Music School faculty and staff awarded Chancellor's Arts Initiative Funding
In a groundbreaking move, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is set to host its first large-scale exhibition, "Celebrating Black Music in Los Angeles," showcasing the city's rich Black music history. This comprehensive display, co-sponsored by the UCLA Library and the Ethnomusicology Archive, features both well-known figures and those often excluded from history, such as Black women musicians and composers, music educators, and owners of important music venues.
The exhibition is just one of the many projects funded by the Chancellor's Arts Initiative (CAI), which aims to advance the role of the arts as a vital part of the UCLA experience. The CAI, launched in partnership with the Chancellor's Council on the Arts (CCoA) and the university's Office for Research and Creative Activities (ORCA), has allocated $150,000 in funding for arts research projects that demonstrate originality and contribute to the university's commitments to sustainability, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
One such project is led by Lily Chen-Hafteck, a Music Education Professor, who will investigate the benefits of classes designed to teach students in Los Angeles Unified School District elementary schools about the music and cultures of their classmates. This project aims to provide 30 teachers with training and teaching materials, with the ultimate goal of increasing students' cultural understanding and appreciation, reducing racial prejudice.
Another project, led by Supeena Adler from the Department of Ethnomusicology, will focus on researching, teaching, and performing a folk tradition of Northeast Thailand. This project will document a specific folk tradition, acquire instruments and costumes, and offer UCLA students a chance to explore it through the Music of Thailand Ensemble course.
The CCoA has expanded its membership to include Darnell Hunt, May Hong HaDuong, Cindy Fan, and David Yoo, bringing together leaders from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, and other arts organizations.
In addition to the exhibition, the CAI is also launching GO ARTS UCLA, an online portal that highlights the role of the arts at UCLA and their place within L.A.'s cultural ecosystem. GO ARTS UCLA offers a full calendar of events, recent feature stories, and the latest news on arts-related research at the university. This portal serves to promote arts research at UCLA by fostering a vibrant community where artistic creation is deeply connected with purpose, equity, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability.
The CAI and GO ARTS UCLA aim to build pathways for artists to find their voice, engage collaboratively, and create with social and cultural impact. By promoting arts research and creative scholarship, supporting sustainability, advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion, and building community connections, these platforms are enriching the UCLA arts community and aligning with the university's broader mission to foster inclusive academic and creative environments.
References: [1] UCLA Arts Communications. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://arts.ucla.edu/
- The University of California, Los Angeles' Chancellor's Arts Initiative (CAI) supports personal growth and education-and-self-development, as evidenced by Lily Chen-Hafteck's project that researches the benefits of music classes for Los Angeles Unified School District elementary students, aiming to reduce racial prejudice and increase cultural understanding.
- Beyond the "Celebrating Black Music in Los Angeles" exhibition, the CAI's GO ARTS UCLA online portal emphasizes entertainment through showcasing various arts events and research efforts, fostering a community that values diversity, inclusion, and sustainability for personal growth and social impact.
