many Department of Music mentions.
Foxy Digitalis: Wilfrido Terrazas “My Shadow Leads This Way”
“Shadows and silhouettes become tangible outlines buried deep in the earth on Wilfrido Terrazas’ beguiling ‘My Shadow Leads This Way,’” opens this review of Terrazas’ (Music) latest release.
Campus Notice: 2021-22 Exemplary Staff Employee of the Year Award Recipients
Congratulations to Exemplary Staff Employee of the Year Jennifer Johnson (Arts and Humanities Dean’s Office). Johnson is one of only 15 professional and support staff members recognized, and will be celebrated Thursday, Aug. 25 in a virtual program.
UC San Diego News: Colleen Kollar Smith to Lead UC San Diego’s New Campus Performance and Events Office
UC San Diego has named Colleen Kollar Smith as the inaugural Executive Director of the newly created Campus Performance and Events Office, led by the Division of Student Affairs. Kollar Smith — who has also served as a lecturer in the Department of Theatre and Dance at UC San Diego — most recently served as Executive Producer of Moonlight Stage Productions, a cultural arts program in Vista, Calif.
Oxford University Press: “Wild Sound: Maryanne Amacher and the Tenses of Audible Life”
Author Amy Cimini (Music) explores Amacher’s working methods with an interpretive style that emphasizes technical study, conceptual juxtaposition, intertextual play, and narrative transport.
Zocalo Public Square: Why Are Our Sports Stadiums Becoming More Like Roman Amphitheaters?
Today’s shift to status-based seating is an unwelcome return to the rigid social divides of an imperial age, writes Edward Watts (History).
Financial Times: Babette Mangolte on how dance made her a groundbreaking photographer (subscription required)
This year’s edition of the Rencontres d’Arles photography festival celebrates Babette Mangolte’s (Visual Arts) career with an in-depth look at her back catalog of black and white photography. Reprinted in: UK Daily
Leiter Reports, A Philosophy Blog: Lateral moves (and retirements) since the 2021 Philosophical Gourmet Report
In addition to separate posts announcing faculty moves, Brian Leiter keeps a running list of all lateral moves not reflected in the faculty lists for the last rankings. New faculty member Patricia Marechal (Philosophy) is listed, with prior posts about July 2023 new faculty member Christopher Shields (Philosophy): “That’s a major hire for UCSD!” Related: Leiter Reports
The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego International Mariachi Gala concert to showcase several generations of musicians
When opportunity knocked in the midst a global pandemic, mariachi music champion and alum Jeff Nevin Ph.D. ‘98 (Music) didn’t hesitate to jump into action, writes George Varga. Nevin studied under trumpet professor Ed Harkins and such award-winning composers as Chinary Ung (Music) and Roger Reynolds (Music). For his dissertation, Nevin wrote his groundbreaking Mariachi Concerto.
The Mary Sue: Books Designers Have Chosen the Best Covers of the Year
The American Institute of Graphic Arts announced the winners of their 50 Books | 50 Covers competition, which include “My Barbarian” from Alexandro Segade (Visual Arts) and new faculty member Malik Gaines (Visual Arts), and “Sadie Barnette: Legacy & Legend” from alum Sadie Barnette MFA ‘12 (Visual Arts). Related: AIGA
HereIn Journal: Amir Saadiq with HereIn
“His new projects bear a poetic urgency, taking a leap into formally innovative and conceptually nuanced works that contemplate living in the black body in the context of a system fundamentally committed to anti-blackness,” writes HereIn journal about MFA student Amir Saadiq (Visual Arts).
The Boston Musical Intelligencer: A Chinese Duo at Shalin Liu
“Mother’s Songs” is a marvelously carved and truthful reminiscence from the holder of a Grawemeyer Award and the Elliott Carter Rome Prize, Lei Liang (Music).
La Jolla Light: UC San Diego announces inaugural concert lineup at new Epstein Family Amphitheater
San Diego Symphony: Friday, Oct. 21, featuring music from UC San Diego alum Anna Thorvaldsdottir Ph.D. ‘11 (Music) and faculty members Lei Liang (Music) and Rand Steiger (Music). “Blacktronika: Where I Stand Festival” organized by King Britt (Music) is at noon Saturday, Oct. 29, featuring six musical groups ranging from free jazz to cosmic funk.
Times of San Diego: 10-Year Fundraising Campaign Raises Over $3 Billion for UCSD ‘Transformation’
“We are so incredibly proud of how UC San Diego alumni have come together over the past decade to support their alma mater as a collective group,” said alum Kimberley Phillips Boehm ‘82 (History), UC San Diego Alumni president from 2020 to 2022. Related: ABC 10
The San Diego Union-Tribune: ArtPower bringing world-leaping music, dance, film and theater lineup to UCSD
Award-winning composer Lei Liang (Music) is teaming with Mivos Quartet for a musical exploration of the Arctic Ocean that will be performed as part of the upcoming ArtPower season.
Checkered History: Mike Pence says the US has been “a force for good in the Middle East” for “nearly 200 years”; historians have thoughts about this
For the Political Uses of the Past Project, Michael Provence (History) gives a “split decision” to the statement, saying “The United States had no role in the Middle East before 1945, apart from private business and educational initiatives.” Related: History News Network
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: 14 New Latinx Studies Faculty to be Hired at UC San Diego
“The 14 faculty members hired will bring dynamic research profiles, exciting new courses, and long histories of committed, impactful experience with Chicanx, Latinx and Latin American communities to campus,” said Luis Alvarez (History), who is co-principal investigator for the Latinx Cluster Hire Initiative. The initiative aims to increase faculty diversity, spur innovative research and infuse culture into the curriculum. Jody Blanco (Literature), also co-PI on the initiative, said the new faculty will “redirect, channel and grow” from campus collaborations: “The stars are our destination.”
There are currently seven ladder-rank faculty searches underway as part of the Latinx Cluster Hire, including within the Rady School of Management, the School of Social Sciences, and the School of Arts and Humanities’ departments of History, Literature and Theatre and Dance. The additional seven ladder-rank faculty searches will be conducted over the 2022-23 academic year.
School of Arts and Humanities: Moments newsletter, July 2022
In addition to news celebrating the close of The Campaign and the Institute of Arts and Humanities Race and Oral History Project, the inaugural director of the Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts was announced: multimedia artist Michael Trigilio (Visual Arts). Related: Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: Take 10 With a Triton: From the Circus to Construction, Kathy Whelan Makes Connections
As project specialist for the Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood, Whelan manages a wide variety of tasks.
Campus Notice: 2022 Dissertation Year Fellowship Award Recipients
The Graduate Fellowship and Award Review Committee has identified the following doctoral students for the 2022-2023 Dissertation Year Fellowship awards. Congratulations to Alison Urban (Theatre and Dance) for receiving the Fletcher Jones Fellowship.
Opera America: An Oral History with Anthony Davis
Recorded last year but just published, composer Anthony Davis (Music) sat down with OPERA America’s President/CEO Marc A. Scorca for a conversation about opera and their life. Related: Broadway World
The Boston Globe: In a newly revived opera, Malcolm X sings his own history
BMOP and Odyssey Opera performed ‘X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X’ by Anthony Davis (Music). The presentation marked the launch of a five-year initiative devoted to operas by Black composers.
The Canadian Association for Theatre Research: Prix Jean-Cleo Godin 2022
“Xajoj Tun Rabinal Achí” by Julie Burelle (Theatre and Dance) received special mention in this year’s Jean-Cleo Godin Award, given annually to the best scholarly article or article focused on research-creation in French, this award honors work of significant merit in any area of Canadian theatre or performance research: “The jury particularly noted the excellence of the description and the importance of such a study that seeks to reflect on the relationships between Indigenous practitioners, their art and their public.”
Fox 5 San Diego: UCSD announces first lineup for new amphitheater
October 21, San Diego Symphony will perform music from UC San Diego alumna Anna Thorvaldsdottir Ph.D. ‘11 (Music) as well as faculty members Lei Liang (Music) and Rand Steiger (Music). Presale tickets for university faculty, staff and students went on sale.
Literary Hub: Is There a Viable Model for Political Change in 21st-Century America?
The classical historian Edward Watts (History) came on [the podcast] “Keen On” last year to warn about the endless comparison between the decline of Caesarist Rome and the decline of Trumpian America, writes Andrew Keen.
American University: David Marchick Named Dean of American University’s Kogod School of Business
UC San Diego alum David Marchick ‘88 (History), a prominent leader with decades of experience in global finance and private equity, public policy, and service, joins American University as dean of the Kogod School of Business.
Rolling Stone: Pierre Kwenders’ Multitudinous Self: ‘Where There Is Life, There Is Hope’
King Britt (Music) co-produced a track that was used on the “José Louis and the Paradox of Love” album.
PoliFlash magazine: Rinnovato il protocollo di intesa tra Politecnico e University of California San Diego (in Italian)
UC San Diego and the Politecnico di Torino recently renewed and extended the collaboration agreement that established research, training and study in the digital humanities between Politecnico’s Department of Architecture and Design, and UC San Diego’s School of Arts and Humanities and Qualcomm Institute. Related: UC San Diego News (archive)
This Week @ UC San Diego: Changing the World Through Philanthropy: UC San Diego Raises $3.05 Billion as Campaign for UC San Diego Concludes
Current student Itzel Guadalupe Jimenez Jimenez ‘25 (Literature), a Karen and Jeff Silberman Chancellor’s Associates Scholar, said the scholarship gave her a chance to pursue a dream career, and the gift from supporters Joel and Ann Reed to help establish the Institute for Practical Ethics was highlighted in this feature. The Conrad Prebys Presidential Chair in Music, held by Rand Steiger (Music), was also included, and there were special mention of alumna Sally T. WongAvery ‘75 (Philosophy) $10 million support of East Asian scholarship and collections. “We are so incredibly proud of how UC San Diego alumni have come together over the past decade to support their alma mater as a collective group,” said Kimberley Phillips Boehm ‘82 (History), UC San Diego Alumni president from 2020-2022.
News Nine: In ‘Northern Light’, Kazim Ali breaks free from LGBTQ literature constructs, embarks upon journey of self-discovery
The book that has moved me most this month is Kazim Ali’s (Literature) memoir “Northern Light: Power, Land, and the Memory of Water,” writes Chintan Girish Modi during LGBTQ pride month: “Reading ‘Northern Light’ reminds me of his gentle, mindful self, striking a delicate balance between curiosity and respect in new spaces.”
Authority Magazine: Leland Montgomery of Hotter Up Close: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker
“I ended up going to college at UC San Diego, where I studied drama and creative writing and made a lot of weird plays, wrote a lot of weird short stories, and took a lot of strange photographs… which I think is the whole point of going to any sort of art school,” says filmmaker and double-major alum Leland Montgomery ‘11 (Theatre and Dance, Literature). “In some ways, it was the most creatively free I’ve ever felt, and I sometimes wish I could return to those days.”
La Jolla Light: Three La Jolla-area properties earn American Society of Landscape Architects awards
The UC San Diego Ridge Walk project, designed by Spurlock Landscape Architects, involves upgrades to a walkway that winds through the campus, including in front of the Mandeville Art Gallery and Department of Visual Arts, and the Arts and Humanities Building. It was honored in the awards’ “institutional” category.
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: UC San Diego Announces Inaugural Artists Performing at the Epstein Family Amphitheater
Presale tickets for employees and students are now available for the Oct. 21 San Diego Symphony concert featuring music by alum Anna Thorvaldsdottir Ph.D. ‘11 (Music) and faculty members Lei Liang (Music) and Rand Steiger (Music). The following weekend, Oct. 29, is an all-day festival led by King Britt (Music) called “Blacktronika: Where I Stand.”
The Hollywood Reporter: The Top 25 Drama Schools In the World
Where to look for the next onscreen talent, from New Haven to Australia? How about UC San Diego’s Department of Theatre and Dance, the highest-ranking program on the West Coast at #5 on the annual global list.
The Washington Post: Ronald Berman, humanities endowment chairman, dies at 91
Ronald Berman (Literature), who spent much of his career teaching English literature at the University of California San Diego, was a specialist in Renaissance and Restoration drama. Berman, a Shakespeare scholar whose chairmanship of the National Endowment for the Humanities in the 1970s brought blockbuster museum exhibitions and innovative public programming to an audience of millions and who also found himself in a political showdown with a powerful senator, died May 17 at his home in San Diego.
Telos 199: China and the West
Appearing in the Summer 2022 issue of Telos is the essay “Locations of China in World Literature” by Yingjin Zhang (Literature).
Kering: Women In Motion at the Rencontres d’Arles 2022, an edition rich in projects and events
The 2022 Women In Motion Award for photography goes to Babette Mangolte (Visual Arts).
DownBeat: jazzahead! Conference Rebirths in Bremen
Steph Richards (Music) is fast emerging as a trumpeter bringing a new energy and attitude to her instrument and to the business of jazz from the experimental and free improvisational perspective.
The New York City Jazz Record: ‘Just Justice’ (review, PDF)
Saxophone trios are nothing new in the music, dating back to the ‘50s, but when one combines Larry Ochs, Mark Dresser (Music) and Vladimir Tarasov sparks will fly.
Playbill: Full Cast, Creative Team Set for World Premiere of Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich’s ‘Here There Are Blueberries’ at La Jolla Playhouse
The co-production with Tectonic Theater Project is inspired by an album of photos from the Holocaust. The cast will include Department of Theatre and Dance MFA students Abby Huffstetler, Noah Keyishian and Sabrina Liu.
Los Angeles Times: Review: How well does opera represent reality? LBO and L.A. Opera take differing approaches
Los Angeles Opera and Long Beach Opera have ended their seasons with semi-staged recent works by Pulitzer Prize-winning opera composers: LBO mounted Anthony Davis’ (Music) anti-cinematic, feel-bad masterpiece “The Central Park Five,” writes Mark Swed, making a note of encouragement to have Davis’s work at the L.A. Opera.
Campus Notice: In Memoriam: Distinguished Professor Emeritus Ronald S. Berman, Literature
We share the sad news of the passing of Distinguished Professor Emeritus Ronald S. Berman (Literature), a longstanding member of the UC San Diego Department of Literature and leader in advancing the humanities in the United States and abroad.
Explore Magazine: Celebrating Five Successful Years of UC San Diego’s Race and Oral History Project
Born from a collaborative partnership between the Institute of Arts and Humanities and the UC San Diego Library, the Race and Oral History Project was created in 2017 in an effort to document and share stories of understudied racial and ethnic communities in the Greater San Diego region. The project itself is anchored by a joint Department of History and Department of Ethnic Studies. “During my time in the course, I had the opportunity to interact with students from various backgrounds, majors and interests,” said Isabel Nguyen, a student minoring in the Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies program.
Explore Magazine: How an alumna’s passion for UC San Diego, books and Chinese culture led to the renaming of the Biomedical Library
Alongside her closest friends, family and acquaintances, Sally T. WongAvery ‘75 (Philosophy) was recognized by the university and community leaders for her support of the UC San Diego Library.
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: New Campus Restaurants Diversify and Delight
New restaurants in the North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood near the Arts and Humanities Building — Fan-Fan and Showa Ramen — are highlighted.
BuzzFeed News: 5 Digital Artists Talk About What Makes This Moment So Unique
“There’s a common belief that art is about the self and is an expression of the self. I want to think that art is much more than self-expression,” writes Pinar Yoldas (Visual Arts), one of five artists featured. “It is high time that we realize how crucial art is for our survival and create effective support networks for creativity, imagination, and artistic production.”
KPBS: Cast of recent San Diego Rep production allege racism and misogyny
“It took more than COVID to close these doors for now,” said an open letter by “The Great Khan” cast, which included alumni Molly Adea ‘18 (Theatre and Dance) and Dylan John Seaton ‘07 (Theatre and Dance).
Times of San Diego: Mother and Daughter Share ‘Iron’ Bond Despite Prison and Time at Roustabouts
The cast of “Iron” from The Roustabouts includes current MFA student Jada Alston Owens (Theatre and Dance).
Gramophone: REYNOLDS ‘Violin Works’ (review)
Roger Reynolds (Music) “grips your attention moment to moment.”
Bandcamp: “My Shadow Leads The Way”
The new album “My Shadow Leads The Way” by Wilfrido Terrazas (Music) is now available for streaming and download.
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: Grads Give Thanks
Graduating students Haniyeh Javaheri, minoring in the Middle East Studies Program, and Luis Escobar, who received his minor in Literature, are featured. “Professors Seth Lerer (Literature) and Kristina Markman had the biggest impact on me,” Escobar said. “They made me realize I actually had a knack for literature analysis and that even though I am a biochemistry major, having these writing skills are very important for STEM work.”
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: Honoring the Class of 2020
Student keynote speaker Adarsh Parthasarathy ‘20 (History) shared the importance of solidarity and leaving a positive impact on others. “We worry about whether we will find our place in history, whether we are going to accomplish anything of note for ourselves, for our families, and perhaps for the world,” said Parthasarathy, who is currently enrolled at the University of Texas School of Law. The commencement began with recognition from Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla and UC San Diego Alumni Board of Directors President Kimberly Phillips Boehm, ‘82 (History).
UC San Diego News: UC San Diego Atmospheric Chemist Kim Prather Elected to American Philosophical Society
Kim Prather, an Institute for Practical Ethics advisory board member, is recognized for her work on emissions, pollutants and climate.
Resident Advisor: BBC Radio 1 Takeover: Four Artists Pushing the Frontiers of Technology
Since starting his DJ journey at just five years old, during afternoons spent selecting records for his father’s barber salon, King Britt (Music) has seemingly explored every avenue of the electronic music scene and industry.
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Music gives Adam Sandler’s Philly basketball movie ‘Hustle’ its flow
The Netflix basketball movie includes David Dallas’ “Runnin,’“ built on a sample of “New World In My View,” from King Britt Presents Sister Gertrude Morgan, a ready-to-be-rediscovered 2005 classic by Philly DJ-producer King Britt (Music).
CovidCalls: Episode #470
Streaming on Periscope, this episode sees Alain J.-J. Cohen (Literature) in discussion, based on a recent article: “Dystopic Anamorphosis in Stephen Soderbergh’s Contagion. The Other of Desire. The Other of Death” (Diogène, 2021).
Los Angeles Times: Commentary: Why two theatrical extravaganzas bode well for the state of opera in L.A.
The final opera of the [Long Beach Opera’s] curtailed season, a revival of Anthony Davis’ (Music) Pulitzer Prize-winning “Central Park Five,” will no longer be staged, only given in concert form later this month, writes Mark Swed. Related: Orange County Breeze
Museum of Contemporary Photography: The 2022 Snider Prize
The 2022 Snider Prize has been awarded to MFA graduate student Abdulhamid Kircher (Visual Arts). The Snider Prize is a purchase award given to emerging artists in their final year of graduate study.
KPBS: 5 songs for right now
Steven Schick’s (Music) new two-disc album, “A Hard Rain,” launches an ambitious multi-release recording project called “Weather Systems.” On the album, “Janissary Music” was composed in 1966 by Charles Wuorinen and is a piece Schick has been playing for upwards of 45 years. Related: Sequenza 21
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Review: Steven Schick’s final La Jolla Symphony concert a happy success
A capacity crowd gathered at the Good Samaritan Episcopal Church on Saturday to hear Steven Schick (Music) conduct his valedictory concert as Music Director of the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus.
I Care if You Listen: 5 Questions to Donna Weng Friedman
“I perform ‘Space Between the Fish and the Moon’ by Cambodian American composer Chinary Ung (Music) on the two H&H programs – it is the only piece that is featured on both the album and the video series,” writes pianist Donna Weng. “I discovered ‘Space Between the Fish and the Moon’ by chance when I was feeling most vulnerable, so it holds a special place in my heart while marking the beginning of my journey of self-reflection.”
New Focus Recordings: Wilfrido Terrazas: “The Torres Cycle”
A virtuoso flutist, Wilfrido Terrazas (Music) presents a musical language in which the power of expression frames the palette of techniques, creating a fresh and urgent soundworld. Related: Sequenza 21
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: Celebrating 10 Years of UC San Diego’s Physical, Cultural and Intellectual Transformation
“Having the Arts and Humanities Building in this prominent location on our campus is a game changer for our students, faculty and staff,” said School of Arts and Humanities Dean Cristina Della Coletta. “We have long known the important contributions our disciplines bring to educating each and every student at UC San Diego. Not only is this location an acknowledgement of these contributions, but being centralized gives better access for our students and provides our faculty the opportunity to make important, interdisciplinary connections that are unique to our research university.”
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: UC San Diego Becomes Nation’s Youngest University to Reach $3 Billion in Fundraising Campaign
The Campaign for UC San Diego exceeded its initial $2 billion goal by $1 billion. Of the several gifts included in the feature: Deepak and Varsha Israni established the Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts within the School of Arts and Humanities in memory of their late son, Suraj, an aspiring filmmaker. The center is committed to promoting, advancing and advocating for film, filmmaking and the cinematic arts.
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: Class of 2022 Outstanding Grads
Featured graduates this year include Haniyeh Javaheri, who is receiving a minor in the Middle East Studies program from the Institute of Arts and Humanities, and Tommy Lim, a double major in the Program for the Study of Religion.
Department of Music: Academic Achievement and Service Awards
The Department of Music is proud to announce the Undergraduate and Graduate Student award recipients for academic achievement and service during the 2021-2022 academic year. Chair Anthony Burr (Music) presented the awards on behalf of the department in the Conrad Prebys Music Center.
KPBS: Steven Schick moves ‘onward’
“No other community orchestra dedicated to community and progressive music-making, aligned with a major research university of the world — no such orchestra really exists,” said Steven Schick (Music) to reporter and alum Julia Dixon Evans ‘00 (Literature). “We are unique and we adopt from UCSD its forward-looking mentality towards everything, including music. And we root ourselves in the community beyond the university. So we really tried to do both — a bridging mechanism between the university and the community.”
La Jolla Light: Best Bets: A quick guide to online and in-person entertainment and experiences
Two picks make the list: The La Jolla Symphony & Chorus and Steven Schick (Music) presents “Onward;” and Gallery QI presents the exhibit “#RetroColectiva,” works by Ricardo Dominguez (Visual Arts). Related: The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune: New leader takes over Taylor Guitars as founders step back
Taylor Guitars co-founders are stepping back as president and CEO, to hand the reins to alum Andrew Powers ‘04 (Music).
HereIn: Dillon Chapman on Maria Antonia Eguiarte Souza
In the Performance Space within the Visual Arts Facilities at UC San Diego, [current MFA student] Eguiarte Souza (Visual Arts) invites viewers to engage with a video, sculptural installation, and series of performances that explore themes of the Cartesian divide between mind and body, incorruptible bodies, and the notion of bodies without organs, writes alum Dillon Chapman MFA ‘20 (Visual Arts).
NBC Los Angeles: Star Wars Is Mostly TV Now — and the Disney Franchise’s Often-Fractured Fanbase Is Cool With That
“I feel like television is definitely a better format for people to experience Star Wars,” said Hayden Kirkeide, a 22-year-old Visual Arts student at UC San Diego. But she is still eager to see Waititi’s film. “I, of course, love the movies.”
Literary Hub: The Spirit of Ukrainian Resistance: Five Poems by Marjana Savka
Marjana Savka is a visual artist as well as a poet and publisher. Her paintings of angels, posted to social media, have come to embody the Ukrainian spirit of resistance, write Amelia Glaser (Literature) and Yuliya Ilchuk in their Literary Hub series.
Institute for Practical Ethics: Practical Ethics Quarterly, Spring 2022
The latest issue includes research by Reuven Brandt (Philosophy), the institute’s five-year report, Ethics Bowl team results, and David Danks’ (Philosophy) appointment to the national AI Advisory Committee, plus updates on Ph.D. fellow Alec Calac and the Kyoto Symposium discussion led by John H. Evans, Institute for Practical Ethics co-director.
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: Class of 2022 Shining Stars
“I’ve seen firsthand how life-changing mentorship can be. I’ve made it a personal goal of mine to be that driving force that connects my peers to mentors of their own,” said Kayla Monnette, who is graduating with a minor from the Chinese Studies Program within the Institute of Arts and Humanities.
The New York Times: The ‘Philosopher King’ of Percussion Starts His Next Chapter
Steven Schick (Music), a renowned figure in contemporary music, had nearly burned out as a performer. But a new recording project shows he’s hardly finished. “Steve is really the god of a certain kind of percussion playing,” said alum Sarah Hennies MA ‘03 (Music), a player and composer who studied with him in San Diego. “The music of ‘Psappha’ is ecstatic and transporting and powerful. But the way Steve plays it, it doesn’t feel like he’s showing off, which is what a lot of people want to do.”
Artbook: Michael in Black by Nicole Miller
This first monograph on artist and filmmaker Nicole Miller (Visual Arts) focuses on a single sculpture by the artist: “Michael in Black” (2018).
Freethink: Self-driving cars could transform the world in unexpected ways
“A major factor in people’s housing decisions is length of time (not distance) of their work commute,” said David Danks (Philosophy).
Literary Hub: The Spirit of Ukrainian Resistance: Five Poems by Marjana Savka
Literary Hub publishes new poetry from Ukraine by Marjana Savka, translated by Amelia Glaser (Literature) and Yuliya Ilchuk.
The San Diego Union Tribune: Project [Blank] presents the sonically adventurous ‘Paradise TBD’
"Paradise TBD" is directed by Robert Castro (Theatre and Dance) with music direction by alum Brendan Nguyen D.M.A. ‘16 (Music). Related: KPBS
San Diego Union Tribune: San Diego museum’s ‘Keepers of the Culture’ event honors local Black artists who uplift community
Honorees include alum Nathan East ‘78 (Music), jazz musician and a founding member of the contemporary jazz group.
PodBean: EP #470 - 3.14.2022 - Pandemic Films
Alain J.-J. Cohen (Literature) has a discussion with Dr. Scott Gabriel Knowles about the COVID-19 pandemic with a diverse collection of disaster experts.
Government Technology: Who Serves on the New National AI Advisory Committee?
David Danks (Philosophy) is an inaugural member of the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee.
La Jolla Light: “Permission to be weird’: La Jolla native’s film on Spike and Mike festival to be screened at Comic-Con
La Jolla native and UC San Diego alum Kat Alioshin ‘87 (Visual Arts), has produced and directed a documentary about the duo known as Spike and Mike. The film is titled “Animation Outlaws.”
The Dirt: University of California San Diego Densifies to Protect Its Landscape
The walkable, bikeable DNA of the campus enabled planners and landscape architects to densify through additional mixed-use development. This future is being realized in the North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood.
Broadway World: Meet the 2022 Tony Nominees: A STRANGE LOOP's John-Andrew Morrison
Leading up to the 75th Annual Tony Awards, Broadway World is getting up close and personal with the nominees. Today they are studying up on John-Andrew Morrison MFA ’99 (Theatre and Dance).
Wesleyan University Press: 'Finalists' by Rae Armantrout
Brilliant and irascible, playful and intense, Rae Armantrout (Literature) nails the current moment's debris fields and super computers, its sizzling malaise and confusion, with an exemplary immensity of heart and a boundless capacity for humor.
UC San Diego News: UC San Diego Service Award Honoree Shares Highlights from 36-Year Career
Diana Platero-Lopez has been a part of the UC San Diego community longer than most. During her 36 years at the university, Platero-Lopez has played various roles in many departments, including Music. “I’ve had the chance to work in many departments across my career. I’ve met a lot of people all around campus — supervisors, faculty, students, etc. — and I’ve learned from all of them.”
Division of Arts and Humanities: Meet the 2022 Community Connections fellows
The new Arts and Community Engagement graduate fellows are David Aguila (Music), Tiffany Beres (Visual Arts), Elba Emicente (Theatre and Dance) and Chanell Stone (Visual Arts).
Institute for Practical Ethics: Institute for Practical Ethics, 2017-2022
“We believe we are making genuine progress toward developing socially responsible science, now and in the years to come,” write Institute for Practical Ethics co-directors Craig Callender (Philosophy) and John H. Evans in this five-year report.
Campus Notice: 2022 Chancellor’s Dissertation Medal Recipients
Recipients of this prestigious award are chosen based upon the quality of academic research as determined by the impact of the research to the field; the insight, originality and creativity shown by the author; the effectiveness of the writing, clarity and organization of the thesis; and the soundness of the methodology and quality of the data. School of Arts and Humanities honoree is Keir GoGwilt (Music).
Graduate Student Association: Community Awards
The Community Awards are a way for the graduate and professional student community to honor those at UC San Diego who exceed expectations in their contributions to graduate and professional student life. School of Arts and Humanities awardee is Kristin Leadbetter (Theatre and Dance).
Arts and Humanities Events: The Unexpected Career of Esther Moyal: Arts and Humanities Events: Sephardic Feminist from Cairo to Jaffa (video)
The Jewish Studies Program in the Institute of Arts and Humanities hosted their annual Katzin Lecture featuring guest speaker Lital Levy.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: In a leap of faith, Steven Schick ends his 15-year tenure as La Jolla Symphony & Chorus’ music director
La Jolla Symphony & Chorus this month has announced a fund for The Steven Schick Prize for Acts of Musical Imagination & Excellence. Steven Schick (Music) emphasized that the prize ... is meant to support emergent artists doing excellent work that aligns with the social and environmental values of the symphony and chorus.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Steven Schick drums up world of sonic adventure on ‘A Hard Rain’ double-album, a percussive tour-de-force
Steven Schick (Music) performs on nearly 200 percussion instruments on his dazzling new double-album.
New Music USA: Anthony Davis: Any Means Necessary (audio)
“Where I grew up in State College [Pennsylvania], my brother and I were the only black people in the school. So I began to think about that. And I began to resent the fact that I was playing all white composers. And that really upset me,” Anthony Davis (Music) told New Music USA.
ABC News: Designer and TikTok creator’s headpieces put spotlight on Filipino culture, identity
“I really want to give a new way of expressing our love for our culture in ways that make us feel proud and make us feel excited about it,” said Mar Velicaria ‘19 (Visual Arts).
New Music USA: Announcing the 2022 Creator Development Fund Grant Recipients
Current graduate student Yongyun Zhang (Music) is one of more than 100 awardees of the grants, part of New Music USA’s commitment to support at least 100 creators and 100 organizations as part of their 10th anniversary year.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Cygnet Theatre’s 19th season to include three women playwrights and two world premieres
“Sharon,” a mystery absurdist comedy by MFA playwriting student Keiko Green (Theatre and Dance), will make its world premiere in a production directed by Rob Lutfy.
Santa Cruz Sentinel: Students lobby for bill to ease university housing crunch — but would it work?
“Lawsuits against UC San Diego allege that the Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood, which could add 2,000 new beds, would increase vehicle traffic in the area,” the Sentinel reports.
Detroit Free Press: Detroit Opera’s ‘Life and Times of Malcolm X’ explores civil rights icon’s ties to Michigan
Director Robert O’Hara and conductor Kazem Abdullah teamed up for this staging of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis’ (Music) work. Related: The Detroit News
The New York Times: Review: After 36 Years, a Malcolm X Opera Sings to the Future
Anthony Davis’ (Music) “X” has stretches of incantation that, in person, turn it into something like a sacred rite. Related reviews: The Detroit News, The San Diego Union-Tribune
Arts and Humanities News: UC San Diego Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl team reaches national quarter final, placing 7th overall
“I am so very grateful to this incredible team. They manifested the virtues of open-mindedness, generosity, respect and consummate poise, all in the service of the truth. I have learned so much from all of them,” said Samuel Rickless (Philosophy), coach of the UC San Diego team with Philosophy Ph.D. students Aaron Chipp-Miller, Karina Ortiz Villa and Sam Ridge.
Triton magazine: May 2022 issue, Our Family Story
- Tritons recount what it means to be a family — the ancestry, the history, the traditions and the importance of preserving stories for future generations. This story features profiles of alumni Kirby Wright ‘83 (Literature), and Lois Yu ‘93, MS ‘95 (Mathematics and History).
- Family Legacy: A lifetime of service inspires a family gift to support student scholarships. This story features alumni Jorge Carrillo ‘72 (History) and Andres Carrillo ‘01 (Visual Arts)
- Our Triton Family: Alumni President Kimberley Philips Boehm ‘82, Ph.D. (History) encourages alumni to mentor current students.
UC San Diego Academic Senate: Distinguished Teaching Awards 2021-2022
Congratulations to King Britt (Music) for the Distinguished Teaching Award, Senate Members and Alex Stephenson (Music) for the Barbara and Paul Saltman Excellent Teaching Award, Graduate Students.
The New York Times: ‘It’s Anthony’s Time’: A Composer Gets His Due
With a new production of Anthony Davis’s (Music) pathbreaking Malcolm X opera opening in Detroit, we are on the cusp of a broader reappraisal of his work. “I just think that it’s Anthony’s time. It’s been past due for his time,” said Robert O’Hara.
CBS8: California's Mission Bells and the push to remove them
"We want to continue to teach about the missions, to give that context for what native peoples lived in," said Dana Velasco Murillo (History). "But we want to make sure we're nuancing these institutions, we're not just romanticizing them. There's a real, genuine effort on the part of community members, scholars, people working at museums and archives to make sure those indigenous stories are told."
The Hollywood Reporter: The World’s 25 Best Drama Schools, Ranked
As training grounds brace for a sharp increase in applicants, The Hollywood Reporter consulted with insiders, alumni and casting pros for its annual ranking of the best places to earn an acting degree. UC San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance is ranked fifth for the second year in a row, and is the top program on the West Coast. "The school puts a strong emphasis on mounting new plays, working in close partnership with the Wagner New Play Festival," the article reads.
The New York Times: A Sci-Fi Writer Returns to Earth: ‘The Real Story Is the One Facing Us’
Kim Stanley Robinson '74, Ph.D. '82 (Literature), one of the most acclaimed living science fiction writers, is done with deep space narratives. His focus now is on solving real problems — like climate change.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Leucadia filmmaker Ron Ranson’s ‘Tattooed Trucks of Nepal’ is an award-winning ride
UC San Diego emeritus faculty Ron Ranson (Theatre and Dance) documents Nepal’s arty trucks in the award-winning documentary ‘Tattooed Trucks of Nepal - Horn Please’
HereIn: Dillon Chapman on beck haberstroh
Alumni Dillon Chapman MFA '20 (Visual Arts) writes about current MFA student beck haberstroh (Visual Arts): "In a contemporary moment where it continues to be increasingly difficult to say things with images, haberstroh opts to say something about the nature of our bodies' relationship to photographs while refusing representation."
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Filmmaker and MacArthur fellow to speak at UC San Diego about stories centering Latino community
Alex Rivera is the featured lecturer in the Department of Visual Arts Adam D. Kamil guest lecture series at UC San Diego’s Price Center Theater May 11.
LA Sentinel: Communicating Through Art with Shaylen Nelson
The UC San Diego graduate Shaylen Nelson '21 (Visual Arts) reflected on his motivation, saying, “Art has become an extension of my self-expression. It’s easier for me to express my emotions and thoughts through paintings, drawings, through an artform — more than my physical voice alone.”
The New York Times: Full List of the 2022 Tony Award Nominees
On Monday, the nominees for the 75th Tony Awards were announced. The ceremony will take place on June 12. Congratulations to all the nominees, including our Department of Theatre and Dance connections:
- John-Andrew Morrison MFA ’99 – Best Featured Actor in a Musical ("A Strange Loop")
- "A Strange Loop" – Best New Musical (production stage manager Erin Albrecht MFA ‘09)
- “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow Is Enuf” – Best Play Revival (actor Amara Granderson MFA '20)
- Emeritus faculty Les Waters – Best Direction of a Play ("Dana H"
UC San Diego News: Undergraduate Research Gives Rise to Doctoral Dreams
When Luis Alvarez (History) enrolled at UC San Diego as an undergraduate student in 1990 to study engineering, he had no idea that 16 years later he would return as an assistant professor of history to join and later direct the Chicanx and Latinx Studies program — now one of the top programs of its kind in the country. His trajectory was altered when he registered for a course with Professor David Gutierrez (History), who would become his mentor, friend and future colleague.
UC San Diego News: UC San Diego’s New Downtown Hub Park & Market Opens to the Public
UC San Diego Park & Market brings together a diverse array of amenities including the 225-seat Guggenheim Theatre with configurations to accommodate plays, concerts, lectures and more; a 58-seat cinema operated by Digital Gym; a sophisticated dual-sided video wall for video installations; and an accessible gallery space featuring installations from regional and national artists, currently featuring an exhibit on the history of the UC San Diego Stuart Collection.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Davis revives ‘X,’ his prescient 1986 opera about Malcolm X: ‘A tragic hero’
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis (Music) is acutely aware of the key roles timing, technology, fate and the devastating COVID-19 pandemic have played in bringing back to life his first opera, 1986’s groundbreaking “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.” Related: WBUR
My Jewish Learning: Secular Jewish Literature in Ukraine
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Jewish writers in Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian and Ukrainian presented the Jewish condition in Ukraine and were increasingly in dialogue with their non-Jewish neighbors, writes Amelia Glaser (Literature).
QualityDigest: U.S. Department of Commerce Appoints 27 Members to National AI Advisory Committee
Appointments are the first for recently established committee to advise the President. David Danks (Philosophy) is appointed to the new committee.
Playbill: Meet the Recipients of the Drama League’s 2022 Directors Project
Thirteen stage directors will receive fellowships, assistantships, and residencies. Jennifer Chang (Theatre and Dance) has been announced as one of two 2022 Directors In Residence, receiving the Beatrice Terry Directing Resident to develop a currently untiled new project exploring themes of American consumerism and emotional trauma.
KPBS: 5 songs for right now: Serbian/Henshaw, Nomis, Kaye/Davis, The Inflorescence and Wilfrido Terrazas
The Ensenada-born flutist Wilfrido Terrazas (Music) released a new album of compositions, “The Torres Cycle,” a collection of seven compositions anchored by four “torre” works, each representing a direction: del Norte, del Sur, del Este and del Oeste.
La Jolla Light: Photo gallery: UCSD Biomedical Library renamed for philanthropic book lover Sally WongAvery
UC San Diego gave Class of 1975 alumna and Foundation trustee Sally T. WongAvery ‘75 (Philosophy) a special birthday present April 23.
WHYY: First new sculpture in 70 years for Philly’s 30th Street Station
Virginia Maksymowicz MFA ‘77 (Visual Arts) work ‘‘Tools of the Trade’’ is now installed in the North Waiting Room of William H. Gray III 30th Street Station, Philadelphia.
The Institute of Art and Ideas News: The quantum wave function isn’t real
Some go as far as to argue that the entire universe is a quantum wave function, but this interpretation runs into a number of problems — including a clash with Einstein’s theory of relativity, writes Karl Popper prize-winner Eddy Keming Chen (Philosophy).
Literary Hub: “Spring’s begun dividing her storks and cranes among us.”
New Poetry from Ukraine by Natalia Beltchenko, translated by Amelia Glaser (Literature) and Yuliya Ilchuk.
ACA-MEDIA (Society for Cinema and Media Studies): Ep. 62, “Cinema is a Cat”
It’s the film studies textbook you’ve been waiting for: Cinema is a Cat, which teaches film theory, language, and history using examples of cats in movies. Frank Mondelli talks with author Daisuke Miyao (Literature) about the book, its inspiration, some of his favorite movie cats, and what dogs might have to say about all this.
UCTV: Still We Rise: Celebrating American Diversity in Music (video)
“Still We Rise” is a concert celebrating American diversity in music and the legacy of UC San Diego Professor Emeritus and pianist Cecil Lytle (Music). This year’s program celebrates both the 25th anniversary of the Lytle Scholarship and the establishment of the Cecil Lytle Endowed Chair in African and African American Music within the School of Arts and Humanities.
Arts and Humanities Events: Annual Vassiliadis Lecture 2022
The Center for Hellenic Studies at UC San Diego hosted the Annual Vassiliadis Lecture virtually on April 28, 2022. The lecture featured Professor Elizabeth DePalma Digeser from UC Santa Barbara.
Arts and Humanities Events: Annual Ranglas Lecture 2022
The Center for Hellenic Studies at UC San Diego hosted the Annual Ranglas Lecture virtually on April 29, 2022. The lecture featured Professor Greg Anderson from The Ohio State University.
Princeton Review: Best Colleges 2022
UC San Diego ranks fifth in Best Career Placement and sixth in Best Value Colleges for public school. “Humanities professors tend to be more accessible and more interested in their students as well as what they are teaching,” students say in the review, adding that the population of students in the humanities has been growing “rapidly” in recent years.
Broadway World: New Multi-Album Series WEATHER SYSTEMS to Begin Releases on May 20th
Islandia Music Records announces a new multi-album series from “supreme living virtuoso” percussionist Steven Schick (Music). The new series, called Weather Systems, is a set of recordings of the percussion music that has been most meaningful to Schick, which will span more than 100 years and feature a diverse set of composers.
Field: A Journal of Socially Engaged Art Criticism: Issue 21, Spring 2022
“For this issue of FIELD, Saba Zavarei has assembled a remarkable collection of contributors writing on a range of creative, curatorial and critical practices in contemporary Iran,” writes editor Grant Kester (Visual Arts).
KPBS: San Diego weekend arts events: ‘On the Move,’ ‘Bob Fosse’s Dancin’,’ Women in Jazz and more
Monday evening May 2, notable San Diego-based soprano Susan Narucki (Music) will perform the ambitious “Kafka Fragments” with Curtis Macomber on violin on Monday at the UC San Diego Conrad Prebys Concert Hall.
The UCSD Guardian: Dear Humanities Majors
“I guess what I am trying to say,” writes student Samantha Phan (Literature), “is that being a humanities major at a majority STEM school, at least in my experience, comes with a lot of doubt.”
Del Mar Times: Best Bets: A quick guide to online and in-person entertainment and experiences
UC San Diego’s Gallery QI presents an opening for “#RetroColectiva” April 28. The collection of works by department chair Ricardo Dominguez (Visual Arts) will run through Thursday, June 23.
Bandcamp: The Best Contemporary Classical on Bandcamp: April 2022
Wilfrido Terrazas (Music), a member of the superb Mexico City ensemble Liminar, has enlisted an impressive cast of interpreters fluent in both notated and improvised music ... for his latest, “The Torres Cycle.”
The New York Times: ‘A Strange Loop’ Review: A Dazzling Ride on a Mental Merry-Go-Round
Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning meta musical arrives on Broadway with its uproarious dialogue, complex psychology and eclectic score intact. The cast includes alum John-Andrew Morrison MFA ‘99 (Theatre and Dance). Related: The New York Times
Aperture: The Elusive Gaze in Chanell Stone’s Self-Portraits
In her new photographs made in California and Mexico, [current graduate student Chanell] Stone (Visual Arts) embodies a practice of Black critical looking — and shows the power of seeing and being seen.
Exclaim: Pierre Kwenders Tells His Life Story Through Dance Music
Kwenders’ music features legendary Philadelphia DJ-producer King Britt (Music), connected through Shabazz Palaces’ Tendai Maraire.
The Reader: On the stage and the page with bassist Mark Dresser
“The spiritual loss from not performing was tough,” Mark Dresser (Music) said. “Performing is so central to my identity that I was questioning everything.”
UC San Diego News: UC San Diego Named Among Top 10 Public Universities in US by Center for World University Rankings
“As a leader among the world’s research universities, our talented faculty and scholars are consistently driving forward innovation and conducting breakthrough research in fields ranging from engineering to the arts,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Charles Mingus at 100: The legacy of the late jazz giant also looms large in rock, hip-hop, film and beyond
His music was so expansive and people could feel the intensity of it. He was one of the most talented and underestimated composers in the history of jazz,” said Anthony Davis (Music). He is now at work on a book about Mingus for Penguin/Random House.
University of Texas Press: Chicanx Utopias: Pop Culture and the Politics of the Possible
Exploring race, politics, Chicanx history, and social movements, this new book by Luis Alvarez (History) offers a broad and encompassing examination of Chicanx popular culture since World War II and the utopian visions it articulated.
The Guardian: Brazilian musician Arthur Verocai on his late-blossoming career: ‘I wanted to run away from myself’
A sold-out show in Los Angeles was billed under the name Timeless, and filmed for a DVD release directed by Brian Cross (Visual Arts). “To be there was very moving,” says Cross.
I Care if You Listen: ListN Up: Lisa Bielawa
“Bouchara” by Claude Vivier, performed by Susan Narucki (Music) and Asko|Schönberg Ensemble are included in this shortlist.
The UC San Diego Guardian: Behind the Tritons: Q&A with Triton Tide Co-Presidents Aliyah Ellis and William Kessinger
The UCSD Guardian sat down with Aliyah Ellis and current student William Kessinger (Theatre and Dance), co-presidents of Triton Tide.
Pacific San Diego: La Jolla Playhouse’s 2022 Without Walls Festival opens Thursday. Here’s your guide
In fall 2013, La Jolla Playhouse presented its very first Without Walls Festival, featuring site-specific theater pieces around the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theatre District at UC San Diego. Nearly a decade later, the WOW fest is still going strong. So strong that, beginning this week, it will transform from a biennial to an annual event.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: The Dish: An’s Gelato, Happy Does, Mikami Bar and Showa Ramen lead list of recent restaurant openings
Showa Hospitality has opened Showa Ramen in the North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood at UC San Diego.
The UC San Diego Guardian: Banning literature isn’t a new or clean-cut concept
Ultimately, the discussions around book banning both provide an opportunity for more visible conversation on literature around students. When it comes to UC San Diego, about 4.9% of the undergrad students on campus are Arts and Humanities majors.
The New York Times: Review: ‘For Colored Girls’ Returns, Leading With Joy
Amara Granderson MFA ’20 (Theatre and Dance) is starring in “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow Is Enuf” on Broadway. “If you’ve never thought of ‘For Colored Girls’ as a funny show, be prepared for Brown’s seven splendid performers to persuade you otherwise,” the Times writes.
UC San Diego News: UC San Diego’s Danks Appointed to National AI Advisory Committee
Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute and Dept. of Philosophy professor David Danks (Philosophy, Institute for Practical Ethics) has been invited to serve as a member of the NAIAC as an inaugural appointee. “AI is transforming modern society, and we need to ensure that AI works for the benefit of all, not only the few. The NAIAC provides an opportunity to help guide the ways that AI is impacting our lives,” said Danks ‘01, a Ph.D. alumni of the department.
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet Brings “The Tradition” to Campus
Jericho Brown to visit UC San Diego for reading and Q&A, co-presented by the Humanities Program and the Department of Literature’s New Writing Series.
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: A Concert Celebration (slideshow)
The School of Arts and Humanities recently hosted “Still We Rise,” a concert in the Department of Music celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Lytle Scholarship and the establishment of the Cecil Lytle Endowed Chair in African and African American Music. The concert featured music and poetry from the African American experience.
Association for Practical and Professional Ethics: 26th annual APPE International Ethics Bowl
Congratulations to the UC San Diego Ethics Bowl team on their quarterfinal finish in this year’s national competition, held Feb. 26-27. Listed coaches include Philosophy faculty member Samuel Rickless and graduate students Karina Ortiz Villa, Aaron Chipp-Miller and Sam Ridge. Team members include Sarah Kang, Alexandra Michael, Rishabh Raj, Maximilian Zekowski and Eva Zhuang.
Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) Sound: ‘Roger Reynolds: Violin Works’
Showcasing composer Roger Reynolds’ (Music) omnivorous curiosity, “Roger Reynolds: Violin Works” comprises three violin concertos written over a 15-year span. A Pulitzer Prize winner who pioneered sound spatialization, intermedia, and algorithmic concepts, Reynolds documents his evolving exploration of the voice, character, and circumstance through the inimitable violin.
Guapamacátaro Art & Ecology: Residencies
Dino Dinco (Visual Arts) is the interim residency director for the Guapamacátaro Center for Art & Ecology, located on a centuries-old hacienda in rural Michoacán, México. Proposals are currently being accepted for the Artist in Residency Summer 2022 Session, deadline to apply: April 23, 2022.
Toronto Star: An unlikely Christopher Hitchens revival forces a question: Whatever happened to the contrarian Left? (opinion)
“Christopher Hitchens is back in the spotlight. Is his brand of contrarian progressivism a welcome alternative to a Twitter-fixated, deplatforming Left?,” Andy Lamey (Philosophy) addresses in this piece.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Rebecca Jade gearing up for San Diego Music Awards performance (she has five nominations) and new album
“Rebecca is that rare intersection of intellect, talent, consistency and a very good nature,” said saxophonist and keyboardist Kamau Kenyatta (Music).
Author Meets Physics: Eddy Keming Chen on Time’s Arrow in Quantum Mechanics (video)
In this fourth episode of the series, Eddy Keming Chen (Philosophy) talks with Dave Baker about his work.
Eater San Diego: Himitsu Sushi Team Brings Ramen and Rice Bowls to UCSD
Showa Ramen opens in the North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood, below the Arts and Humanities Building. Related: La Jolla.com
The Coronado Times: Historic Film Screening at Village Theatre April 13
“The Dragon Painter” film was inducted into the prestigious National Film Registry in 2014, nominated by Daisuke Miyao (Literature). Miyao, who will provide Q&A at the VIP post-reception, is Hajime Mori Chair in Japanese Language and Literature at UC San Diego.
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: Newly Admitted Black Students Welcomed to Triton Family
Black Diaspora and African American Studies Program director Thandeka Chapman joined to share opportunities, like the launch of the new major that is enrolling students beginning in fall 2022. One of the overarching goals of the new degree, housed within the Institute of Arts and Humanities, is to help students understand the critical spaces Black people hold in society culturally, politically, economically and socially.
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: Meet the 2022 Alumni Award Honorees
A seven-time Tony Award nominee, Danny Burstein MFA ‘90 (Theatre and Dance), received the 2020 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. An advocate for the theatrical arts, he continues to support the UC San Diego performing arts community. “UC San Diego influenced my work in the fact that they allowed me to think outside the box, to be freer with my work, to not be afraid to take chances, which is always hard for a young actor,” he said.
UC San Diego: 2021 Chancellor’s Medalist: Patricia and Christopher Weil (video)
For 25 years, Patricia and Christopher Weil have been advocates for UC San Diego, supporting community partnerships, arts and humanities, and education and scholarships. Arts and Humanities Dean Cristina Della Coletta speaks in this congratulatory video, honoring the two Advisory Council members.
UC San Diego: 2021 Chancellor’s Medalist: Phyllis and Dan Epstein (video)
Phyllis and Dan Epstein have dedicated over 25 years of tireless service to UC San Diego as volunteers and campus advocates. An Arts and Humanities Advisory Council member, Phyllis Epstein in a strong advocate for the arts on campus, Dean Cristina Della Coletta explains.
UC San Diego News: Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla Honored by VAPA Foundation for Supporting the Arts in Local Schools
The VAPA Foundation was established in 2017 to enhance the quality of and access to arts education in San Diego Unified School District. Managed by the Arts and Humanities Arts and Community Engagement initiative under Susan Narucki (Music), VAPA outreach included field trips to campus to learn from our leading faculty members. Phyllis Epstein, Advisory Council member, co-chaired the VAPA Foundation benefit event April 10.
This Week @ UC San Diego: Kyoto Prize Laureates and Scholars Recognized in Hybrid Gala
On March 30, the 21st annual Kyoto Prize Symposium acknowledged this year’s distinguished Kyoto Prize laureates and scholars in an innovative hybrid gala. The Arts & Philosophy laureate, Bruno Latour, was hosted by the Institute for Practical Ethics, with remarks from Arts and Humanities Dean Cristina Della Coletta and a moderated discussion by John H. Evans.
University of Chicago Press: “Democratic Swarms: Ancient Comedy and the Politics of the People”
With “Democratic Swarms,” Page duBois (Literature) revisits the role of Greek comedy in ancient politics, considering how it has been overlooked as a political medium by modern theorists and critics. Moving beyond the popular readings of ancient Greece through the lens of tragedy, she calls for a revitalized look at Greek comedy.
Associated Press: NY Philharmonic back at Geffen Hall Oct 7 after renovation
Van Zweden will lead a pair of free one-hour concerts on Oct. 8, followed by the first four subscription concerts from Oct. 12-18 featuring the world premiere of Marcos Balter’s (Music) “Oyá” for light, electronics and orchestra. Related: The New York Times
The Renegade Rip: Manuel Vargas and his journey after BC
Following up the fourth Jess Nieto conference event, UC San Diego faculty member Manuel Vargas (Philosophy) spoke at the second session conference on March 29.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Alicia Keys, Andra Day, Joseph Lorge and Saweetie are this year’s Grammy nominees with San Diego ties
Here are Grammy-winners born elsewhere who moved here as kids or adults, including UC San Diego faculty members Susan Narucki (Music) and Kamau Kenyatta (Music).
La Jolla Light: Best Bets: A quick guide to online and in-person entertainment and experiences
The UC San Diego Department of Visual Arts presents a guest lecture with Carolina Caycedo at 1 p.m. Friday, April 8, online.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego’s Italian community mourns the loss of arts leader Victor Laruccia
After joining the Marines for a stint, Victor Laruccia Ph.D. ‘75 (Literature) attended UC San Diego and was part of the first graduating class in 1966. He went on to receive his master’s and a doctorate in comparative literature.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: In Art of Elan’s ‘With Care,’ a marriage of music and dance
The program, created by Bobbi Jene Smith with Keir GoGwilt Ph.D. ‘21 (Music), is centered around dynamics created when illness shuts a person down and another is tending to them.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: In Tune With The Community
Led by San Diego Symphony Music Director Rafael Payare and Festival Curator Steven Schick (Music), the Symphony’s 2021 “To The Earth” festival consisted of three performances exploring light, water and life.
Los Angeles Times: How painter Yolanda López gave the Virgin of Guadalupe a feminist tweak
Works from Yolanda López’s MFA ‘79 (Visual Arts) 1978 “Guadalupe” series show her grandmother, left, her mother and herself with elements of the Virgin of Guadalupe’s iconography.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego’s Visual and Performing Arts Foundation is bringing creativity — and so much more — to classrooms
“People are going to see very impressive performances and art. We have the most amazing jazz bands. You close your eyes, and you’ll think you’re in jazz club,” said Phyllis Epstein, a VAPA board member, a longtime arts supporter and volunteer, and co-chair of the gala. Epstein is an Arts and Humanities Advisory Council member.
Carnegie Hall: Carl Craig: Sonic Explorer
“Imagination, possibility, and resilience have always been at the core of the survival of Black people,” writes King Britt (Music) for Carnegie Hall for a series. Related: “Chimurenga Renaissance: Sonic Translators of an Ancient Tradition”
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: UC San Diego Chancellor Khosla Attends a Musical Celebration of Dance, Identity and Culture
“Bhangin’ It: A Bangin’ New Musical” showcases Triton talent — including scenic designer Robert Brill (Theatre and Dance) and multiple MFA students and alumni — at the La Jolla Playhouse through April 17.
UC San Diego photo slideshow: 2022 Triton Day
Staff from the Institute of Arts and Humanities programs support student recruitment in the first in-person Triton Day in years.
Arts and Humanities Events: The Vibrant Being: Luis Valdez in Conversation with Dr. Jorge Huerta (video)
This conversation recorded April 7, moderated by Jade Power-Sotomayor (Theatre and Dance), celebrates the 2021 publication of Luis Valdez’s book “Theatre of the Sphere: The Vibrant Being.” Valdez is in conversation with Professor Emeritus Dr. Jorge Huerta (Theatre and Dance), who has written extensively about El Teatro Campesino’s legacy and Chicanx and Latinx theater history. Cosponsors include Theatre and Dance, and the Chicanx and Latinx Studies Program of the Institute of Arts and Humanities.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: UC San Diego theater professor directs one of four works in annual San Diego REP Black Voices Reading Series
Stephen Buescher (Theatre and Dance) is a professor and the director of “Homeridae” by Alexandra Espinoza, one of four featured works part of the San Diego REP Black Voices 2022 Play Reading Series.
British Journal for the Philosophy of Science: The BJPS Popper Prize 2021
The winner of the BJPS Popper Prize for 2021 is Eddy Keming Chen (Philosophy) for his research “Quantum Mechanics in a Time-Asymmetric Universe: On the Nature of the Initial Quantum State.” Related: BJPS Short Read, Daily Nous
The Sound Barrier: Louis Andriessen writes to Vermeer
The main part of Catharina was composed for American soprano, Susan Narucki (Music), who performs the beautifully lyrical lines of Catharina with her characteristic blend of deep musicality and strong psychological conviction. Narucki talks about the work at the beginning of this edition of The Sound Barrier, broadcast on PBS 106.7.
Literary Hub: “Every hut in our beloved country is on the edge.” Contemporary Ukrainian Poetry by Boris Khersonsky
Amelia Glaser (Literature) continues her translation work of Ukrainian poets for Literary Hub. “History is inseparable from the present,” Glaser and fellow translator Yuliya Ilchuk write. Related: Literary Hub (listing)
Bandcamp: ‘The Torres Cycle’
A new album featuring seven compositions by Wilfrido Terrazas (Music) includes 22 musicians - many faculty members and graduate students from the department. The album was recorded by staff recording engineer Andrew Munsey (Music) and features liner notes by Amy Cimini (Music).
Daily Press: History shows economic warfare can accelerate, rather than end, a conflict like Ukraine’s
Edward Watts’ (History) essay from Zocalo Public Square was reprinted, showing that sanctions and other tools of economic warfare can accelerate rather than conclude a war. Related: Bangkok Post.
The New York Times: The Philharmonic Plans Its Return to Geffen Hall, With Fanfare
The New York Philharmonic announced its 2022-23 season, which will include the world premiere of “Oyá,” a work for light, electronics and orchestra by the Brazilian composer Marcos Balter (Music).
The Writer’s Chronicle: A conversation with Kazim Ali (no link available)
Kazim Ali (Literature) is the featured cover story for The Writer’s Chronicle. Related: Lambda Literary: 34th Annual Lambda Literary Awards - Finalists
Oxford University Press: The Oxford Handbook of Moral Psychology
Publishing May 14 and edited by Manuel Vargas (Philosophy) and John Doris, the book contains 50 original essays written by leading figures in both philosophy and psychology including: “The Nature and Significance of Blame” by David Brink (Philosophy) and Dana Kay Nelkin (Philosophy), “Situationism, Moral Improvement, and Moral Responsibility” by Maria Waggoner, John Doris and Manuel Vargas (Philosophy), and “Love and the Anatomy of Needing Another” by Monique Wonderly (Philosophy).
Times of San Diego: Legendary Director Sam Woodhouse to Retire from San Diego REP After 46 Years
Plays written by Allan Havis (Theatre and Dance) were part of a memory board for Woodhouse.
KPBS: 5 works of art to see in San Diego in April
Yolanda Lopéz’s [MFA ‘79 (Visual Arts)] “Three Generations: Tres Mujeres” is on view at MCASD’s downtown location through Apr. 24, 2022.
San Diego Community Newspaper Group: Kyoto Prize laureates to share stories of life and innovation
Symposium’s events co-hosted by UC San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene will feature global award winners discussing technology, science, and philosophy. “Today, with trust in science at a low point, [laureate Bruno] Latour’s deeper understanding of the scientific enterprise offers a way forward,” said John H. Evans, co-director of the Institute for Practical Ethics.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego Symphony receives a combined $2 million in gifts from local philanthropists
Sheri Jamieson founded and served as president of the UC San Diego art gallery board and created the Dean’s Advisory Council of Arts and Humanities with dean Frantisek Deak (Theatre and Dance) in 1995.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Post-incarceration, the Underground Scholars program helped me reclaim my own narrative (opinion)
It’s allowed me to do more than just feel bad about my past. We are plenty more than a collection of redemption stories, writes current student Aidan Tojino (Literature).
The New Yorker: Faith Ringgold’s “Jazz Stories: Somebody Stole My Broken Heart”
The artist, professor emeriti Faith Ringgold (Visual Arts), talks about teaching and her advice for young artists.
Oregon Artswatch: ‘The Central Park Five’: Art as a tool for justice
Anthony Davis’ (Music) shattering work at Portland Opera opens deep and disturbing questions about race and policing in the United States. Related: Oregon Artswatch, Oregon Artswatch, Classical Voice America
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: Triton Women Leaders Share Four Secrets to Success
Currently chief operating officer for the Department of Music, Barbara Jackson (Music) set a vigorous pace to her professional growth, spending only three to five years in each position before tackling the next challenge. Over the past 30 years at UC San Diego, she has managed business operations for the departments of Music and Cognitive Science, Department of Pathology contracts and grants and Student Affairs outreach programs.
ThisWeek @ UC San Diego: UC San Diego Honors the Life and Legacy of César Chávez
“Whenever I teach my classes on the history of Luis Valdez or El Teatro Campesino, you can’t begin without starting with César Chávez. But, it’s also important to understand all the other people who fought for farmworkers’ rights, such as the Filipino community. It was just that radical inclusivity of different people with the same cause working towards equity and social justice that for me is truly inspiring,” says Robert Castro (Theatre and Dance, Chicanx and Latinx Studies Program).
Campus Notice: Renaming of Campus Academic Units
The UC Office of the President has approved our proposal to rename the four discipline-based academic divisions as schools, making consistent that units titled as “Schools” denote discipline-based major academic units on our campus. The four existing academic divisions will be retitled, including the School of Arts and Humanities. No curricular, organizational, programmatic or financial changes will be made.
Dept. of Music: MUSIC 174B Winter ‘22 Final Projects
“This playlist is compilation of my amazing students’ final projects,” writes King Britt (Music). “It was truly an honor working with these amazing students.”
NPR: 10 books to read about Ukraine
"Jews and Ukrainians in Russia's Literary Borderlands: From the Shtetl Fair to the Petersburg Bookshop" by Amelia Glaser (Literature) is included: "Glaser's study seeks to show that Eastern European literature was much more than just a single language and culture."
Zocalo Public Square: How Economic Warfare Backfired in Rome
"Attacks on a state’s economy can inflict immense damage, but sanctions and other tools of economic warfare are unlikely to defeat a superior military power," writes Edward Watts (History). Related: San Francisco Chronicle
Ocula: Danielle Dean: From Fordlândia to Amazon Inc.
With a practice that looks into the impact of advertising on the body and mind, British-American artist Danielle Dean (Visual Arts) —whose works span video, painting, and installation — is not unfamiliar with the media's tactics of persuasion.
Omaha World-Herald: Musical story of Malcolm X will open Opera Omaha season this fall
When Opera Omaha General Manager Roger Weitz learned about a new production of “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” by noted composer Anthony Davis (Music), he knew what he had to do. Related: Portland Tribune
Barcelona Science Plan: Hypatia European Science Prize
Nancy Cartwright (Philosophy) has been selected as winner of the third Hypatia Prize for her outstanding contributions to philosophical research. This edition rewards the trajectory and impact of the research carried out in the field of humanities and social sciences.
The New Yorker: Music Fills the Rothko Chapel
Rothenberg assembled a brilliant group of performers for the première. The violist was the searingly expressive Kim Kashkashian, perhaps the finest living exponent of her instrument. This could also be said of Steven Schick (Music), who played percussion.
Artforum: Artadia Reveals 2022 Los Angeles Awardees
The California-based washington-queen MFA '20 (Visual Arts), whose work across photography, film, and video explores Blackness, knowledge production, and systems of power, was selected as the Marciano Art Foundation Artadia Awardee and will receive $25,000 in unrestricted funds.
Vernon Press: "The Hamilton Phenomenon"
Ph.D. student Kristin Leadbetter (Theatre and Dance) contributed the chapter "Hamilton, An American (Psycho) Musical: Illusion and Identity in Two American Musicals."
Playbill: Daniel Fish's Reimagining of 'The Most Happy Fella' Will Be Part of 2022 Williamstown Theatre Festival Season
New plays by Anna Ouyang Moench MFA '18 (Theatre and Dance) and Harrison David Rivers will also be part of the summer season.
La Jolla Light: La Jolla producer bets on new film spotlighting autism ‘to touch people’s hearts and minds’
The movie has another San Diego connection: Bass guitarist, composer and multiple Grammy Award nominee Nathan East ‘18 (Music) composed an original song for the movie with Tom Keane called “If You Believe.”
Beloit Daily News: Music Mosaics series features woodwind trio
The Vent Faculty Woodwind Trio will perform a wide variety of music from J.S. Bach to Chinese-born American composer, Lei Liang (Music).
Toronto Star: Good art, terrible people: Is it immoral to enjoy the work of immoral artists?
Do you boycott the work of artists such as Bill Cosby, Woody Allen and Louis C.K. whose personal lives you find repugnant, or does their work stand alone? The answer, writes Andy Lamey (Philosophy), is complicated.
Reverb: King Britt on the Gear of Blacktronika History
For the last three decades and some change, Philadelphia-born DJ, producer, and educator, King Britt (Music) has been at the forefront of the many revolutions and catalytic movements that have shaped the tenor of electronic music. Related: The Wire
UC San Diego News: UC San Diego Student Catches Eye of White House
Alec J. Calac, a current Institute for Practical Ethics Ph.D. Fellow, will participate in the Biden Administration’s Health Equity Leaders Roundtable Series.
Kaleidoscoped: Muscle Memory
The Winter 2022 issue of Kaleidoscoped is now available. Kaleidoscoped is a new, online publication created by MFA Writing students in the Department of Literature. Featuring visual, literary, and multimedia pieces from twenty contributors, the issue is made up of experimental work across all genres, each its own refraction of the theme “Muscle Memory.”
Institute for Practical Ethics: Practical Ethics Quarterly
Winter 2022 research and news from the Institute for Practical Ethics, including a look at the recent publication “Rule by automation: How automated decision systems promote freedom and equality.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Hearing James Brown play live sparked my career in music
To close Black History Month, King Britt (Music) pens this essay for the series “A Defining Moment,” where The Inquirer asked six Philadelphians to reflect on a moment in Black history that shaped them, their hopes for the future, and how we get there. “My path shifted in 2019 when I became a professor,” Britt writes. “I created the course ‘Blacktronika: Afrofuturism in Electronic Music’ that celebrates the innovators of color that advanced electronic music to where it is today. Many of these stories were fading into nothingness. My mission is to enlighten and show young people where these sounds come from.”
The Whole Note: “Zephyr” - Steph Richards (review)
“Dedicated to exploring an instrument’s every niche and extended technique is Canadian-in-California trumpeter/flugelhornist Steph Richards (Music),” this review opens. “No matter how experimental the brass-keyboard duets appear to be, during the set of Sequoia tunes and elsewhere, a feeling of joyous balance remains.”
Broadway World: Cast Announced For “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf”
Full casting has been announced for the Broadway revival of Ntozake Shange’s groundbreaking play. Alum Amara Granderson MFA ‘20 (Theatre and Dance) is Lady in Orange, and performances begin April 1.
Moral Philosophy and Politics: Rule by automation: How automated decision systems promote freedom and equality
Former Institute for Practical Ethics postdoctoral scholars Jacob Sparks and Athmeya Jayaram publish new research, which was workshopped at the institute. The authors thank the Institute for Practical Ethics for its support.
UC San Diego News: New Faculty Bridge Black Studies and STEM
The vision to grow interdisciplinary study opportunities at the intersection of race and STEM began with a $500K grant in 2020 through the University of California’s Advancing Faculty Diversity Program. The new cohort of faculty members are advancing research on communities of color, diversifying course offerings through the African American Studies Program in the Institute of Arts and Humanities, and providing valuable mentorship for UC San Diego students.
Arts and Humanities Events: Yolanda López: A Studio of One’s Own - A Panel in Celebration of a UCSD MFA Alumx (video)
“Yolanda López: A Studio of One’s Own” celebrated one of the most important Chicano/a/x artists and activists who worked in California over the past five decades, with a special focus on the art produced during López’s MFA ‘79 (Visual Arts) time as a student in the department.
Arts and Humanities Events: Alexandre O. Philippe - Memory: Ridley Scott’s Alien and Mythology (video)
Three-time Sundance Film Festival alum Alexandre O. Philippe, Denise Demetriou (History), and Daisuke Miyao (Literature) explore the cultural resonance and perennial nature of Alien’s archetypal monster and discuss Alexandre’s filmmaking process. This event was co-sponsored by the Film Studies Program and Center for Hellenic Studies in the Institute of Arts and Humanities.
Arts and Humanities Events: Japanese Studies Program Alumni Perspectives 2022 (video)
The Japanese Studies Program in the Institute of Arts and Humanities hosted their annual Alumni Perspectives event on Feb. 11. Five alumni share their inspiring success stories and how Japanese Studies has influenced their current lives.
Department of Visual Arts: The winner of the 2022 David Antin Prize is MFA candidate Isidro Pérez García
“Isidro Pérez García’s gestures unbrick the border walls of 500 plus years of colonialist authoritarian temporality, with its binding of Ixachilan to the death march of the repeating settler Future and History without end,” said department chair Ricardo Dominguez (Visual Arts), announcing MFA student Pérez García (Visual Arts) as the prize winner at this year’s Open Studios.
American Academy of Arts and Letters: 2022 Music Award Winner
The American Academy of Arts and Letters announced the 18 recipients of this year’s awards in music, including Marcos Balter (Music). Congratulations to Balter, and the awards will be presented at the Academy’s Ceremonial on May 18. Related: BMI
Literary Hub: “February. Get the ink and weep.” Contemporary Poetry From Ukraine
Three Poems by Iya Kiva, translated by Amelia Glaser (Literature) and Yuliya Ilchuk. “For the last eight years, Kiva has been one of several young poets in Ukraine to describe the simultaneous hopelessness of war and hope in a country seeking an independent identity,” Glaser writes.
Billboard: Detroit Icon Carl Craig Announces Black History Month Event Series
Detroit electronic music icon Carl Craig announced that he will celebrate Black History Month with a series of virtual conversations and performances. Each week, Craig will take part in a conversation with thought leaders from the electronic music world including professor, DJ and composer King Britt (Music). Related: EDM Identity, Magnetic Magazine, Vents, Resident Advisor, Beatport (video interview from Feb. 17).
The San Diego Union-Tribune: At new library exhibit, images are louder than words
Former Ph.D. student Sara Solaimani (Visual Arts) never envisioned “Occupy Thirdspace” as becoming something that would continue past its inaugural exhibition in 2014. A curator and graduate student at the time, Solaimani’s aim was to create and “feed into” the “double-learning between the UCSD Visual Arts Department and important artists in and from Baja California Norte.” Veteran artists in the exhibition include David Avalos MFA ‘93 (Visual Arts), Elizabeth Sisco ‘78, MFA ‘81 (Visual Arts) and Professor Emeritus Louis Hock (Visual Arts), all of whom worked in the Taller de Arte Fronterizo. Additional artists that are connected to the division include Omar Pimienta ‘10 (Visual Arts), Ph.D. ‘19 (Literature); and MFA student Melissa Cisneros (Theatre and Dance).
The New York Times: An Actor Who Cedes the Spotlight While Quietly Commanding It
Daniel K. Isaac, a theater actor with a steady gig on the series “Billions,” is appearing at the Public in Lloyd Suh’s play “The Chinese Lady.” Isaac ‘09 (Theatre and Dance) received his bachelor’s degree at UC San Diego, and was guest speaker at the department’s commencement in 2021.
Bioethics: “The ethical gene”
In this paper, Reuven Brandt (Philosophy, Institute for Practical Ethics) argues that current law and policy governing germline genetic modification are overly broad and in fact prohibit medical interventions normally considered unobjectionable.
Del Mar Sandpiper: Music Mentor: Roger Reynolds
In a career spanning over 60 years and counting, composer (and long-time Del Mar resident) Roger Reynolds (Music) has created a body of work known for its immediacy, intensity, and intricacy.
FIELD: A Journal of Socially Engaged Art Criticism: Issue 20
The Winter 2022 issue includes two essays that analyze the complex processes of street-based and performative protests, waged against authoritarian regimes, writes editor Grant Kester (Visual Arts). The issue also includes a detailed examination of Tre Titoli, an essay that explores a set of innovative, disability arts practices developed in London and Minnesota, and three reviews of recent books that explore various facets of contemporary cultural politics.
KPBS: San Diego weekend arts events: book art, Black joy, double bass and the Brothers Grimm
The on-campus Open Studios event is back Feb. 26 for UC San Diego’s Visual Arts MFA students.
The New York Times: Review: At Rothko Chapel, a Composer Is Haunted by a Hero
“The sensitive percussionist Steven Schick (Music) played the opening shimmer of bells with even profounder quiet, and there were more flickers in Kashkashian’s tone,” writes Zachary Woolfe.
The UCSD Guardian: Two UCSD Faculty Resigns from Critical Gender Studies Executive Committee
Two UC San Diego faculty members, assistant professor Dr. Shaista Patel and associate professor Dr. Wendy Matsumura (History), have resigned from UCSD’s Critical Gender Studies Program’s Executive Committee. Related: Kashmir Scholars Consultative and Action Network
The Triton: UCSD Prepares for Delayed Class of 2020 In-Person Graduation
Adarsh Parthasarathy ‘20 (History) and fellow graduate Kaylee Bashor were both heavily involved in advocating for a postponed commencement ceremony for the Class of 2020.
Opera Wire: Portland Opera to Present Anthony Davis & Richard Wesley’s ‘The Central Park Five’
The opera, composed by Anthony Davis (Music) to a libretto by Richard Wesley, will open March 18. Related: Broadway World
The Detroit News: Creators of Malcolm X opera say production pays tribute to ‘a tragic hero’
“Malcolm is a tragic hero and ... what he went through to arrive at his revelations is, I think, a story people can really identify with,” said Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis (Music).
The Library: UC San Diego Library Gifted $10 Million from Foundation Trustee and Alumna Sally T. WongAvery
University of California San Diego alumna and UC San Diego Foundation trustee Sally T. WongAvery ‘75 (Philosophy) is donating $10 million through the Avery-Tsui Foundation to support East Asian collections, research and scholarly activities at the UC San Diego Library. The gift, which establishes the Sally T. WongAvery Fund for East Asian Collections and the Natasha Wong Endowment for East Asian Collections, will ensure that East Asian scholarship and collections are a key part of the UC San Diego Library in perpetuity.
Campus Notice: CONSTRUCTION ALERT – Revised Dates – Molli and Arthur Wagner Dance Studio Facility
From March 23 through March 25, the walking path west of the Dance Studio, through the grove, will be closed.
NBC News: If history is any judge, this could be the last of Kamila Valieva on an Olympic stage
“Within the world of figure skating [in Russia] it is incredibly competitive,” said Robert Edelman (History).
Opera Wire: Susan Narucki to Record Rare Art Songs Album ‘This Island’
Soprano Susan Narucki (Music) announced her plans to record and perform “This Island’ an album comprised of a collection of rare art songs.
American Philosophical Society: Patrick Suppes Prize
Congratulations to Craig Callender (Philosophy, Institute for Practical Ethics) for the Philosophy of Science award in recognition of his book “What Makes Time Special?”
La Jolla Light: Best Bets: A quick guide to online and in-person entertainment and experiences
The UC San Diego Visual Arts department presents “Yolanda López: A Studio of One’s Own” at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, online.
ListN Up: Leilehua Lanzilotti (January 28, 2022)
“The first time I met King Britt (Music), he shared this work with me: a Transmissions episode based on field recordings from a trip to Hawaiʻi. Now based on the West Coast as a professor at UC San Diego, Britt is the creator of the incredible Blacktronika course there,” said Leilehua Lanzilotti.
Monterey County Weekly: Four women artists set out to bond with local homeless women. The results of their unusual, uneasy meeting – of two worlds that rarely converge – is now on exhibit.
“The hope is to open a portal for empathy,” Melissa Smedley MFA ‘93 (Visual Arts) said.
Bandcamp: The Best Experimental Music on Bandcamp: January 2022
“From track to track, Necking — a trio formed in Brooklyn in 2004 and currently based in San Diego — can sound like several completely different bands. And yet there’s a current that runs throughout ‘Final Embers of Sunlight’ that makes it more like a flowing river than a bumpy ride.” Necking consists of staff member and alum Nick Lesley ‘01 (Visual Arts), Amy Cimini (Music) and alum Scott Nielsen ‘07 (Theatre and Dance). The album was recorded and mixed by staff member Andrew Munsey (Music).
The Current: Episode 192: A Life in Music with Kartik Seshadri
Kartik Seshadri (Music) discusses: learning the sitar and performing at a young age, the basics of Indian classical music, his career touring the globe and teaching music at UC San Diego.
Oxford University Press: The Oxford Handbook of Berkeley
Edited by Samuel Rickless (Philosophy), the newly published Oxford Handbook includes new essays, places Berkeley’s philosophy in historical context and provides a comprehensive account of Berkeley’s philosophy.
UC San Diego News: Pepper Canyon West Housing Construction to Start This Summer
The university has selected artists to create a new, 10,000-square-foot mural planned for the exterior of the Visual Arts Facility facing the Epstein Family Amphitheater. The work was developed with the guidance of a committee comprised of Department of Visual Arts faculty and representatives of the campus community, and brings together artists from a wide range of backgrounds with alum Oscar Magallanes MFA ‘21 (Visual Arts) and 3B Collective featured on one of the buildings, and Reinhart Selvik ‘13 (Visual Arts) as a project coordinator as well as one of the artists.
Campus Notice: CONSTRUCTION ALERT – Molli and Arthur Wagner Dance Studio Facility
From March 2, 2022 through March 4, 2022 work will occur between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day. The walking path west of the Dance Studio, through the grove, will be closed.
Campus Notice: CONSTRUCTION ALERT – Mandeville Art Gallery Renovation – Start of Construction
The project will impact the Mandeville Art Gallery, mechanical room B100 below the gallery and restrooms 105 & 107 located behind the elevator in the Mandeville Center. Construction will begin on February 17, 2022 and will be completed at the end of December 2022.
University of California Television: Finding the Inspiration Behind “Tattooed Trucks of Nepal”
Former lecturer Ron Ranson (Theatre and Dance), who taught design and painting for the stage, turned his fascination with this colorful art form into the documentary “Tattooed Trucks of Nepal – Horn Please!” now playing on UCTV.
London News Online: EXHIBITION: Danielle Dean’s Amazon exploring the changing nature of human labour
Danielle Dean’s (Visual Arts) “Amazon” explores the changing nature of human labor, examining practices of production, data extraction and commercial advertising. The video installation is set to open Feb. 5 at Tate Britain. Related: The Guardian, Dazed, FAD magazine, SheerLuxe
USA Today: Lunar New Year 2022: What does the holiday and the Year of the Tiger represent?
“The tiger is commonly associated with something like bravery, courage and strength,” said Eddy Keming Chen (Philosophy, Chinese Studies Program). He said Lunar New Year was a time for families to gather, celebrating with grand feasts. Related: Xinhua
The Washington Post: 22 for ‘22: Composers and performers to watch this year
Nominator Nadia Sirota describes the San Diego-based Marcos Balter (Music) as a composer with an “uncanny ear for timbre and [who] makes music that really doesn’t sound like anyone else’s.”
ARTnews: Foundation for Contemporary Arts’s $45,000 Grants Go to Eve Fowler, Raven Chacon, and More
The New York–based nonprofit Foundation for Contemporary Arts named the 20 artists honored with unrestricted grants in 2022. The visual artists honored this grant cycle include interdisciplinary artist Matt Savitsky MFA ‘15 (Visual Arts).
ArtNet: Here Are the 63 Artists and Collectives Participating in the Closely Watched 2022 Edition of the Whitney Biennial
The 63-strong list of artists and collectives chosen includes Danielle Dean (Visual Arts) and alum Rayyane Tabet MFA ‘12 (Visual Arts). Related: Hyperallergic, ArtNews, Artforum, Finestre sull’Arte
MixCloud: Dada Strain Radio with Piotr Orlov - Electronic Improvisation (special guest: King Britt)
Episode 4 features a conversation with the Philadelphia-born and bred producer, DJ and futurist King Britt (Music), now a professor of “Blacktronica” at UC San Diego.
Poetry School: Review – The Voice of Sheila Chandra by Kazim Ali
Kazim Ali’s (Literature) body of work revitalises how we, as readers, perceive history, narrative, and the lyric.
KPBS: San Diego weekend arts events: Brendan Nguyen, San Diego Symphony, Andrés Hernández and more
Brendan Nguyen DMA ‘16 (Music) is one of the cofounders of Project [BLANK], a local performance ensemble and organization. He’s also an accomplished pianist, and will kick off their 2022 season with an interesting series of works for solo piano. Related: The San Diego Union-Tribune
Ebony: Afrofuturism Comes to Carnegie Hall with New Citywide Festival
Carnegie Hall’s programming team identified five top tier experts to assist in the curation of the festival, including King Britt (Music). Related: Broadway World
Pitchfork: Pierre Kwenders Announces Album, Shares Video for New Song “Papa Wemba”
José Louis and the Paradox of Love features Win Butler, Anaiis, King Britt (Music), Ngabo, Sônge, and others
New York Times: Mahershala Ali Finally Gets the Leading Role He Deserves
Current MFA graduate student Chanell Stone (Visual Arts) has their photography work included in the times.
Yale University Press: ‘My Barbarian’
The first monographic publication on the art collective My Barbarian (Malik Gaines, Jade Gordon, and Alexandro Segade (Visual Arts)) offers new insights into the work of this singular group of performers.
Division of Arts and Humanities: Moments newsletter
- Staff Spotlight: Jessica Greenlaw (Visual Arts), student affairs manager
- Investigating the Arrow of Time: Eddy Keming Chen (Philosophy) to investigate time in ambitious, three-year interdisciplinary research project
- Division awards new Inclusive Excellence programs: “Moving (in) the World: Performing and Theorizing Social Change,” submitted by Julie Burelle (Theatre and Dance) and “Building a Diversity Library: Faculty Research and Staff Networking,” submitted by Anthony King (Office of the Dean).
- History of Writing, Ekphrasis: In fall quarter 2021, Amy Sara Carroll (Literature) focused her “History of Writing” course on ekphrasis, traditionally referring to a summoning and summing up of artwork or visual phenomena through words.
Triton magazine: Secrets of the Craft
As student interest climbed for arts and crafts on campus, a variety of classes in the former Craft Center were offered, from neon sign making to home brewing with future master brewer Yuseff Cherney ‘92 (Philosophy).
UC San Diego News: With a $50 Million Gift, USC and UC San Diego Join Forces in Alzheimer’s Research
Recently, the Epstein Family Amphitheater was named in honor of a $10 million gift from Daniel and Phyllis Epstein, and they have established endowed faculty fellowships and chairs at the Rady School of Management, in addition to supporting the School of Global Policy and Strategy, Arts and Humanities, student scholarships and more. Phyllis Epstein serves on the Division of Arts and Humanities Advisory Council.
Los Angeles Times: The faces and facets of classical music’s year of emergence
Equally important, the year gave a major lift to three senior Black composers — George Lewis, Anthony Davis (Music) and Wadada Leo Smith — who have been among the most profound, progressive, challenging and influential American voices for decades but given far too little due by the establishment, writes Mark Swed.
Courier Journal: ‘What day is it?’: Experts explain why time has been at ‘standstill’ since 2020
Imagine that each tick of the clock is an event that happens in your week, Craig Callender (Philosophy) said. If not much is happening, it’s easy to believe that time is passing very slowly. During the first year of the pandemic, many people said every day felt the same. Callender referred to this as a “Blursday” phenomenon, meaning it was difficult to distinguish the beginning, middle and end of a week when everything felt the same.
Forbes: Research Project Will Study How AI Can Be Used In Creative Collaboration
Could an AI be part of a jazz performance in a similar way? Researcher Schlomo Dubnov (Music) says that such an AI “needs to be able to analyze what’s happening and decide when it’s going to improvise with its human partners and when it’s going to improvise on its own. It needs agency.”
Houston Chronicle: Houston-bound Davóne Tines challenges opera conventions with themes of race, sexuality
Later this spring, Tines will sing the title role in Anthony Davis’ (Music) “The Life and Times of Malcolm X” for Michigan Opera Theatre, where he’s serving as artist in residence this season.
Broadway World: If You’re Dreaming of Live Opera, Here Are Some to Think About This Spring
City Opera has another opera planned for the season: “The Central Park Five,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning opera by Anthony Davis (Music) and Richard Wesley.
Triton magazine: Winter 2022 Issue
- Tunnel Vision: Exploring the legendary allure of our campus utility tunnels with alum Barbara Denz ‘69 (Literature) and others
- TRITON 5: Erik Jepsen ‘10 (History) shares his perspective as the UC San Diego campus photographer.
- On the Inside: Alumni President Kimberley Philips Boehm ‘82, Ph.D. (History) encourages alumni to act together to ensure the success of the university and all Tritons.
- A legendary reporter looks back: The San Diego roots of investigative journalist Lowell Bergman, a graduate doctoral fellow studying under Professor Herbert Marcuse (Philosophy).
- Destination, UC San Diego: Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla shares the latest developments from campus, including the North Torrey Pines and Theatre District Living and Learning neighborhoods.
Arts and Humanities Events: Antimilitarism in the Pacific Islands (video)
What does a world without militarism look like? Asking this unaskable question is more urgent than ever amidst a growing U.S. militarization in the Pacific that threatens planetary life. This virtual event was sponsored by the Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies Program, with co-sponsors Department of Ethnic Studies and Transnational Korean Studies Program.
Arts and Humanities Events: Beyond the Campus/Community Split: A Conversation on Effective Partnerships (video)
Learn from various community organizations in Southern California on how to create effective partnerships outside of the university. This event is a collaboration between UC Irvine, UC Riverside and UC San Diego (Institute of Arts and Humanities) through the UC Humanities Center Consortium.
UC San Diego News: Holocaust Living History Workshop Series Continues at UC San Diego in 2022
Established in 2008 as a collaborative project between the Jewish Studies Program and the UC San Diego Library, the workshop aims to broaden understanding of the past, foster tolerance and preserve the memory of victims and survivors of the Holocaust while emphasizing their continued relevance in the world today.
ArtNews: Creative Capital Funds 50 Artist Projects for a Total of $2.5 M
The New York–based nonprofit Creative Capital has announced the 50 artist projects it will fund as part of its 2022 Creative Capital Awards, including: Pinar Yoldas (Visual Arts) for the project “Dark Botany: the Dark Banana Plant and other Accelerated Photosynthesis Species,” and alum Crystal Z Campbell MFA ‘10 (Visual Arts) for “Post Masters.” Related: Creative Capital
Carnegie Hall: Meet the Afrofuturism Curatorial Council: King James Britt
“Music represents the sonic possibilities of Afrofuturism. It is the expansive soundtrack to a collective action of dream to reality,” King Britt (Music) said. Related: Afrofuturism x Carnegie Hall Pt. 1 (playlist)
The San Diego Union Tribune: La Jolla Symphony and Chorus cancels January and February concerts because of COVID-19 health concerns
Assuming it can resume concerts in March, the symphony and chorus is scheduled to perform at Mandeville Auditorium on March 12 and 13, April 30 and May 1, and June 4 and 5. The June concerts will be the final ones before Steven Schick (Music) steps down as music director, a position he has held for the past 15 years.
The Poetry Question: TPQ20: Kazim Ali
On Dec. 19, 2021, The Poetry Question editors spoke with Kazim Ali (Literature) for their podcast, expanding the conversation around poetry and literature.
Broadway World: Portland Opera To Receive $30,000 Grant From The National Endowment For The Arts
This Pulitzer Prize-winning opera by Anthony Davis (Music) will be performed in March 2022, and will be directed by Nataki Garrett and conducted by Kazem Abdullah.
Soundohm: “Roger Reynolds at 85, Vol II: Piano Etudes”
Roger Reynolds’s (Music) new recording, released in 2021, “carry subtle quotations from Reynolds’ own, earlier piano works as well as the traditional literature of piano etudes.”
Bloomsbury Publishing: “Sync Or Swarm, Revised Edition: Improvising Music In A Complex Age”
The revised edition of “Sync or Swarm” by David Borgo (Music), to be released later this year, explores musical free improvisation through the lens of several contemporary sciences.
UC San Diego News: Computers in a Jazz Ensemble? Inventing Improvisational AI
University of California San Diego Professor Shlomo Dubnov (Music) and Gérard Assayag, a researcher at the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music in Paris, received a €2.4 million European Research Council Advanced Grant.
UC San Diego News: UC San Diego Library Set to Host 2nd Annual Art of Science Contest
“On top of being visually stunning, the brilliance behind the research conducted in UC San Diego’s labs is something to be appreciated and celebrated,” said alum Colin Zyskowski Ph.D. ‘18 (Music), director of the UC San Diego EnVision Arts and Engineering Maker Studio, a collaboration between the Jacobs School of Engineering and the Division of Arts and Humanities.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: La Jolla Playhouse announces creative team for ‘Bhangin’ It’ musical
The production will include scenic design by Tony Award-nominee Robert Brill (Theatre and Dance). Alum Justin Humphres MFA ‘17 (Theatre and Dance) will serve as associate designer, and current MFA student Elizabeth Barrett (Theatre and Dance) will assist. Related: Broadway World
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Best jazz albums of 2021 came from Ches Smith, Henry Threadgill, Charles Lloyd, Steph Richards & Joshua White
“As bold and fearless as it is moving and entrancing, the album [“Zephyr”] teams Steph Richards (Music) ... with nationally celebrated El Cajon pianist Joshua White,” writes George Varga for his best-of list. Related: Goldmine
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Visual art: My 5 favorite things from 2021
“It was one of the true honors of my career to write about this exhibition [at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego], the first-ever solo exhibition devoted to the life and work of López,” writes Seth Combs. The exhibition of work by alum Yolanda López MFA ‘79 (Visual Arts) will be open through April.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Books: My 5 favorite things from 2021
“Northern Light: Power, Land, and Memory of Water” by Kazim Ali (Literature) is a top-three local pick: “Blending together the indigenous history of the region with his own past and present experiences was no small feat, but Ali pulled it off with poetic precision.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Classical music: My 5 favorite things from 2021
Steven Schick (Music) will remain connected to La Jolla Symphony & Chorus as he becomes the organization’s first director emeritus. Schick will step down at the end of the 2021-22 season as its music director after 15 years in that position.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Music: 2 things I’m looking forward to in 2022
George Varga is anticipating three new albums by local musician Joshua White, who often collaborates with bassist Mark Dresser (Music) and trumpeter Steph Richards (Music).
ArtsFuse: Music Commentary: Top Classical Performances and Recordings of 2021
“Verge” by composer Lei Liang (Music) was included in the Most Creative Program category, performed by the chamber orchestra A Far Cry.
Pacific San Diego: Tristan Prettyman, DaBaby and others postpone San Diego concerts as COVID-19 surges
The Rosanna Gamson World Wide dance troupe’s Jan. 21 and 22 performances at University of California San Diego’s Mandeville Auditorium have been postponed.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Art: “Eco-phenomenology and the Maintenance of Eco Art: Agnes Denes’s ‘A Forest for Australia’”
Ph.D. student Clarissa Chevalier (Visual Arts) publishes new research on artist Agnes Denes. “Denes developed a unique form of eco art that combines myriad disciplines with the goal of forging an improved and sustainable relationship with the natural world,” Chevalier writes.
Bandcamp: “Final Embers of Sunlight” release
Formed in 2004 by staff member and alum Nick Lesley ‘01 (Visual Arts), the band Necking is Lesley, Amy Cimini (Music) and alum Scott Nielsen ‘07 (Theatre and Dance). Their album “Final Embers of Sunlight,” recorded and mixed by staff member Andrew Munsey (Music), was released Dec. 16, 2021.
American Theatre: 2021 Steinberg Playwright Awardees Announced
Playwriting alums Jiehae Park MFA ‘09 (Theatre and Dance) and Jeff Augustin MFA ‘14 (Theatre and Dance) were selected among a crowded field of candidates for the 2021 Harold and Mimi Steinberg Award for early-to-mid-career playwrights.
La Jolla Light: Drawing ‘Dude’: La Jollan Christopher Canole donates decades of his art to UC San Diego
Physics alum and former graduate student Christopher Canole (Literature) — known for his appearance at local events as “Dude Vader” — donated a collection of 50 drawings to campus.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Meet the women leading San Diego’s two most powerful labor organizations at same time
Local labor movement veteran Brigette Browning ‘96 (Literature) took over the 136-union San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council in May. The council represents 200,000 nurses, teachers, firefighters and other workers.
Okayplayer: Premiere: Greg Tate, Ytasha Womack & King Britt on the Power of Afrofuturism
“Blacktronika: Afrofuturism in Electronic Music” is a college course taught by composer King Britt (Music). View the exclusive stream of Britt in conversation with Greg Tate and Ytasha Womack.
L.A. Jazz Scene: Kamau Kenyatta prolific, grammy – winning producer
“I was very fortunate to grow up with people that really loved music and I would say, in the African American community of the 1950s, it was almost like a badge of honor to know music,” Kamau Kenyatta (Music) said in this profile. Related: OtakuKart
UC San Diego News: Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts Established in Memory of Promising Film Student
The Israni family commits $6 million to help create new center in the Division of Arts and Humanities. “Our vision is to see his dreams and aspirations come to life via the artistic work produced by students,” Deepak and Varsha Israni said.
Qualcomm Institute: UC San Diego ‘Meet the Class’ (video)
New student Julian Bernal (History) is interviewed for this campus series. “Outside of the classroom, I really want to do my best to engage in some sports activities,” he said, “even if I’m just going to the games and cheering everybody on.”
Older press clips
International Science Council: Researchers combat new threats to key human rights
On International Human Rights Day Dec. 10, the International Science Council released a discussion paper of their International Science Council’s Committee for Freedom and Responsibility in Science. Craig Callender (Philosophy), Institute for Practical Ethics co-director, is a member of the committee and contributed to the landmark paper that examines current threats to science and proposes key actions for scientists, research institutions, science organizations, the private sector, and governments to combat the challenges for free and responsible science. His case study is titled “Heritable human genome editing.” Related: ‘A contemporary perspective on the free and responsible practice of science in the 21st century’ (PDF), executive summary (PDF), full committee
Punctum Books: Out of Place: Artists, Pedagogy, and Purpose
“Out of Place: Artists, Pedagogy, and Purpose” presents an overview of the different paths taken by artists and artist collectives as they navigate their way from formative experiences into pedagogy. Janelle Iglesias (Visual Arts) and Lisa Iglesias contribute an essay exploring their collaboration, Las Hermanas Iglesias. “We didn’t expect to become either full-time artists or educators, and we recognize and appreciate the privilege and responsibility with which we assume these synergistic roles,” they write.
Whitney Museum of American Art: ‘My Barbarian’
The first monographic publication on the art collective My Barbarian (Alexandro Segade (Visual Arts), Malik Gaines, and Jade Gordon) offers new insights into the work of this singular group of performers. “My Barbarian” is on view until February 27, 2022 at the Whitney Museum. Related: My Barbarian: Songbook (Dec. 18 livestream)
Routledge: Xenakis Creates in Architecture and Music: The Reynolds Desert House
“Xenakis Creates in Architecture and Music” describes the collaborative interaction of internationally acclaimed composer Roger Reynolds (Music), musician Karen Reynolds and musically inspired composer, engineer, and architect Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) to create a house design, The Reynolds Desert House.
KPBS: San Diego Weekend Arts Events
Performance graduate student and Arts and Community Engagement fellow Kathryn Schulmeister (Music) will explore the broad ranging potential of the bass in this program Friday at 7 p.m. Museum of Making Music. She’ll perform with soprano and current graduate student Jasper Sussman (Music), pianist Nick Sanders and drummer Julien Cantelm.
ARTnews: The Defining Artworks of 2021“For the Chicanx community, Yolanda M. López’s [MFA ‘79 (Visual Arts)] passing in September left a hole in the hearts and souls of many,” writes ARTnews. The publication featured López’s “Guadalupe Triptych.”
Classical Music: Winners of 2021 Ivors Composer Awards address climate change and isolation in their pioneering new works
Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir Ph.D. ‘11 (Music) won the Large Scale Composition Award for “CATAMORPHOSIS.” Related: The Ivors Composer Award, Planet Hugill (interview).
NPR: The Top 10 Classical Albums of 2021
At the forefront of the contemporary scene is 44-year-old composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir Ph.D. ‘11 (Music) whose rumbling, darkly textured music is being performed around the globe. Thorvaldsdottir’s “Enigma” was included on the best-of list.
Winnipeg Free Press: New music: Reviews of this week’s CD releases
Mark Dresser (Music) appears on Sara Schoenbeck’s self-titled album.
Associated Press: Met Opera to present Blanchard’s ‘Champion’ in April 2023
The Met will present its second work by a Black composer, Anthony Davis’ (Music) 1986 work “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X,” starting Nov. 3, 2023.
The Arts Fuse: Concert/Stream Review: A Far Cry’s “Emergence” — Typically Eclectic
Lei Liang’s (Music) “Verge” is the concert’s breathtaking opener. Written around the time of the birth of the composer’s son, Albert, in 2009, the piece is at once a tribute to the newborn — there’s a heartbeat motive as well as a melodic line based on a musical transcription of his name — as well as a fascinating study in contemporary string techniques.
UC San Diego News: A Year in Review: A Look Back as We Move Ahead
Growing is the Institute of Arts and Humanities, which recently announced the university’s very first major in Black Diaspora and African American Studies.
UC San Diego News: 2021 Triton Holiday Gift Guide
Poet and professor Kazim Ali (Literature) recently released “The Citadel of Whispers,” the latest installment in the beloved “Choose Your Own Adventure” young-adult book series. Ali created the story’s narrator character to be genderless, allowing all readers to freely plug themselves in and choose their own path in the fantasy world of Elaria.
Institute of Arts and Humanities: Fred Kudjo Kuwornu: Black Lives Matter in Italy and the Legacy of Colonialism (video)
The UC San Diego Italian Studies Program and Black Studies Project invite you to a talk with filmmaker-activist Fred Kudjo Kuwornu, who has been working on investigating Blackness and related projects for more than a decade. Dean Cristina Della Coletta (Literature), Ulrike Strasser (History) and Sara Johnson (Literature) give opening remarks.
North American Society for Sport History: NASSH Book Prize award announcements
The winner of the NASSH Monographs Prize for 2021 is awarded to Robert Edelman (History) and Christopher Young, editors of “The Whole World was Watching: Sport in the Cold War.”
KCET: How Mustache Mondays Built an Inclusive Queer Nightlife Scene and Influenced the Arts in L.A.
Dino Dinco (Visual Arts), a Mustache co-founder, affirmed their commitment to new and emerging artists: “We were not interested in commercial work, in what has been seen before.” Related: Artbound: Mustache Mondays (video)
The New York Times: 5 Classical Music Albums to Hear Right Now
Pianist Stewart Goodyear includes “Middle Passage” by Anthony Davis (Music) on the album “Phoenix,” treating Davis with a “meditative touch,” the Times writes.
Into the Impossible with Brian Keating: Craig Callender: A Graphic History of Time (video)
Craig Callender (Philosophy) co-director of the Institute for Practical Ethics, sits down with Brian Keating to talk graphic novels, the role of ethics in science and a unifying theory of time. Related: audio podcast
San Miguel Post: San Miguel de Allende “Alicia en Tolteca Landia” Honoring the Day of the Dead in Mexico
“The Myth Project: Alicia en Tolteca Landia” is a dance, theatrical and circus production by emeriti professor Patricia Rincon (Theatre and Dance).
The UCSD Guardian: Artist Spotlight: dana washington-queen
A&E editor Elias Roman and Lifestyle co-editor Priscilla Puno delve into the work of graduate, poet and video artist dana washington-queen MFA ‘20 (Visual Arts) in this artist spotlight for The UCSD Guardian.
Routledge: “Inclusivity and Equality in Performance Training”
Alum Regan Linton MFA ‘13 (Theatre and Dance) writes the opening chapter “Acting Training and Instruction for Wheelchair-Using Artists” in this first edition.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Ours is an Arab-Jewish Thanksgiving feast now
Doris Bittar MFA ‘93 (Visual Arts), artist, educator, writer and California organizer for the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, pens this holiday commentary as a community advisory board member.
Smithsonian Magazine: An Archaeological Dig Reignites the Debate Over the Old Testament’s Historical Accuracy
Archaeologist Erez Ben-Yosef, a former student affiliate of the Jewish Studies Program and Anthropology alum, leads a team that is “unearthing astonishing new evidence of an advanced society in the time of the biblical Solomon.”
Humanists@Work: Alumni@Work, Jeanelle Horcasitas
Alum Jeanelle Horcasitas Ph.D. ‘20 (Literature) is now the associate developer educator at DigitalOcean. “The most valuable skill I learned from my Ph.D. training is how to listen/read carefully and ask thoughtful questions,” Horcasitas said.
March: Aridification as Protagonist: Kuzgun Acar’s Ecocriticism
Current Ph.D. student Hande Sever (Visual Arts) pens this article for March, a journal of art and strategy.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Music Notebook
Other notable San Diego concerts the week of Nov. 19 included Joshua White and Kamau Kenyatta (Music) at Dizzy’s.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Review: Percussionist Steven Schick gives Fresh Sound a delightful sendoff
Masterful performance by Steven Schick (Music) marks the end of an era for Bonnie Wright’s ‘93 (Music) 24-year-old innovative Fresh Sound series.
Los Angeles Times: L.A.’s freeways are overdue for a reckoning. These artists can connect the dots for you
“Highways & Byways,” the current exhibition by 3B Collective at Residency Art Gallery in Inglewood, is many things: An exploration of the way mega developments like freeways and stadiums displace communities of color. Alum Oscar Magallanes MFA ‘21 (Visual Arts) is a member of the artist collective.
Division of Arts and Humanities: Arts and Humanities Moments
The bi-monthly roundup of news from the division includes research recognition for our faculty members, a welcome video from the Living and Learning Neighborhood grand opening and a special staff spotlight of Andy Liedholm (History).
Institute for Practical Ethics: Practical Ethics Quarterly
New research from the institute about justifying the risks of COVID-19 vaccine challenge trials is featured, along with introductions to the 13 new Ph.D. student fellows for 2021-2022.
UC San Diego News: Trolley Stations Open on Campus, Connecting the University Like Never Before
With the new line opening, Henry Wang ‘20 (History) had the opportunity to test the track on the Blue Line extension, operating the trolley from downtown to UTC and back. “It was just the right moment to join MTS, and a one-of-a kind experience,” he said of getting to drive the trolley to his alma mater.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: The San Diego Latino Legacy project illuminates a rich, largely unknown history
The third chapter covered in this first release is written by UC San Diego professor Luis Alvarez (History), who has written extensively on youth culture and Mexican Americans in World War II. He illuminates the contributions of Mexican Americans in the military and their domestic struggle against second-class citizenship. Related: San Diego Latino Legacy
IndieWire: A Classic Movie Lover’s Guide to Favorite Old Hollywood Films and Gifts
“Sessue Hayakawa: Silent Cinema and Transnational Stardom” by Daisuke Miyao (Literature) makes this list of the best gifts for classic movie lovers.
The Washington Post: Prolific playwright Lauren Yee bounces back from pandemic cancellations with two area productions
Lauren Yee MFA ‘12 (Theatre and Dance) was all set to become America’s third-most-produced playwright in the 2019-2020 season, trailing only the ubiquitous Lauren Gunderson and someone called William Shakespeare. Enter the pandemic.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Fresh Sound concert series, Bonnie Wright’s showcase for cutting-edge music, to bid farewell after 24 years
“The mark of a great city of culture is measured less by its profiled palaces of fine art and more by the vitality of the lives of the artists themselves,” said Steven Schick (Music). “For 24 years, Bonnie Wright [‘93 (Music)] has been the muse and muscle — the indefatigable advocate and guiding light for the kind of grassroots creative exploration that makes a city great.” Related: KPBS
KPBS: San Diego weekend arts events: Lilian Martinez, ‘to the yellow house,’ ‘Boil the Ocean,’ Michelle Bradley and Kazim Ali
Remember “Choose Your Own Adventure” books? Well, literary superstar Kazim Ali (Literature) has written a new story for the youth literary franchise, “The Citadel of Whispers.” Ali will appear to read and discuss the work in-person at The Book Catapult, one of the first in-person events for the local bookseller.
New York Times: Can a Machine Learn Morality?
When Professor Emerita Patricia Churchland (Philosophy) asked if it was right to “leave one’s body to science” or even to “leave one’s child’s body to science,” new artificial intelligence technology called Delphi said it was, the New York Times reports.
China Daily: Sinologists recognized for expanding understanding
The 2021 Distinguished Contributions to China Studies Award was given to three Sinologists, Michael Loewe, Chia-ying Yeh and faculty emeriti Joseph Esherick (History), during the 9th World Forum on China Studies. “If I have made any contribution to the study of Chinese history, it is entirely due to the resumption of academic exchanges between China and the United States after 1979,” he said.
La Jolla Light: La Jolla Shores groups and UCSD settle lawsuit over university’s new five-building project
A settlement has been reached in a year-long lawsuit brought by the La Jolla Shores Association and a local homeowners group to challenge UC San Diego’s new Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood.
Classical Music: Ivors Composer Awards announces 2021 nominations, with themes of lockdown, mythology and nature leading the shortlist
Nearly half of the composers in the running are first-time nominees, including the Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir Ph.D. ‘11 (Music).
San Diego Magazine: 12 Women San Diego Needs to Know
Chemist Kim Prather says San Diego should we watching Arts and Humanities Dean Cristina Della Coletta (Literature), who is “teaching us how arts and humanities can make a big difference.”
Resident Advisor: Carnegie Hall introduces new Afrofuturism festival with Carl Craig Synthesiser Ensemble, Flying Lotus, Moor Mother
The event was curated by experts in the field including King Britt (Music), who teaches a course on Afrofuturism in electronic music at UC San Diego. Related: Broadway World
American Society for Theatre Research: Sally Banes Publication Prize
Honoring the publication that, in the opinion of the prize committee, best explores the intersections of theatre and dance/movement, the 2021 Sally Banes Publication Prize winner is Jade Power-Sotomayor (Theatre and Dance) for “Corporeal Sounding: Listening to Bomba Dance, Listening to puertorriqueñxs.” Related: Performance Matters (full article)
Association for Jewish Studies: Jordan Schnitzer Book Awards
In the category of Jewish Literature and Linguistics, “Songs in Dark Times: Yiddish Poetry of Struggle from Scottsboro to Palestine” by Amelia M. Glaser (Literature) wins a Jordan Schnitzer Book Award. Related: Jewish Studies Program
IMA: 「流動するジェンダーの時代」 (Japanese)
Paul Mpagi Sepuya (Visual Arts) is interviewed by IMA magazine, the first Japanese-language feature on his work and practice.
Once Noticias: Recomendaciones Culturales | 11 de noviembre de 2021 (Spanish)
Ricardo Dominguez (Visual Arts) is having an online “retrocollective” of his work at the Centro de Cultura Digital in Mexico City, curated by Doreen Ríos. The exhibition opened Nov. 11. Related: Centro de Cultura Digital (Facebook)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Percussionist James Beauton finds new career as conductor
Alum James Beauton DMA ‘20 (Music) was a former member of the experimental percussion ensemble red fish blue fish. He is the new conductor of the Villa Musica Chamber Players, a group of 26 musicians.
Kyoto Prize Symposium: 36th Anniversary of the Kyoto Prize - Kick-off Luncheon
On Oct. 22, 2021, John H. Evans (Institute for Practical Ethics) introduced the research and work of Kyoto Laureate Bruno Latour (video).
Glamour: If You’re Not Already in Love With Zoë Chao, You Haven’t Been Paying Attention
Amid the “Modern Love” cast that includes Game of Thrones stars, A-list veterans, and Oscar-season favorites, alum Zoë Chao MFA ‘11 (Theatre and Dance) stands out.
The Quietus: Everyway Is Forward: Semibreve 2021 Reviewed
“I struggle with the idea that experimentation is just about newness and discovery, to me that’s tied to a colonial approach to music making,” says alum Judith Hamann DMA ‘18 (Music), speaking in a panel with alum Yvette Janine Jackson Ph.D. ‘17 (Music) ahead of her and Jackson’s three-hour durational piece commissioned for this year’s Semibreve festival in Braga, Portugal. Hamann mentions composer and fellow alum Sarah Hennies MA ‘03 (Music) as well.
Society for the Study of Early Modern Women & Gender: 2021 Book Award Winners
The work that wins this year’s Book Award is “Missionary Men in the Early Modern World: German Jesuits and Pacific Journeys” by Ulrike Strasser (History), her second such award from the society. Strasser deftly explores the intersection of gender and global histories, using the Jesuits’ journeys from Europe into the Pacific. The book is available as a free, Open Access download from Amsterdam University Press.
Boston Globe: ‘The Life and Times of Malcolm X’ to launch Boston Modern Orchestra Project effort to spotlight Black composers
Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Odyssey Opera are planning for performances and recordings of operas by Black American composers including Jonathan Bailey Holland, Nkeiru Okoye and Anthony Davis (Music). “I love working with Gil [Rose]. He’s a great conductor, and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project is great to work with,” Davis said.
The UCSD Guardian: Ariana Ruiz: A Community of Confidence
Even amidst the pandemic, students and staff alike arrive on campus and find their way into the UC San Diego community. One such professor is Ariana Ruiz (Literature), a first-generation college student whose life experiences shaped her teaching practices today.
ArtForum: Happier Endings: Catherine Quan Damman on the art of My Barbarian
My Barbarian — a collective comprising Malik Gaines, Jade Gordon and Alexandro Segade (Visual Arts) — appears in this cover story, with an exhibition on view at New York City’s Whitney Museum of American Art.
KPBS: 5 songs to discover in San Diego in November
“Zephyr,” the full-length album from local trumpeter Steph Richards (Music) and jazz pianist Joshua White is a journey through the myths and mysteries of the natural world.
Slate: The Parable of the Drowning Man in the Age of COVID
Virtually no Christians exist at either endpoint of the spectrum, John H. Evans (Institute for Practical Ethics) said, and the parable of the drowned man serves as a way of emphasizing the absurdity of the latter extreme.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Playwright brings a story of Asian American Southerners back home
A 2004 graduate of Pope High School, now pursuing her MFA in playwriting at University of California San Diego, Keiko Green (Theatre and Dance) workshopped “Hometown Boy” last summer in a joint program hosted by the Kennedy Center and National New Play Network in Washington.
California Arts Council: California Arts Council Announces 2021 Individual Artist Fellows
Ph.D. student Hande Sever (Visual Arts) is awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship by California Arts Council. “These fellowships signify the beginning of a new era of understanding and valuing the role of the artist in the social fabric of our state’s communities,” said Executive Director Anne Bown-Crawford.
Coronado Times: Coronado Playhouse Presents CLUE: LIVE ON STAGE! Nov. 5 – Dec. 12
Seasoned director and undergraduate alum Desha Crownover ‘94 (Theatre and Dance) will lead the project.
Los Angeles Times: Review: A welcome June Edmonds survey illuminates the artist’s surprising trajectory
In a recent online lecture for the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and UC San Diego (Visual Arts), June Edmonds noted a recurrent tension within Black art since the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s, the Los Angeles Times writes. Related: Russel Lecture (video).
Foxy Digitalis: Tyshawn Sorey & King Britt “Tyshawn/King” (review)
Tyshawn Sorey and King Britt (Music) have manifested essential bodies of work on their own, but in joining forces there is something new to manifest.
UC San Diego News: La Jolla Playhouse Brings in Theatre and Dance Talent, Expertise for their Latest World Premiere
Stage Management faculty member Lora K. Powell (Theatre and Dance) says she’s in the right place at the right time to help students launch their professional careers.
Campus Notice: Rand Steiger Selected as Interim Advisor to the EVC on Art Strategy and Engagement
Distinguished Professor of Music and Conrad Prebys Presidential Chair Rand Steiger (Music) has agreed to serve as the Interim Advisor on Art Strategy and Engagement, announced by the Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs.
UC San Diego News: UC President Makes First Visit to UC San Diego
During UC President Michael Drake’s visit to campus, he spent time in the Arts and Humanities Building at the North Torrey Pines Living Learning Neighborhood.
Arts and Humanities Events: Food Justice and Community Health with The Kitchenistas of National City
In October, the Institute of Arts and Humanities and its Chicanx and Latinx Studies Program hosted guests to discuss how food traditions can change and transform communities (video).
DC Metro Theater Arts: Exhibition and livestream performance series by theatrical artists group ‘My Barbarian’ at NYC’s Whitney Museum of American Art
Theatrical art collective My Barbarian is the subject of a new exhibition and live in-person and livestream performance series opening on Friday, Oct. 29 at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Consisting of Malik Gaines, Jade Gordon and Alexandro Segade (Visual Arts), the trio creates interdisciplinary performances and video installations. Related: Whitney Museum of American Art
WBGO: Switch on your senses: Steph Richards sniffs out the possibilities
On this episode of The Checkout, Steph Richards (Music) talks first about her groundbreaking album “Supersense,” followed by her latest creative endeavor, “Zephyr,” a duo recording that explores the outer edges of jazz composition (audio). Related: The Free Jazz Collective, Downbeat
San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area theater artists who called out discrimination find that as some doors close, others open
In 2019, former ACT faculty member Stephen Buescher (Theatre and Dance) sued the company for racial discrimination, settling later that year. “An event like this polarizes the community,” he said.
The Brooklyn Rail: Amazon (Proxy): “Talking about the past was a way to talk about the present.”
Danielle Dean (Visual Arts) collaborates with online gig workers to create a live performance that revisits the history of Fordlândia, a short-lived rubber plantation established by Henry Ford in the Amazon in the 1920s. Related: Hyperallergic
The American Scholar: Back to School: A return to reading as a private and a public act
“More than just teaching literature, I have tried to teach that reading has always been about love, whether it happened to be Dante’s Paolo and Francesca tempted by a romance or Saint Augustine turning to his God over the codex of Saint Paul,” writes Seth Lerer (Literature).
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Arts&Culture Newsletter
A presentation from the Department of Music is a livestreaming concert series titled WEDS@7. David Borgo (Music) presented “Suite of Uncommon Sorrows” live, and WEDS@7 returns Nov. 17 with Indian sitarist Kartik Seshadri (Music).
American Theatre: A Dramaturg on ‘Jeopardy’ and a Dream Come True
In early October, dramaturg Ph.D. student Madison Mae Williams (Theatre and Dance) competed on Jeopardy, speaking eloquently about her job. Her focus spans musical theatre, poetry, and Africana Studies.
The New York Times: Review: At the Philharmonic, Contemporary Is King for a Week
Music by Missy Mazzoli, Anthony Davis (Music) and John Adams was conducted by Dalia Stasevska, in her debut with the orchestra. Related: New York Classical Review
Handbook for Artificial Intelligence for Music: Machine Improvisation in Music: Information-Theoretical Approach
“This information-theoretical framework offers a novel view of man–machine creative music interaction as a communication problem between an artificial agent and a musician,” writes Shlomo Dubnov (Music) in his recently published research.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Here is San Diego’s best and worst architecture in 2021
The North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood wins Orchid awards for both Architecture and Teen Choice. “My favorite part was the performing arts center on the interior. The combination of the seating with the natural lighting and the proportion of the space, I thought was done well,” the judges said. Related: La Jolla Light
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation: Reimagining the Border: UCSD Community Stations
In the second of a three-part series celebrating National Arts & Humanities Month, the Mellon Foundation features Teddy Cruz (Visual Arts) and Fonna Forman, who lead the UC San Diego Center on Global Justice and have co-created Community Stations, a network of transformative, multi-use public spaces in neighborhoods in the San Diego-Tijuana area (with video).
I Care if you Listen: 5 Questions to Tina Tallon (creative technologist, sound artist)
Tina Tallon Ph.D. ‘20 (Music) began her career as a researcher at MIT and, last year, completed her Ph.D. in music composition at UC San Diego. In August, she joined the faculty of the University of Florida as assistant professor of AI and the arts.
The Arts Fuse: Jazz Feature: A Conversation with Jane Ira Bloom
Mark Dresser (Music) is cited as helping navigate remote recording.
Los Angeles Times: Mexico’s new culture war: Did a pyramid light show ‘decolonize’ or rewrite history?
“The re-centering of Indigenous history and culture makes total sense as a political project that understands itself as rooted in the long historical march of the Mexican left,” said Mariana Botey (Visual Arts), a longtime Mexican artist, curator and professor at UC San Diego.
School Library Journal: Diverse Voices: Books That Reflect Young Readers and Their World
The newest title in the Choose Your Own Adventure series, “The Citadel of Whispers” by Kazim Ali (Literature), follows a group of young friends as the empire across the sea is threatening the land. Instead of building his world around the European Middle Ages like most fantasy stories, Ali used classical India as his foundational setting. “I’m really excited about the fact that almost every single character doesn’t conform to traditional gender roles,” Ali said, “and the main character is really meant to be a gender-nonconforming character. They don’t have a specific gender.”
San Diego Community Newspaper Group: Steven Schick to step down as music director of La Jolla Symphony and Chorus
Steven Schick (Music) will step down as Molli and Arthur Wagner Music Director of the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus, a position he has held for 15 years, at the end of the 2021-22 season. “I do not know of another similar organization that has been able to present such innovative programming at such a high level. Steve deserves tremendous credit for both the vision and the follow-through,” said department chair Anthony Burr (Music).
UC San Diego News: Welcome to North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood
Dean Cristina Della Coletta (Arts and Humanities) is interviewed for this North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood welcome (video). Related: Welcome to the Neighborhood event photos
UC San Diego Athletics: Chu’s Role Grows as Triton ESPN Productions Expand
UC San Diego senior Elisha Chu (Visual Arts) has been a part of the UC San Diego Athletics broadcast team since her freshman year. When the UC San Diego sports teams moved up in Division I, Chu’s role grew with them.
Department of Theatre and Dance: Interview with alumni working with ‘Lackawanna Blues’ on Broadway
Kamra A. Jacobs MFA ‘17 (Theatre and Dance) and Mandisa Reed MFA ‘17 (Theatre and Dance) are currently the production stage manager and stage manager of ‘Lackawanna Blues.’
Time: Rome Didn’t Fall When You Think It Did. Here’s Why That Fabricated History Still Matters Today
“If we recognize that Rome did not fall in 476, the lessons we take from Roman history become quite different. Rome’s story then does not warn us of the danger of barbarous outsiders toppling a society from within. It instead shows how a false claim that a nation has perished can help cause the very problems its author invented. We ignore this danger at our peril,” writes Edward Watts (History), the author of “The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome: The History of a Dangerous Idea” and “Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell Into Tyranny.”
KPBS: The California myth of artist Perry Vásquez
Perry Vásquez MFA ‘91 (Visual Arts) has worked in the San Diego and Tijuana region since the late 1980s, and now teaches at Southwestern College. He is a 2021 recipient of the San Diego Art Prize. He’s showing works at the currently-on-view exhibition at Bread and Salt, and is also set to open a solo exhibition, “Oasis,” at Sparks Gallery this Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. Related: The San Diego Union-Tribune (awards), The San Diego Union-Tribune (newsletter)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: The art and activism of Yolanda López
Many tributes have been written since Yolanda López MFA ‘79 (Visual Arts) died on Sept. 3 after a lengthy battle with liver cancer. And while her passing mere months before her first-ever solo exhibition was set to open at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego seems unfair and unjust, the San Diego-born López leaves behind a local and international legacy that will live on for generations to come. Related KPBS, NPR
BBC Music Magazine’s Classical Music: Metropolitan Opera stages first opera by a black composer
A second opera by a black composer – Anthony Davis’s (Music) “X: The Life And Times of Malcolm X” – is due to be staged at the Met in 2023.
San Diego Reader: The suite of uncommon sorrows
Professor David Borgo (Music) describes his new album, The Suite of Uncommon Sorrows, as “an eleven-part suite of original music composed in response to the tumultuous events of 2020, the San Diego Reader writes.
Modulisme: I.T.A.T.I.O.M 006: Make Noise
Tom Erbe (Music) has been deeply involved and dedicated to electronic and computer music research, and creation. He is interviewed for Modulisme.
The New York Times: Roberta Gibb broke barriers in the Boston Marathon. Now there’s a statue of her feat.
In 1966, alum Roberta Gibb ‘69 (Philosophy) became the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon at a time when women were prohibited from doing so because they were considered “physiologically incapable.” Now, more than 55 years later, Gibb has broken another gender barrier by becoming the race’s first woman to be featured as a sculpture and placed along the Boston Marathon route, the Times writes.
The New York Times: Jazz and Opera Come Together in ‘Fire Shut Up in My Bones’
“[Terence Blanchard is] adding ringers from his jazz career to the opera pit, like Anthony Davis (Music) and Leroy Jenkins have done. But he’s his own composer,” critic Seth Colter Walls writes.
Los Angeles Review of Books: The “Decline and Fall” of Rome — A Dangerous Idea?
Edward Watts (History) is an extraordinarily prolific specialist on Roman and Byzantine history with almost a dozen books. His range reveals itself in this latest monograph, the review states.
Red Hen Press: “New Moons” anthology edited by Kazim Ali
“The goal with this anthology is to represent that full range of contemporary expressions of Islam, as well as a full range of genres—poetry, fiction, essay, memoir, political writing, cultural writing, and of course plenty of texts which mix and match and blur all of these modes,” Kazim Ali (Literature) writes. “The Muslim community is plural and contradictory. This collection of voices ought to be symphony and cacophony at once, like the body of Muslims as they are today.”
The Best American Poetry 2021
“The Beginning of the Beginning” by Phuong Vuong (Literature) is included in the 2021 “The Best American Poetry” collection, guest edited by Tracy K. Smith. Related: Simon and Schuster, American Poetry Review (original publication of the poem).
Politico: Why Democrats keep blowing their deadlines
Craig Callender (Philosophy), the author of “What Makes Time Special?,” told Nightly that there are many things that can affect our sense of time, including boredom, depression or something as simple as how many cups of coffee we had that day. Callender is co-director of the Institute for Practical Ethics.
The Washington Post: At the Smithsonian, Hung Liu’s portraits offer remembrance of and resistance to Mao’s cultural revolution
Eventually, Hung Liu (MFA ‘86, Visual Arts) was allowed to leave China to study at the University of California San Diego. She stayed in the United States for the rest of her life, dying in Oakland, Calif., in August.
The Triton: UCSD wants a Green New Deal
The protestors assembled in front of Audrey Geisel Library at 12 p.m. as a group of [UC San Diego] dance students performed a piece called Coggs in the Wheel, “replicating industrial capitalism and depicting the problem of our lack of water,” according to Alison Smith (Theatre and Dance).
St. Louis Public Radio: How Steph Del Rosso turned anger into laughs in ‘The Gradient’
“I usually write from a place of obsession, I would say,” playwright Stephanie Del Rosso MFA ‘19 (Theatre and Dance) explained.
La Jolla Light: UCSD professor’s ‘X’ going to Met Opera
The Metropolitan Opera will present UC San Diego professor Anthony Davis’ (Music) “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” beginning Nov. 3, 2023.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: La Jolla Playhouse’s ‘The Garden’ a deep and powerful return to live performance
The production features gorgeous lighting design by UC San Diego graduate Sherrice Mojgani Ph.D. ‘15 (Theatre and Dance).
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Burstein wins long-overdue Tony
UC San Diego graduate Danny Burstein MFA ‘90 (Theatre and Dance) won a long-overdue Tony Award and a standing ovation at the 74th annual Tony Awards in New York on Sunday, Sept. 26.
WBUR: From Opera To The Orchestra, Here Are The Classical Music Performances To Attend This Fall
A Far Cry will include “Verge” by Lei Liang (Music) in the Nov. 5 program.
Outside: What Is Climate Fiction For? (paywall)
When the real world seems increasingly apocalyptic, what’s the point of reading novels about the horrors of climate change? Shelly Streeby (Literature) is interviewed.
Presses de l’Université Laval: ‘Xajoj Tun: Le ‘Rabinal Achi’ d’Ondinnok. Réflexions, entretiens, analyses’
Julie Burelle (Theatre and Dance) co-wrote this book with Jean-François Côté, and artists Yves Sioui Durand (Wendat) and Catherine Joncas (co-founders of Ondinnok, an Indigenous theatre company based in Montreal, Canada). The book was launched in August in Montreal at the Montreal’s First Peoples Festival and in September at the Musée de la Civilisation in Québec City, Canada.
UC San Diego News: Charting Shots: The history of vaccines, including hesitancy, is pointedly and painfully familiar
Religion has recently become another driver of vaccine hesitancy, said John H. Evans, co-director of the Institute for Practical Ethics. Saba Bazargan-Forward (Philosophy) said a host of cognitive biases partly explain the appeal of conspiracy theorizing about vaccines: “The advent of social media has, in effect, weaponized these cognitive biases. We now have a freely and easily accessible stream of specious claims about vaccines, literally at our fingertips.”
UC San Diego News: UC San Diego Announces Recipients of Chancellor’s and Revelle Medals
Awardees of the Chancellor’s Medal, one of the highest honors given by UC San Diego to recognize exceptional service in support of the campus’s mission, include Division of Arts and Humanities supporters: Phyllis and Dan Epstein, and Patricia and Christopher Weil.
UC San Diego News: A Celebration of Latinx Heritage and Hope
The Oct. 18 Institute of Arts and Humanities-organized event “Food Justice and Community Health with The Kitchenistas” is featured.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: UC San Diego professor’s ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ book is an inclusive epic
Writer and UC San Diego professor Kazim Ali (Literature) latest book “The Citadel of Whispers” is a young-adult novel for the “Choose Your Own Adventure” series. “Instead of doing a learning story, I wanted to do a story where the young people were fully capable, fully realized characters,” Ali said. Related: Choose Your Own Adventure
The New York Times: A Black Composer Finally Arrives at the Metropolitan Opera
“It didn’t seem like the Met was a possibility,” said Anthony Davis (Music), whose “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” was heard at City Opera in 1986. Davis’s “X” will have its Met premiere in fall 2023, and MET general manager Peter Gelb said he’d like to plan more of Davis’s works, which include “Amistad” and “The Central Park Five,” the Pulitzer winner for music last year. Related: The New York Times.
The New York Times: What Happens Inside a Broadway Theater Can Help Us Heal (op-ed)
Danny Burstein MFA '90 (Theatre and Dance) is a veteran Broadway performer who stars in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” for which he won the Tony Award for best featured actor in a musical on Sunday night. Related news of Burstein's win: Entertainment Weekly, Deadline, People, ABC News, Just Jared, Paramount Plus (full acceptance speech).
Playbill: Schools of the Stars: Where the 74th Annual Tony Award Winners Went to College
Playbill breaks down where all the Tony Award winners were trained, including new winner Danny Burstein MFA '90 (Theatre and Dance).
USA Today: Some say COVID-19 vaccine is the 'mark of the beast.' Is there a connection to the Bible?
John H. Evans (Institute for Practical Ethics) said studies show conflicts between religion and science are more about values and morals than facts.
KPBS: Summer Music: Martin Luther King Jr. Community Choir San Diego
The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Choir San Diego founder and director is Ken Anderson (Music), who also directs the beloved UCSD Gospel Choir.
Davis Enterprise: Audiences can hear free noon recitals again
Pianist Aleck Karis (Music), played the Beethoven “Hammerklavier” Sonata on Thursday, Sept. 30.
OperaWire: Baltimore Lieder Weekend to Present ‘A Kaleidoscope of Black American Songs and Arias’
Titled “A Kaleidoscope of Black American Songs and Arias,” the program will feature work from Anthony Davis (Music).
e-flux: Frieze reveals opening programme for new initiative No.9 Cork Street
A new initiative offering exhibition space for visiting galleries in the historic heart of Mayfair, London will include new work by artist Danielle Dean (Visual Arts).
Deutsche Welle: Genetic lottery: Excuse to do nothing or do everything?
"Parents are not really responsible for the genetic limitations of their children," said sociologist John H. Evans (Institute for Practical Ethics), "unless they knew they both had sickle cell disease and decided to have a baby anyway."
The New York Times: Bringing Black History to Life in the Great Outdoors
MFA student Chanell Stone (Visual Art) has photography work appearing in two articles about the National Park Service. Related: The New York Times
Arts and Humanities Moments: New Faculty 2021
Welcome the newest faculty members into Arts and Humanities: Rosie Bermudez (History), David Danks (Philosophy), Geraldine Fiss (Literature), Maralee Harrell (Philosophy), Joo Ok Kim (Literature), David Ruiter (Theatre and Dance) and Alexandro Segade (Visual Arts).
Arts and Humanities Moments: Community Connections Fellowships
The Arts and Community Engagement initiative offers an annual fellowship for graduate students to create meaningful partnerships with community organizations. This year's fellows are kelechi agwuncha (Visual Arts), Melissa Cisneros (Theatre and Dance), Carlito Espudo (Literature), Maria Rios-Mathioudakis (Visual Arts) and Kathryn Schulmeister (Music).
UC San Diego News: UC San Diego Welcomes Students, Faculty and Staff Back to a Transformed Campus
In the fall of 2023, the Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood will open, providing housing for 2,000 undergraduate students. While 89% of the project’s square footage is devoted to housing, the project will also provide classrooms, dining options and parking.
UC San Diego News: Student Life Reignites with Treasured Campus Traditions, New Degrees and Division I Competition
For sophomore Mae Riley, a History major at Revelle College, the energy at UnOlympics was exciting. “This is the first time I’m participating, and it was a little scary dancing in front of a big audience,” she said.
UC San Diego News: Convocation Keynote Empowers Students to Celebrate Every Victory
Alongside an address from Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla and a motivating keynote from faculty member King Britt (Music), the cohort of new scholars heard from Executive Vice Chancellor Elizabeth Simmons and president of the UC San Diego Alumni Association Kimberly Phillips Boehm (History). “That's the sound of resilience and the sound of awareness of self. But most of all, it’s the sound of celebration,” Britt said to a roaring crowd.
The New York Times: A Malcolm X Opera Will Come to the Met
“Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz) is an even more relevant figure today,” Anthony Davis (Music) said. “His vision is as prescient today as it was in 1986. He is an inspiration for Black Lives Matter and the movement for social justice. As a composer, I am thrilled to help create ‘X’ as an opera for today that speaks to the future as well as the past.” Davis’s “X,” which premiered in the 1980s, will be revived in New York in fall 2023. Related: Associated Press, Opera Wire, Playbill, Broadway World, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The New York Times (fall preview)
Opera Wire: Seattle Opera to Stage ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ & ‘X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X’
The following season the company will partner with the Michigan Opera Theater, Opera Omaha, and The Metropolitan Opera to produce a brand-new staging of “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” by Anthony Davis (Music).
Something Else!: Steph Richards with Joshua White, “Zephyr” (2021): Something Else! video premiere
“Steph Richards (Music) is an exceptional trumpet player who belongs in a rare company of trumpeters ... who have a vision that goes way beyond what’s been done and reaches out toward what can be made possible,” Something Else! Reviews writes. “Zephyr,” Richards’ new album, will drop on Oct. 15 from Relative Pitch Records.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Bodhi Tree Concerts celebrates a decade of music
The anniversary event is a fundraiser for Bodhi Tree Concerts’ commission of an original children’s opera in English and Spanish. The opera’s dream team of composer and librettist? None other than Pulitzer Prize winner and UC San Diego professor Anthony Davis (Music), and New York-based poet-author and professor emeritus Quincy Troupe (Literature).
Prairie Fire: Best Canadian Poetry 2020 Ed. by Marilyn Dumont
“Origin Story” by Kazim Ali (Literature), which offers “stinging indictments of Canada’s official multi-culturalism,” is included in the country’s annual collection.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Cygnet’s long-delayed ‘La Cage aux Folles’ musical is fun, frothy
UC San Diego [undergraduate alum] Jake Bradford ‘21 (Theatre and Dance) is believable as the bratty and spoiled Jean-Michel, writes Pam Kragen in this review.
DJ Mag: King Britt’s Blacktronika university class announces Theo Parrish, Flying Lotus, Amp Fiddler, more for autumn term
King Britt (Music) has revealed the list of guests for the upcoming autumn term of his Blacktronika: Afrofuturism In Electronic Music course at UC San Diego. Related: Resident Advisor
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Fall arts preview 2021: Musician David Borgo on how ‘music always touches us’
The 12th album — ‘Suite of Uncommon Sorrows,’ inspired by COVID and Black Lives Matter — by the saxophonist, composer and UC San Diego professor David Borgo (Music) is rich in nuance and expressiveness.
Dance Studies Association: Gertrude Lippincott Award
Jade Power-Sotomayor (Theatre and Dance) is this year’s Gertrude Lippincott award winner for her research “Moving Borders and Dancing in Place: Son Jarocho's Speaking Bodies at the Fandango Fronterizo.” The annual award recognizes the best English-language dance studies article published in the last year, recognizing its excellence in the field of dance scholarship.
The Monist: Constitutive Instrumentalism and the Fragility of Responsibility
New research by Manuel Vargas (Philosophy) offers a theory that focuses on moral responsibility as a distinctive kind of normative practice. “The novelty of the present account is the idea that responsibility practices are a solution to a particular pair of problems that arise from the nature and conditions of our sociality,” he writes.
New York Public Library: Remote Links: A Celebration of the Life and Work of Maryanne Amacher
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts acquired the innovative composer and sound artist Maryanne Amacher’s archive in 2020. They’ve partnered with Amy Cimini (Music) and Bill Dietz, editors of “Maryanne Amacher: Selected Writings and Interviews” to present a new short-video series exploring Amacher’s work through conversations as shared engagement.
Los Angeles Times: Anthony Davis’ ‘Restless Mourning’ boldly ventures where other composers fear to go
“In its 9/11 tribute program,” music critic Mark Swed writes, “the Santa Monica new music series Jacaranda dug out Anthony Davis’ (Music) “Restless Mourning” at First Presbyterian Church for its first concert since pandemic closures hit. Hiding in what should have been plain sight, this grippingly poetic and politically candid 9/11 response hits home. It could have been written the day before yesterday.” Related: San Francisco Classical Voice, Violinist
NBC San Diego: COVID-Vaccine Religious Exemptions: What Are They, Will They Hold Up?
Sociologist John H. Evans (Institute for Practical Ethics) said he expects legal battels over religious exemptions to the COVID vaccination, but doubts they will break new legal ground. “There are no major religions in the United States that are officially opposed to the COVID vaccine,” Evans said. “If anything, the primary message from religions in America is that you have a moral obligation to take the vaccine through the idea of ‘love of neighbor.’”
KPBS: Remembering Yolanda López, Chicana Artist And Activist From Barrio Logan
KPBS editor Julia Dixon Evans asked several writers, activists, artists and administrators to reflect on the impact of alum and artist Yolanda López MFA ‘79 (Visual Arts) — whether on the art world, politics, or their own work.
The Art Newspaper: When the present does not add up, artists look to the future
Kicking off in February 2022 at Carnegie Hall, an Afrofuturism festival will involve a string of cultural organizations presenting multidisciplinary programming rooted in “African and African-diasporic philosophies, speculative fiction, mythology, comics, quantum physics, cosmology, technology,” and more. King Britt (Music) is on the curatorial team for the festival.
New York Times: Classical Music Looks Ahead to a Fall in Flux
Dalia Stasevska will lead a program for the New York Philharmonic (Oct. 20-23) featuring works by Missy Mazzoli, John Adams and, of special interest, Anthony Davis (Music), the winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his opera “The Central Park Five.”
Hub Pages: The Assassination of Caesar Did Not Bring Democracy but Ushered in Autocracy
“[Julius Caesar] made the army personally loyal to him by announcing pensions for retiring soldiers, this blogger writes. “This is related by Edward Watts (History), author of ‘Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell Into Tyranny.’”
The Creative Independent: On how goals and expectations change along with you
Musician and educator King Britt (Music) discusses building and maintaining a community everywhere you go, teaching as a way of learning, and finding and keeping a rhythm for your creative work.
Triton magazine: Wild at Art
Whether they use tree branches and backyard dirt or bright pink neon and sparkling glitter, alumni artists find the medium that captures their mode of expression. This story features the following artists: Isidro Pérez GarcÍa, or ChiloTe (MFA student Visual Arts); Evelyn Walker MFA ‘18 (Visual Arts); Bill Basquin MFA ‘15 (Visual Arts); Sadie Barnette MFA ‘12 (Visual Arts); Kevin Vincent MFA ‘20 (Visual Arts).
Triton magazine: Overcome
New grad Alex Rodriguez ‘21 (Literature) shared his story at the Muir College Commencement Ceremonies in June.
Triton magazine: What We Keep from Wild Times
UC San Diego Alumni Board President Kimberley Phillips Boehm ‘82, Ph.D. (History) looks back what we have learned during the pandemic closures, how we have stayed connected, and what we have learned through it all.
Los Angeles Times: Yolanda López, Chicana artist known for la Virgen de Guadalupe series, dies at 79
Alum Yolanda López MFA ‘79 (Visual Arts) died in her longtime apartment in San Francisco’s Mission District. Her Guadalupe series is one of the earliest feminist reinterpretations of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which became a major focus of Mexican American artists who were influenced by López’s work. Related: The Washington Post, ARTnews, The San Diego Union-Tribune, KUSI, KPBS, Bakersfield news
Foreign Policy: How the U.S. Got 9/11 Wrong
Potential lessons learned in Afghanistan are those all great powers have had to learn, going back to the Roman Empire, says Edward Watts (History): “If you’re going to go in, you have to be committed to being there for a really long time or even indefinitely.”
Australian Broadcasting Corporation: About time, pt 1: Newton’s exploding clock
Craig Callender (Philosophy, Institute for Practical Ethics) is the first guest on The Philosopher’s Zone podcast four-part series exploring what time is, how it works and why it matters (audio).
The New York Times: 5 Minutes That Will Make You Love the Trumpet
“Johnny Coles paints a spectrum of the trumpet’s timbre possibilities at their finest: soft blues, golden butter tones and brazen oranges that reveal a tender underside of the horn,” writes Stephanie Richards (Music).
TLS: Dogged descent: A Dante-esque rescue mission in Eastern Ukraine
Amelia Glaser (Literature) writes this book review of Serhiy Zhadan’s “The Orphanage,” which first appeared in Ukrainian in 2017.
Cocktails with the Canon: Episode Four featuring Dave Harris
The Old Globe podcast hosts Lamar Perry and Danielle Mages Amato are joined by playwright and alum Dave Harris MFA ‘20 (Theatre and Dance) (audio).
La Jolla Light: Bodhi Tree Concerts to celebrate 10 years with ‘eclectic, joy-infused’ performance
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and pianist Anthony Davis (Music) will perform in Bodhi Tree Concerts’ 10th-anniversary show in La Jolla.
Zócalo Public Square: When an Empire Withdrew from an Unwinnable War
Hadrian’s retreat from Parthia drew fierce criticism — and opened the door to a better Roman future, writes Edward Watts (History).
Institute of Art and Ideas: Beyond time and space: Locking horns over the arrows of time
Recorded at the annual philosophy and music festival HowTheLightGetsIn, Craig Callender (Philosophy, Institute for Practical Ethics) says consciousness is outside of time and space. He joins three additional panelists to answer three questions about time and physics (video).
The San Diego Union-Tribune: California lawmakers erase Arab American issues. We want to be acknowledged. (opinion)
Since 9/11, Arab Americans have been whitewashed from America’s collective consciousness, only existing when the topic is terrorism, writes alum Doris Bittar MFA ‘93 (Visual Arts).
The San Diego Union-Tribune: In post-9/11 America, my ethnicity and religious identity are political (opinion)
“Why am I, as a woman, a Muslim, and an Arab, still radioactive in ‘neutral’ environments?” writes alum Yasmine Kasem MFA ‘19 (Visual Arts).
Campus Notice: Chancellor’s ESR Financial Systems Advisory Committee
Assistant Dean Alma Palazzolo (Division of Arts and Humanities) will serve on the new advisory committee.
UC San Diego News: UC San Diego Announces 2021-2022 Holocaust Living History Workshop Series
The Holocaust Living History Workshop is returning this fall with a yearlong series of seven lectures that underscore the theme “Beyond the Great Silence: The Holocaust in Art, Memory, and Life.” The series is in its 13th year as a collaborative project between the UC San Diego Library and the UC San Diego Jewish Studies Program.
New York Times: A Sanctuary Takes Shape, Framed Around Migrants
The sanctuary’s designers, Teddy Cruz (Visual Arts), a Guatemalan-born architect, and Fonna Forman, a political scientist from Milwaukee, have been working on both sides of the border for more than a decade, studying the transient population and the process of informal urbanization taking place.
Glamcult: In conversation with Paul Mpagi Sepuya
The artist Paul Mpagi Sepuya (Visual Arts) talks queerness, literature, visibility and his new show at Foam Amsterdam.
The New Yorker: A Play About Love Written in Isolation
Alum Ngozi Anyanwu MFA ‘13 (Theatre and Dance) stars opposite Daniel J. Watts in her play “The Last of the Love Letters” at the Atlantic Theatre Company. Related: Playbill
Spiked: The Covid surveillance state is no model for the future
“Revenge of the Real” by Benjamin Bratton (Visual Arts) argues for a kinder, gentler authoritarianism.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Steph Richards powers through rain at Carlsbad Music Festival
When Steph Richards Power Vibe began to play under the gazebo, there were almost 30 attendees determined to hear the dynamic trumpeter’s new ensemble. Joining Steph Richards (Music) were Tasha Smith Godinez, Amy Cimini (Music) on viola and Andrew Munsey (staff member, Music) on drums.
The New York Times: 3 Art Gallery Shows to See Right Now
“There’s a push-pull between casualness and formality, what’s hidden and displayed,” the Times writes of work by Paul Mpagi Sepuya (Visual Arts), on view through Aug. 27 at the Nathalie Karg Gallery in New York City. Related: Elephant
Vulture: 18 New Classical Music Performances to Hear This Fall
For the Oct. 20 New York Philharmonic performance, Dalia Stasevska leads a range of American vistas composed by Missy Mazzoli, Anthony Davis (Music), and John Adams.
History: How Julius Caesar’s Assassination Triggered the Fall of the Roman Republic
Caesar’s increasingly autocratic reign further threatened the republic,” History.com explains, citing Edward Watts (History), author of “Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell Into Tyranny.”
UC San Diego News: Crossing Borders: UC San Diego Community Stations
Established in 2012 and operating out of the UC San Diego Center on Global Justice, the “Community Stations” initiative seeks to make meaningful change in partnership with underserved communities across the border region. The initiative is directed by Fonna Forman, a political scientist in the Division of Social Sciences, with architect-urbanist Teddy Cruz (Visual Arts), a professor in the Division of Arts and Humanities (video).
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Carlsbad Music Festival: ‘A sense of adventure’
Steph Richards Power Vibe is led by genre-busting trumpeter, composer and associate professor Stephanie Richards (Music), with members including harpist Tasha Smith Godinez, violist and associate professor Amy Cimini (Music), and drummer and staff member Andrew Munsey (Music). Related: There San Diego
Los Angeles Times: ‘Hot vaxxed summer’ fizzled, but ‘hot books fall’ feels like a safe bet
Lily Hoang (Literature), author of the forthcoming novel “Underneath,” has a few readings scheduled across the country beginning in November. Whether or not she attends will depend on case numbers, the Times reports. Related: “Underneath”
Wallpaper*: Introducing the September 2021 Issue of Wallpaper*
“Our limited-edition cover artist and feature is photographer Paul Mpagi Sepuya (Visual Arts), who ... speaks to writer Aindrea Emelife about the mechanics of photography, Blackness, and the processes of representation,” writes Editor-in-chief Sarah Douglas.
San Diego Reader: Geza’s got 3 million bucks and nothing to lose
Trumpeter Stephanie Richards’ (Music) upcoming album “Zephyr,” due Oct. 15 and made in collaboration with local jazz pianist Joshua White, was begun while she was pregnant, the Reader reports. “Your humanity is visibly evident when you’re pregnant,” she says. “I felt that I could connect even more closely with my bandmates, and with audiences.” Related: “Zephyr” trailer (video)
Air/Light: Whose Land Is This?: A Conversation with Kazim Ali
“[I]f you live in a place and you work in a place and you were born in a place and die in a place, aren’t you of that place in every way that matters ...” Kazim Ali (Literature) says in this interview.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: La Jolla Playhouse announces ‘The Garden’ cast and its new vaccine policy
San Diego-raised actor and alum Monique Gaffney ‘93 (Theatre and Dance) will co-star in the two-character play “The Garden” with Stephanie Berry at La Jolla Playhouse. Gaffney will dedicate her performance to her late father, Floyd Gaffney, who helped found the Department of Theatre and Dance. Related: La Jolla Light
Del Mar Times: Del Mar Foundation announces First Thursdays 2021-2022 Season
The Del Mar Foundation’s Cultural Arts Committee has chosen 10 diverse, highly-talented ensembles to perform at Town Hall this season, including the world-renowned sitarist Kartik Seshadri (Music).
pfMENTUM: David Borgo: Suite of Uncommon Sorrows
The “Suite of Uncommon Sorrows” in an 11-part suite of original music composed by David Borgo (Music) in response to the tumultuous events of 2020, including the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, the growing Black Lives Matter movement, and the debilitating polarization of U.S. politics that made it impossible to address either of these adequately. Related: “Suite of Uncommon Sorrows” (video)
FIELD: A Journal of Socially Engaged Art Criticism, issue 18-19
“This is a special double issue that represents the culmination of Learning from documenta (Lfd), a long-term investigation into documenta 14 (2017) that we began in issue 11,” writes FIELD editor Grant Kester (Visual Arts).
The San Diego Union-Tribune: SummerFest concert finds synergy in art, music and technology
“Known for the theatricality of his performances, [percussionist Steven] Schick (Music) was an inspired choice for soloist in this work,” writes music critic Christian Hertzog. Related: San Diego Story
Random Lengths News: In the Wake of a Giant
DJ and photographer Brian Cross (Visual Arts) remembers pioneering Northern Soul artist Nolan Porter.
NPR: Remembering Hung Liu, A Portraitist Who Memorialized The Invisible
Speaking with NPR recently, National Portrait Gallery curator Dorothy Moss said the exhibition “Hung Liu: Portraits of Promised Lands” stands in stark contrast to the museum’s countless images of powerful white men. Alum Hung Liu MFA ‘86 (Visual Arts) died earlier this month.
The New York Times: Can White Men Write a Black Opera? (opinion)
Opinion writer John McWhorter recommends Anthony Davis’ (Music) opera about Malcom X, from 1986, in this preview of the John McWhorter newsletter.
American Historical Association: Norris & Carol Hundley Award
Frank Biess (History) is the 2021 Norris & Carol Hundley-award winner, for his book “German Angst: Fear and Democracy in the Federal Republic of Germany.”
UC San Diego Graduate Division: Oceanids Fellowships
MFA student Isidro Perez Garcia (Visual Arts) is the 2021-2022 Bertha Lebus Fellowship awardee. Jessica Aguilar (Literature), Maya Richards (Literature), Heather Paulson (Literature) and an anonymous student in Visual Arts are among this year’s Frieda Daum Urey Academic Fellowship awardees.
History: How Ancient Rome Thrived During Pax Romana
“Pax Romana didn’t just naturally occur. Augustus made deliberate decisions about where Rome should expand to and where it should stop,” said Edward Watts (History), author of “The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome: The History of a Dangerous Idea.”
KPFA Pacifica Radio: The Eternal Decline: From Ancient Rome to the United States
On Letters and Politics, guest Edward Watts (History) talks parallels between contemporary U.S. politics and Rome (audio, video). Related: The Nomiki Show (video)
I Care if You Listen: Anna Thorvaldsdóttir and Spektral Upend the String Quartet on ‘Enigma’
“Anna [Thorvaldsdóttir, Ph.D. ‘11] upends the string quartet genre and takes the listener on a nearly psychedelic trip into the unknown,” this review says of the Department of Music alum’s latest, “Enigma.”
San Francisco Classical Voice: Long Beach Opera Keeps Its Edge in 2022
The season ends with a revival of “The Central Park Five” in June 2022. Anthony Davis (Music) and Richard Wesley’s opera got its world premiere from LBO in 2019 and went on to win the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Related: Orange County Breeze
CBC: 16 compelling true Canadian stories to read in summer 2021
“Northern Light: Power, Land, and the Memory of Water” is Kazim Ali’s (Literature) story, the story of the Pimicikamak community and the story of a town that no longer exists, CBC Books writes.
UC San Diego Graduate Division: Transforming Our Region
Graduate students Kevan Malone (History) and Heige Kim (Visual Arts) are featured in this promotional video. “My goal has been to encourage my students to consider how understanding histories of race, class, gender and inequality shape their own lives,” Malone said.
UC San Diego News: UC San Diego Breaks Record with $1.54B in Research Funding
Awards from non-profit and philanthropic organizations are also crucial to research support. A $500,000 grant from the Conrad Prebys Foundation will help the Department of Music expand its reach and accessibility by producing concert-quality livestreaming and recorded videos — something that became critically important to the continuation of arts research and programming during the pandemic.
The New York Times: San Diego Gets Its Answer to the Hollywood Bowl, Just in Time
“In the way that Disney Hall solidified the mission and importance of the L.A. Phil and the cultural life of L.A., I think this new venue [the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park] will do the same for an orchestra that really is on the ascent,” said professor Steven Schick (Music), the music director of the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus.
Literary Hub: Edward J. Watts on the Fall of Rome and the Dangerous Rhetoric of Decline
Edward Watts (History) discusses his latest book “The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome” with Andrew Keen of “Keen On” (video).
Artforum: Hung Liu (1948 - 2021)
Alum Hung Liu MFA ‘86 (Visual Arts), the pathbreaking Chinese-born American painter who foregrounded the working class, immigrants, and women in haunting, incandescent portraits that mingle Chinese and Western traditions, died Aug. 7 at the age of 73, Artform writes.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego’s Jesca Prudencio on directing, choreography and how her Filipino heritage influences her work
Staged this weekend for La Jolla Playhouse’s Without Walls Festival, “Can We Now?” by alum Jesca Prudencio MFA ‘16 (Theatre and Dance) is a playful look at the slow and awkward transition from pandemic isolation back into social interaction.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Opinion: Temporary inflation isn’t the enemy. War is.
A small portion of our war budget could make health care and housing an enduring point of stability to offset the current inflation, writes alum Doris Bittar MFA ‘93 (Visual Arts).
ReIssue: Entrepreneur Mindset: Image Bank at the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery
Ph.D. candidate Jonah Gray (Visual Arts), an art historian and curator, writes this overview of an exhibition at the Belkin gallery on the campus of the University of British Columbia.
New Models: Universal Basic Planetary Services
Benjamin Bratton (Visual Arts) discusses his newest book “The Revenge of the Real: Politics for a Post-Pandemic World” (audio).
Literary Hub: How Philosophy Failed the Pandemic, Or: When Did Agamben Become Alex Jones?
“The pandemic is, potentially, a wake-up call that the new normal cannot be just the new old normal. This means a shift in how human societies — which are always planetary in reach and influence — make sense of themselves, model themselves and compose themselves,” writes Benjamin Bratton (Visual Arts).
UC San Diego News: Triton Pride at This Year’s San Diego Festival of Books
When this year’s San Diego Festival of Books returns Aug. 21, UC San Diego will once again be well represented. Kathryn Walkiewicz (Literature) and Andrea Mendoza (Literature) will be in conversation with guest authors, and Kazim Ali (Literature) is a featured speaker.
Routledge: “Resounding Taiwan: Musical Reverberations Across a Vibrant Island”
A new publication edited by Nancy Guy (Music), “Resounding Taiwan” demonstrates how the study of music allows for identification and interpretation of the forces that form Taiwanese society, from politics and policy to reactions to and assertions of such policies.
poets.org: August 2021 Poem-a-Day Guest Editor Kazim Ali
In 2021, the Academy of American Poets invited twelve poets to each curate a month of poems. In this short Q&A, Kazim Ali (Literature) discusses his curatorial approach and his own creative work (video).
artnet: A New Graphic Novel Tells the Origin Stories of the Superheroes of Feminist Art History
“The Women Who Changed Art Forever: Feminist Art – The Graphic Novel” recounts the lives of four leading figures in feminist art history: Judy Chicago, Ana Mendieta, Guerrilla Girls and Professor Emerita Faith Ringgold (Visual Arts).
American Theatre: Preston Choi Named Sideshow Theatre’s Artist-in-Residence
Through a nine-month residency, Sideshow will provide current playwriting MFA student Preston Choi (Theatre and Dance) with artistic and dramaturgical support as he develops his full-length play “Drive-In to the End of the World.”
Harlem World: Come Pull Your Weight At The Free South Street Seaport Tours Just Minutes From Harlem
On-Site Opera’s “What Lies Beneath” uses opera and music to explore themes of social justice, racial inequality and history’s continuing impact on the lens through which the world is experiencing today. The production will feature work from “Amistad” by Anthony Davis (Music) and Thulani Davis.
Department of Music: Academic Achievement and Service Awards 2020-2021
The Department of Music is proud to announce the Undergraduate and Graduate Student award recipients for academic achievement and service during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Division of Physical Sciences: A conversation between a mathematician and an artist about the conceptualization of ‘Transcendere’
Step into an uncharted mathematical universe through a beautiful painting, the fruit of a collaboration between Nathan Green and current MFA student Grace Grothaus (Visual Arts) (video).
UC San Diego News: UC San Diego Marks Final Stretch of Record-Breaking Fundraising Campaign
The university celebrates its fourth consecutive record year with an all-time annual high of $376.4 million. Gifts to the Division of Arts and Humanities from Ann and Joel Reed and the $5 million commitment from Chiu-Shan Chen Ph.D. ‘69 and Rufina Chen to establish the new Center for Taiwan Studies are included in the feature, as is the $5 million grant to support the Community Stations initiative under the direction of Fonna Forman and Teddy Cruz (Visual Arts).
The Institute of Art and Ideas: Scientific freedom: The philosophy and ethics of science
Co-director of the Institute for Practical Ethics Craig Callender (Philosophy) discusses how the philosophy of science is crucial for responsible scientific advances (video).
Merion West: Dissecting the Rhetoric of Decline
In this interview, Edward Watts (History) discusses his latest book “The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome: The History of a Dangerous Idea,” which is to be released Aug. 3. Related: Oxford University Press
American Theatre: Ankita Raturi Receives First APAFT & AAP Emerging Playwright Commission
Theatre collective Artists at Play and Asian Pacific American Friends of Theater have announced the creation of the Emerging Playwright Commission, which will award $1,000 to an emerging Asian American playwright. The inaugural recipient is current playwriting MFA student Ankita Raturi (Theatre and Dance).
Variety: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon Sets ‘The Fortress of Solitude’ Film Adaptation at Amazon
Acclaimed playwright and alum Dave Harris MFA ’20 (Theatre and Dance) is writing the script.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego Rep’s eight-show 2021-22 season begins in October
Featured playwrights for the 2021-2022 season include alum Ali Viterbi MFA ’20 (Theatre and Dance).
Broadway World: Artpark Presents JP Jofre Hard Tango Chamber Band And Alarm Will Sound
Alarm Will Sound set list includes King Britt (Music) and Marcos Balter (Music), Atomic Theory III: “Electron Orbitals.”
Slate: How to Use Wikipedia When You’re Watching the Olympics
“I think most people know that Wikipedia can quickly become a never-ending rabbit hole, and the sheer number of Olympic links and templates can lead people to all corners of the project,” said Ph.D. student Paul Tchir (History).
Politics Theory Other: The Revenge of the Real: Politics for a Post-Pandemic World
Benjamin Bratton (Visual Arts) joins the podcast to discuss his new book, “The Revenge of the Real: Politics for a Post-Pandemic World” (audio). Related: Verso Books
All Things Cage: Bill Dietz, and Amy Cimini
Amy Cimini (Music) and Bill Dietz talk on the subject of the American composer Maryanne Amacher. Cimini and Dietz are co-editors of the new publication “Maryanne Amacher: Selected Writings and Interviews.”
UC San Diego News: Training Computers to Transfer Music from One Style to Another
Shlomo Dubnov (Music) and co-author Conan Lu developed ChordGAN – a conditional generative adversarial network architecture that uses chroma sampling.
UC San Diego Tritons: Two Baseball Alumni Selected to Team Israel, Headed to Olympics
Former UC San Diego scholar-athlete Alon Leichman ’16 (History) has officially been named to Team Israel’s baseball roster and will compete at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Related: Arkansas Democrat Gazette
UC San Diego News: Daniel and Phyllis Epstein Donate $10 Million for State-of-the-Art Amphitheater at UC San Diego
Commitment supports a vision of the campus as a destination for arts, culture and entertainment for all
New York Foundation for the Arts: 2021 Tomorrowland Projects Foundation Awards $7,000 Grant to Danielle Dean
Los Angeles and San Diego-based artist Danielle Dean (Visual Arts) was selected as the 2021 recipient of a $7,000 cash grant awarded through the Tomorrowland Projects Foundation for “Amazon,” a collaborative multi-disciplinary project that will result in multiple works. Related: ARTnews.
University of Surrey: US$3m grant to the University of Surrey for research into the nature of time and life itself
The University of Surrey has received its largest ever philanthropic grant, funded by the John Templeton Foundation, to lead a major new research project focused on the fundamental nature of time and its potential to reveal both scientific and philosophical insights into the quantum world. The work will be completed in collaboration with researchers at multiple universities, including Eddy Chen (Philosophy) at UC San Diego. Related: The Times.
MusicTech: King Britt’s vintage sampler fantasy
The My Forever Studio podcast features King Britt (Music), the “legendary DJ, producer and music educator.”
HereIn: Dillon Chapman on Arlene Mejorad
“In the photographs of artist Arlene Mejorado (Visual Arts), a current graduate student at UCSD, the archive is a window to reimagine the past, ground oneself in the present, and look toward the future,” writes alum Dillon Chapman MFA ‘20 (Visual Arts).
Multi-Housing News: Clark Construction Delivers Campus Expansion at UC San Diego
The North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood marks the largest project in the university’s history. Academic facilities such as the Arts and Humanities Building and the Social Sciences Public Engagement Building are linked by open-air spaces.
UC San Diego News: UC San Diego Scholar of Eastern Europe Amelia Glaser Selected as Harvard Radcliffe Fellow
UC San Diego Endowed Chair of Judaic Studies Amelia Glaser (Literature) will investigate how Ukrainian literature reflects shifting notions of identity in a time of conflict. Glaser is the former director of the Jewish Studies Program, and the Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies Program, both within the Institute of Arts and Humanities.
The Wire: ‘My dream is to teach in a club’: King Britt talks Blacktronika and new pedagogies
King Britt (Music) speaks about the ideas and structure behind his new UC San Diego course Blacktronika: Afrofuturism In Electronic Music. “All the young people that are here, undergrads, they’re really into EDM, they’re into dubstep and all of this stuff, and they don’t really know the history,” Britt said. “I started looking at all the different colleges. No one’s talking about how important pioneers of colour have contributed to the advancement of electronic music.”
Los Angeles Review of Books: The Complicity of Home: On Kazim Ali’s ‘Northern Light’
“[T]he central themes of Kazim Ali’s ‘Northern Light: Power, Land, and the Memory’ of Water resonated so strongly with me that I cannot pretend to be objective about how much I loved the book,” writes Anjali Vaidya in this review. “Northern Light” by Ali (Literature) was published earlier this year.
Broadway World: San Diego’s Classical Music Scene
La Jolla Symphony and Chorus music director and conductor Steven Schick (Music) and composer Lei Liang (Music) are included in this round-up feature.
The New York Times: New Playwrights Horizons Season Includes Will Arbery World Premiere
“Tambo & Bones” written by alum Dave Harris MFA ‘20 (Theatre and Dance) is one of four titles for the Playwrights Horizons’ 2021-2022 season. The play was originally staged at the department’s Wagner New Play Festival.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Pride and preservation: Lambda Archives safeguards San Diego’s LGBTQ past
Former Ph.D. student Frank Nobiletti MA ‘93 (History) served on the board of the archives, and remained its principal historian. “My key focus was the role of the archives in community building, and that means making things available to historians and other scholars so they could write about it,” he said.
UC San Diego News: Annual Summer Program for Women in Philosophy Supports the Next Generation of Graduate Students
Organized by the Department of Philosophy, the 10-day program begins July 19. “A dedicated group of graduate students and faculty are eager to meet and provide support to this year’s cohort, and we are excited to welcome them with a wonderful line-up of seminar leaders,” said Dana Nelkin, department chair.
The New York Times: A Call to Diversify Those Calling the Cues
New initiatives aim to broaden the pool of stage managers of color and introduce antiracist practices into graduate training. “A stage manager is like a conductor,” said Lisa Porter (Theatre and Dance). “We conduct the tempo and the tone of rehearsals throughout the entire process. That’s why I believe fluency around antiracism is so important.”
Vogue: How Indigenous Two-Spirits Marked Pride Month This Year
For this extensive article on dancers who are Two-Spirit - an umbrella term for individuals who are both Indigenous and LGBTQ+, and fluidly move between the masculine and feminine, Vogue writes - photos by current MFA student Arlene Mejorado (Visual Arts) are featured.
American Council of Learned Societies: Leading Edge Fellowships
Current Ph.D. student Beatriz Ramirez (Literature) is a current Leading Edge Fellow. The program aims to demonstrate the potential of people with advanced degrees in the humanities and humanistic social sciences to solve problems outside the academy. Ramirez, an inaugural PATH Integrated Internship Fellow, is appointed to the National Low Income Housing Coalition for her project “Preserving Housing Stability of Federally Assisted Tenants.” Related: Beatriz Ramirez F’21
The San Diego Union-Tribune: The American artist: Wu Man: Crossing borders and boundaries with pipa music
Regional musician Wu Man has worked with internationally acclaimed San Diego-based artists as Lei Liang (Music), Steven Schick (Music) and Mark Dresser (Music).
La Jolla Light: La Jolla professor tackles dying oceans at global art exhibition
Pinar Yoldas (Visual Arts) said she is honored to be chosen for the Venice Biennale. She hopes her installation — which will be on display in Venice through Nov. 21 — will have a long afterlife touring museums around the world, including California, and possibly San Diego, in future years.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: As an artist, I have used the flag to bridge chasms and guide conversations
“I yearn for the flag to be an unequivocal symbol of freedom — even if it is justice delayed,” writes alum Doris Bittar MFA ‘93 (Visual Arts) in this Fourth of July op-ed.
Times of San Diego: UCSD, University of San Diego Theater Programs Ranked Among Tops in World
At UC San Diego, Department of Theatre and Dance students collaborate with professionals at La Jolla Playhouse and have the opportunity to shape new works, particularly by taking part in the Wagner New Play Festival, the Times of San Diego says.
Arizona Public Media: Body of Work: Nicole Miller
The regional public broadcasting station examines work by artist and filmmaker Nicole Miller (Visual Arts), including a bronze sculpture of Michael Jackson (video).
The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego profs tackle dying oceans and idea cross-pollination at global exhibition
For the 2021 Venice Biennale, Pinar Yoldas (Visual Arts) created “Hollow Ocean,” an immersive walk-through exhibit that imagines an ocean empty of life in the year 2048. It features five water-filled glass columns that stand 16 to 19 feet high, which she said creates the illusion of walking through an underwater kelp forest. Each column represents a different form of ocean death.
Lit Hub: What Could Equitable and Effective Biopolitics Look Like After the Pandemic?
“When public perception is based on cultivated paranoia, the hypothetical becomes the actual. Policy follows,” writes Benjamin Bratton (Visual Arts). Bratton’s book “The Revenge of the Real: Politics for a Post-Pandemic World” was released in June. Related: Verso Books.
Deerfield Public Library: Day 26: Abu Nuwas by Kazim Ali
Kazim Ali (Literature) reads his poem “Abu Nuwas” for the Queer Poem-a-Day series (audio).
Daily Nous: Allais from UCSD to Johns Hopkins
Lucy Allais (Philosophy) will be taking a position as professor of philosophy at Johns Hopkins University.
I Care if You Listen: ListN Up: Ganavya Doraiswamy
Shahrokh Yadegari (Music) is mentioned as influential in introducing “Ganga Mai” to Doraiswamy.
The New York Times: Storefronts Turned Stages for ‘Seven Deadly Sins’
Three alumni from Theatre and Dance are included in this live theatrical event in New York City: Cody Sloan MFA ‘21, Ngozichukwuka Anyanwu MFA ‘13 and Bradley Fleischer MFA ‘05. Related: The New York Times (review).
Oregon Shakespeare Festival: 5 Directors, 5 Plays
Three of the five plays selected for the new O! Staged Reading Series are written by playwriting alumni from Theatre and Dance: Stephanie Del Rosso MFA ‘19, Liliana Padilla MFA ‘18 and Caridad Svich MFA ‘88.
Cleveland Institute of Music: 35 Chosen for Future of Music Faculty Fellowship, which Addresses Underrepresentation in Music School Faculty
Doctoral candidate and Arts and Community Engagement Community Connections Fellow Teresa Diaz de Cossio (Music) is a 2021 Future of Music Faculty Fellow.
UC San Diego School of Arts and Humanities News Releases
Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts Established in Memory of Promising Film Student
The Israni family commits $6 million to help create new center in the Division of Arts and Humanities.
Training Computers to Transfer Music from One Style to Another
UC San Diego computer music professor and high school student devise a machine learning tool to transfer music notation between musical styles.
UC San Diego Scholar of Eastern Europe Amelia Glaser Selected as Harvard Radcliffe Fellow
Associate professor Amelia Glaser has been named a 2021–2022 fellow at Harvard Radcliffe Institute, where she will investigate contemporary literature and art in Ukraine to better understand how a collective identity can be publicly reimagined during, and immediately following, political upheaval.
Annual Summer Program for the Advancement of Women in Philosophy Supports the Next Generation of Graduate Students
Discussions ranging from reparations to the removal of monuments await the 14 students selected to participate in this year’s Summer Program for the Advancement of Women in Philosophy, the 10-day program organized by the UC San Diego Department of Philosophy.
Machine Learning Enhances Non-verbal Communication in Online Classrooms
Prompted by the challenge of teaching music via Zoom during the pandemic, researchers use eye tracking, gaze estimation and machine learning to improve non-verbal communication in virtual classrooms.
$5 Million Grant Grows Capacity of UC San Diego’s ‘Community Stations’
Support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation ensures innovative campus initiative will continue its community-engaged work on both sides of U.S.-Mexico border
$5 Million Gift to Establish New Center for Taiwan Studies
Longtime campus supporters Chiu-Shan Chen Ph.D. ’69 and Rufina Chen have committed $5 million to UC San Diego, one of the largest individual gifts to the Division of Arts and Humanities. This gift will establish a new Center for Taiwan Studies within the division.
Two UC San Diego Professors win Guggenheim Awards
University of California San Diego professors Amy Adler and F. Akif Tezcan are among the 184 artists, writers, scholars and scientists announced as this year’s Guggenheim Fellows, awarded by the Board of Trustees of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
Conrad Prebys Foundation Awards $500,000 Grant to Support Department of Music’s Community Outreach
The UC San Diego Department of Music will expand its post-pandemic reach with support from a $500,000 grant from The Conrad Prebys Foundation, helping to launch the department’s outreach to both regional and international audiences.
Three from UC San Diego Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Ananda Goldrath, Eileen Myles (Literature) and Stefan Savage are among the Academy’s 2021 class of 252 members.
Small Screen, Big Opportunity
When actor and professor Richard Robichaux was in production for the new Disney series “Big Shot,” he often brought back lessons from set to his classroom—a common practice for graduate students in the Department of Theatre and Dance.
Campus approves new undergraduate degree in Black Diaspora and African American Studies
When Alicia Yancey started her first year at UC San Diego, she sought out spaces where Black students like her could thrive. For community, she grew close to the Black Resource Center and served two years as president of the Black Student Union.
How Can Opera Give Voice to a New Narrative?
Five of the world’s most renowned composers and lyricists gathered for a virtual UC San Diego event March 6, outlining how they envision the role of opera in advancing equality and social justice.
Division of Arts and Humanities Receives 12-piece Collection of mid-20th Century Soviet Art
Twelve pieces of art from the Soviet Impressionism and Socialist Realism periods will find a new home in the North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood, thanks to longtime UC San Diego Division of Arts and Humanities supporters Ann and Joel Reed.
UC San Diego Music Professor Wins Prestigious Award
The American Academy of Arts and Letters announced that University of California San Diego professor Lei Liang will receive a major music award at the academy’s official virtual ceremony on May 19.
Engineer-turned-Artist Named Associate Director of Interdisciplinary Institute
The Qualcomm Institute at the University of California San Diego has appointed the composer and sound designer Shahrokh Yadegari to be an Associate Director of the interdisciplinary institute.
Using Plague Diaries to Keep a Record of COVID-19
Humanities courses in history, philosophy and literature bring discussion of today’s pandemic into the classroom, offering students a unique way of learning
Theatre and Dance Student One of 15 Selected for National Diversity-Focused Scholarship
‘Changemaker’ undergrad seeks to increase Asian American representation both on stage and behind the scenes
UC San Diego Names 2020-2022 Changemaker Faculty Fellows
Now in its second year, the Changemaker Faculty Fellows Program has named 16 faculty members in its 2020-2022 cohort, including Luis Alvarez and Simeon Man of History and Lisa Porter of Theatre and Dance.
Honoring Our ‘Library of Dreams’
Music students release album featuring a floor-by-floor look at Geisel Library
A Human-Centered Approach to Artificial Intelligence
Institute for Practical Ethics keynote advocates for cross-disciplinary development of groundbreaking technology
Pepper Canyon Amphitheater Breaks Ground in Exciting New Entrance to the Campus
The amphitheater is the final piece of a wide range of improvements to the area, including east façade enhancements for three existing Visual Arts Buildings, a Stuart Collection art installation and the construction of Rupertus Walk.
UC San Diego Turns 60
"When I arrived, I immediately fell in love with the campus. My idea of beauty is still the glow of Geisel Library at night and the sunsets on the Southern California coast,” said Kimberley Phillips Boehm, who received her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Warren College.
New Fellowship Program Expands Career Options for Grad Students
Arts and Humanities-led fellowshipas part of the PATH program positions students for greater career diversity in higher education
Nine Trustees Join the UC San Diego Foundation Board
Amid the uncertainty of the spring and summer of 2020, the UC San Diego Foundation welcomed a new class of trustees, including Nathan East (Music alumni), Sally WongAvery (Philosophy alum) and Kimerley Phillips-Boehm (History alum).
UC San Diego Commits $2.5M to the Black Studies Project
Directed by History faculty member Jessica Graham, program provides faculty and students opportunities to examine, study and contribute to topics that have taken center stage nationally and internationally
UC San Diego Announces 60th Anniversary Awardees
On Nov. 20, 2020, the Revelle Medal was awarded to five current and former faculty members for sustained, distinguished and extraordinary service to the campus, including Rae Armantrout, Literature professor emerita
Holocaust Living History Workshop Launches 2020-2021 Series Virtually
This is the 12th year as a collaborative project between the UC San Diego Library and the UC San Diego Jewish Studies Program.
A Sense of Belonging
Newly launched Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies program a welcome addition to campus
Connecting Through the Arts
Arts and Community Engagement grad student fellows receive support to build regional partnerships, expand research
Negating a Revolution
China historian Karl Gerth says ‘state consumerism’ evolved as an unofficial policy of the Chinese Communist Party, not anti-capitalism
Planting the Seeds for Transfer Student Success
Through food justice, mentorship and access, Arts and Humanities PATH program helps students transition to campus
Historian Denise Demetriou Receives Two Prestigious Fellowships
Support of the History professor's research is a reflection of the foundational importance of the humanities
Making Connections Across Disciplines
Composer Lei Liang of Music receives endowed chair to continue interdisciplinary teaching, research and service
Theatre and Dance Students Take the Lead in Spring Quarter’s Virtual Productions
It’s safe to say when undergraduates Simon Martin and Marcella Torres-Sanchez realized their last quarter as Theatre and Dance majors was going to be online only, they felt what many of their classmates felt: what about the final, in-person productions?
Anthony Davis Wins Pulitzer Prize for ‘The Central Park Five’ Opera
Department of Music Distinguished Professor is third UC San Diego faculty member to receive prestigious award
Four from UC San Diego Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Paul M. Churchland of Philosophy, Vicki H. Grassian, Margaret S. Leinen and David G. Victor are among the Academy’s 2020 class of 276 members.
Composer Chinary Ung to be Inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters
Distinguished Professor of Music is first UC San Diego faculty member in prestigious academy
International Symposium at UC San Diego to Highlight Indigenous Voices
More than 20 Indigenous communities will be represented on campus Feb 24, 25, hosted by Literature professor Gloria Chacón
Understanding the ‘Double Gaze’ of Indigenous Poets
In “Indigenous Cosmolectics: Kab’awil and the Making of Maya and Zapotec Literatures,” UC San Diego Department of Literature associate professor Dr. Gloria E. Chacón argues that Indigenous creative writing is a key component to expressing cultural and political autonomy for Indigenous communities.
New UC San Diego Symposium Stirs Dialogue Among Data Science and Arts and Humanities Experts
The intersection of data and culture takes center stage at UC San Diego’s Cultured Data Symposium
UC San Diego, San Diego Community College District Receive Combined $2.7M from Mellon Foundation
Support will increase undergraduate and graduate student success in the humanities
MFA Directing Student Juliana Kleist-Méndez Reflects on Sold-out Production
Department of Theatre and Dance opens wait list for latest show
Driven by Realities of Climate Change, Composer Lei Liang Receives Classical Music’s Top Honor
UC San Diego Music professor takes his place among the most dynamic, innovative composers in the world
Envisioning the Future of the University Art Gallery
From a place to freely collaborate to existing as a “living laboratory” for students, a new commitment to arts on campus and Arts and Community Engagement with Visual Arts brought the community together Nov. 14 in an effort to help shape the University Art Gallery’s exciting — and student-focused — future.
Horror & Hope: A Conversation with ‘Man in Love’ Director Stephen Buescher
Opening Nov. 20 for a limited, four-show run, the second production in UC San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance’s fall season is “Man in Love,” a “horror and hope” play about race, love and terror.
Music and Movement Underscore Opening Productions in Theatre and Dance’s Latest Season
The UC San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance opens its 2019 – 2020 season with “Balm in Gilead” on Nov. 15 — though this isn’t the first time famed director and faculty member Kim Rubinstein has helped bring the production to the stage.
Addressing Gender Imbalance
Longstanding Summer Program for Women in Philosophy at UC San Diego offers supportive experience for undergraduates wishing to pursue advanced degrees in philosophy
MFA Artist Eddy Miramontes Awarded David Antin Prize at UC San Diego
Department of Visual Arts graduate uses performance to blur boundaries in art practice
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