The primary storyteller for the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, or UCLA Arts. I showcase the school’s exceptional faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

Gala Porras-Kim

It is often assumed that once an object is on display in a museum, its story has reached its conclusion. Interdisciplinary artist Gala Porras-Kim challenges that notion. Her exhibition, The weight of a patina of time, offers critical, and sometimes playful, evaluations of the contemporary museum’s ability to both interpret and conserve the past.

DAVID ROUSSÈVE

For choreographer, director, filmmaker, performer, and UCLA Distinguished Professor David Roussève, dance has never been just movement—it’s a way of healing and sharing truth. As a young man, Roussève didn’t set out to be a choreographer or teacher. He initially thought he would become a lawyer, and later, an actor, dancer, and singer—or, as he put it, a “triple threat.” There was just one problem: he couldn’t sing.

Unity and Kindness Day

On Thursday, May 25, 2023, UCLA Health celebrated its second annual Unity and Kindness Day. The event is unique because it is coordinated by nurses for the benefit of health care staff across the entire UCLA Health system.

VAPAE Program

On Wednesday, Dec. 6, the Visual and Performing Arts Education (VAPAE) Program transformed the Untitled Gallery in UCLA’s Broad Art Center into a black box theater. VAPAE’s mission is to prepare the next generation of culturally equitable arts educators, bringing inclusive arts education to Los Angeles schools and communities.

Yummy Bowl Benefit

Over 175 people gathered at Broad Art Center Plaza to select from roughly 350 handmade bowls and enjoy a delicious meal. This was the 3rd annual Yummy Bowl Benefit. Yummy Bowl was created by Department of Art professors Candice Lin and Anna Sew Hoy. In 2021, the two artists launched the inaugural fundraiser after learning that over 40% of UC students reported being food insecure.

Proposition 28

Many esteemed speakers and panelists discussed California Proposition 28 — the largest investment in arts and music in our nation’s history. Overwhelmingly passed in November 2022, Proposition 28 increases funding for arts and music education — typically the first to be cut during financial setbacks — in California’s K-12 public schools.

Producer of the UCLA Arts podcast, Works In Progress. It's available everywhere you listen to podcasts: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and Pandora.

Dami Olufowoshe and Katie Chuh

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

Jackie Lopez, Harry Weston, and Alli Gray

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

Jackie Amézquita and Roksana Pirouzmand

Artists and alumnae Jackie Amézquita and Roksana Pirouzmand discuss what originally drew them to art, their work in the Hammer Museum at UCLA’s Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living, what they gained from their graduate studies at UCLA, and what it's like to be a working artist in Los Angeles.

ZACH BLAS

UCLA Arts alumnus, artist, and filmmaker Zach Blas M.F.A. ‘08 joins Works In Progress to discuss his upbringing in Point Pleasant, West Virginia; his initial interests in film and what ultimately inspired his passion for art and technology; his life-saving experience as a Tori Amos groupie; and his current work and contribution to the exhibition Digital Witness: Revolutions in Design, Photography, and Film at LACMA.

Amir H. Fallah

UCLA Arts alumnus and artist Amir H. Fallah M.F.A. ‘05 joins Works In Progress to discuss his initial interests in art, skateboarding, and graffiti; how he has time after time had to sink or swim; the ups and downs of being an independent magazine publisher; and the therapeutic power of his 2023 Fowler Museum exhibition, The Fallacy of Borders.

Davida Persaud

UCLA Arts alumna and lecturer Davida Persaud Ph.D. ‘22 joins Works In Progress to discuss her passion for community-based work, activism, and the arts; her experience in the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance Ph.D. program; and the origin and future of MuralColors, a company she co-founded that produces, preserves, and restores public artworks.