Visions and Voices Spring 2022

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
This inspiring two-day series of events will focus on art, artists, and cultural organizations in South Los Angeles since the 1960s. On Friday, April 29, at the USC Roski School of Art and Design, renowned art historian and curator Kellie Jones will give a keynote lecture on her book, South of Pico: African American Artists in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s. Jones’s lecture will provide context for three roundtables on Saturday, April 30, at the California African American Museum (CAAM). The first roundtable will explore postwar histories of several Black arts institutions and community-engaged art practices in the Crenshaw-Leimert Park and West Adams neighborhoods. In the second roundtable, curators and directors from museums and artist-founded spaces will discuss new initiatives, programs, and challenges for art institutions in South L.A. today. At the third roundtable, a curator and a scholar will converse with a younger generation of cultural producers about current artistic practices and the larger cultural landscape in the South L.A. area. The program will culminate with a reception for participants and attendees at the USC Fisher Museum of Art courtyard.

Schedule (Subject to Change):

FRIDAY, APRIL 29

7–8:30 p.m.: KEYNOTE LECTURE BY DR. KELLIE JONES
USC Gin Wong Auditorium, Roski School of Art and Design
A lecture by Kellie Jones will be followed by a discussion with Naima Keith, vice president of education and public programs at LACMA, and Essence Harden, curator at CAAM.

SATURDAY, APRIL 30

10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.: ROUNDTABLES WITH ARTISTS, ACTIVISTS, CURATORS, AND SCHOLARS
California African American Museum Atrium

10–10:30 a.m.: Coffee and welcome

10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.: Roundtable 1—Postwar Histories: Black Arts Institutions and Community-Based Practices in South L.A.
Moderated by USC Annenberg professor Robeson Taj Frazier, with Kellie Jones; Ben Caldwell, filmmaker and founder of KAOS network; Roger Guenveur Smith, actor, director, writer, and collaborator with Spike Lee; and Amitis Motevalli, artist and director of the William Grant Still Art Center.

1–2:30 p.m.: Roundtable 2—Museums and Artist-Run Spaces in South L.A. Today
Moderated by Cameron Shaw, executive director and chief curator at CAAM, with Pilar Tompkins Rivas, chief curator and deputy director of curatorial and collections at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art; Lisa Diane Wedgeworth, artist and executive director of Blue Roof Studios; Sophia Belsheim, director of ART + PRACTICE; and Bethany Montagano, director of the USC Museums.

2:45–4:45 p.m.: Roundtable 3—A New Generation of Art and Artists in South L.A.
Moderated by Tiffany E. Barber, assistant professor of Africana Studies and Art History at the University of Delaware and Scholar in Residence at the Getty Research Institute, with Ray Anthony Barrett, visual artist and chef; Alicia Piller, mixed media artist; and Felix Quintana, artist and educator.

5–6:30 p.m.: CLOSING RECEPTION
USC Fisher Museum of Art Courtyard
Attendees and participants are invited to a closing event with drinks, light bites, and music.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by the USC Roski School of Art and Design. Co-sponsored by the California African American Museum, USC Department of Art History, USC RAP (Race, Arts, & Place), and IDEA (Institute for Diversity and Empowerment at Annenberg).

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
Following “Ku’er Worlds: Queering Chinese American Identities in Art and Film,” USC students are invited to join acclaimed filmmakers Andrew Thomas Huang, WangShui, and Hao Wu for a hands-on workshop exploring issues related to storytelling, LGBTQ+ identities, AAPI identities, and cross-cultural exchange, assisted by USC professor Jenny Lin and USC Chinese Studies librarian Tang Li. After sharing their art, experiences, and processes, the artists will lead students through a brainstorming exercise to identify the issues, concerns, and causes that matter to them most. Students will then break into small groups according to particular interests, led by Huang (music videos), WangShui (art/experimental film), and Wu (documentary filmmaking), to create short video art pieces to be shared and discussed with the entire group.

Don’t miss this chance to meet the artists in a casual and creative setting!

Related Event: 
Ku'er Worlds: Queering Chinese American Identities in Art and Film
Thursday, April 21, 2022, at 7 p.m.
Ray Stark Family Theatre

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by Tang Li (USC Libraries) and Jenny Lin (Art and Design). Co-sponsored by Asian Pacific American Student Services.

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
Join some of today’s most exciting artists and filmmakers for a critical, surreal, experimental, and beautifully open exploration of LGBTQ+ communities and their allies within AAPI cultures.

Ku’er, a Chinese slang word for “queer” especially popular in Taiwan, plays on the colloquial term “cool kids,” and encapsulates the subversive spirit of this evening of short films, video art, and lively discussion by Chinese and Chinese American artists who illuminate intersectional identities and shatter constrictive norms attached to gender, sexuality, and nation-based identities.

Program (order subject to change):
Kiss of the Rabbit God (Directed by Andrew Thomas Huang, Running Time: 15 min)
Mixing everyday scenes from a restaurant in L.A.’s Chinatown with fantastical imagery, Andrew Thomas Huang tells the story of a young man’s coming out, aided by a mythical Chinese deity who has come to serve as a symbol of LGBTQ pride in Taiwan. 

Melons (at a Loss) (Directed by Patty Chang, Running Time: 4 min)
Shaved (At a Loss) (Directed by Patty Chang, Running Time: 6 min)
In Love (Directed by Patty Chang, Running Time: 4 min)
USC Roski Professor of Art Patty Chang is a performance and video artist who has exhibited widely at institutions including MOMA and the New Museum in New York, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the Hamburg Kunstverein in Hamburg, the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, and in the 2016 Shanghai Biennial. Her video artworks utilize performative actions to confront and subvert stereotypes of Asian American women as passive subjects and address issues of gender, sexuality, and familial intimacies.

From Its Mouth Came a River of High-end Residential Appliances (Directed by WangShui, Running Time: 13 min)
Breathtaking drone footage shot of a modern tower in Hong Kong corresponds with poetic narration by WangShui, who ruminates on feng shui’s transnational movements and the artist’s own transgender and transcultural identities.

All in My Family (Directed by Hao Wu, Running Time: 39 min)
Recording his heartfelt experience and struggle with creating a modern family in the U.S. and seeking acceptance from his traditional parents and relatives in China, Hao Wu’s short documentary explores issues related to gender and sexuality, morals and familial ties, and reflects cross-cultural interactions and changing attitudes toward LGBTQ individuals and families in China.

Following the screenings, Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Lesley Ma and USC Roski School of Art and Design professor Jenny Lin will lead a panel discussion with the artists and audience.

Related Event: 
Ku'er Worlds: Art and Filmmaking Workshop
Friday, April 22, 2022, at 10 a.m.
Friends of the USC Libraries Lecture Hall, DML 240

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by Tang Li (USC Libraries) and Jenny Lin (Art and Design).

Photos: Stills from Kiss of the Rabbit God, Andrew Thomas Huang; From Its Mouth Came a River of High-end Residential Appliances, WangShui; All in My Family, Hao Wu; Shaved (At a Loss), Patty Chang. Co-sponsored by Asian Pacific American Student Services.

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
Wabi-sabi is the Japanese concept of “flawed beauty,” or beauty in imperfection. Many of the art and craft practices associated with wabi-sabi include everyday techniques and skills to elevate or showcase broken or damaged objects and highlight their flaws. Such mending and reflecting on repair can bring with it healing and acceptance of imperfection or transiences

Make Mend is a series of wabi-sabi workshops presented by the USC Roski School of Art and Design that will explore fixing or improving what is damaged, broken, or torn, with respect towards the handmade and creativity as a wellness practice. Participants are invited to bring items that need repair, embellishment, or altering, and all skill levels are welcome.

Kintsugi (also known as Kintsukuroi) is the technique of repairing and embellishing broken pottery with gold or gold dust. The practice of “golden repair” draws attention to damage, turns it into a thing of beauty, and celebrates breakage and repair as part of an object's history. Adapting modern materials such as epoxy glue and gold leaf, the “Kintsugi Hack” workshop will explore Kintsugi and the wabi-sabi idea of embracing imperfections and flaws as a practice of wellness and healing.

Related events:
Make Mend: DARN. 
Wabi-Sabi Workshop Series
Friday, September 10, 2021, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Watt Hall Courtyard

Make Mend: I’m DYE-ING to Make That! 
Wabi-Sabi Workshop Series
Monday, December 6, 2021, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
USC Fisher Museum of Art Courtyard

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by the USC Roski School of Art and Design. Co-sponsored by the USC Fisher Museum of Art and the USC Pacific Asia Museum.

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
Exploring issues of race, privilege, access, and representation in the world of quilting, sewing, and crafting, members of the Social Justice Sewing Academy (SJSA) will share their experiences as “sewcial justice” warriors and makers from diverse backgrounds and marginalized communities. They will also explore their collective call for anti-racism actions in the sewing industry and to amplify the place and voice of Black and Indigenous sewists and makers of color.

After the panel, USC students are invited to participate in a hands-on workshop led by SJSA founder Sara Trail. Small groups will brainstorm and create justice-oriented quilt blocks that will be incorporated in future SJSA community quilt and embroidery projects.

Schedule:
3–4 p.m.: Panel
4:30–6 p.m.: Workshop for USC students

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by Shannon Gibson (Political Science and International Relations).

Related Event: 
Tracing Our Creative Origins: A Workshop with Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik
Thursday, March 31, 2022,at 5 p.m.
Presented online

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by Sunyoung Lee (Kaya Press), Adrian De Leon (American Studies and Ethnicity), Jenny Lin (Art and Design), and Asian Pacific American Student Services.

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
In conjunction with the release event for her book, We Make Constellations of the Stars, Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik will lead an interactive workshop inviting participants to trace their creative origins through art. Using art as a strategy to connect memory and history with urgent social issues, the visual artist, food-justice organizer, and co-founder of the People’s Kitchen Collective will address decolonization, the hierarchy of the senses, the impact of migration, and more.

Related Event:
Belonging as Survival: Creativity, Activism, and Community
Friday, April 1, 2022,at 7 p.m.
Presented online

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by Sunyoung Lee (Kaya Press), Adrian De Leon (American Studies and Ethnicity), Jenny Lin (Art and Design), and Asian Pacific American Student Services.

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
What happens when a James Bond–obsessed Dominican boy in Queens finds out that the real James Bond was Dominican? In an engaging performance integrating live music and video, writer-actor Christopher Rivas tells the true story of Porfirio Rubirosa, author Ian Fleming’s inspiration for Agent 007. Set to a live percussion score and projections, The Real James Bond…Was Dominican is a young man’s guide to love, sex, color, code-switching, white-washing, success, fake-it-till-you-make-it, and the roller coaster of finding one’s true self.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Co-sponsored by La CASA with support from our media partner, KCRW.

Photo (left): Andres Tagliaferro
Photo (right): Laura Bustillos Jáquez

Chutney Popcorn
Screening and Conversation with Nisha Ganatra and Maryam Keshavarz

EVENT DESCRIPTION: 
“Hollywood could learn a thing or two about how to be truthful and lighthearted at the same time from Nisha Ganatra...”—New York Times

When Chutney Popcorn premiered at Outfest LA in 1999 with support from members of the nascent organization TrikoneLA (now Satrang), it was one of the first films to explore queer South Asian experiences in the U.S. Honoring this history and in conjunction with the Satrang at 25: Queer South Asian Diaspora(s) in Context exhibition at the ONE Archives at the USC Libraries and the USC Pacific Asia Museum, the crowd-pleasing, award-winning, and groundbreaking romcom by writer, director, and actor Nisha Ganatra will be screened outdoors, followed by a conversation with the filmmaker and Iranian American writer and director Maryam Keshavarz, moderated by independent curator Aziz Sohail.

Related event:
Archival Intimacies: Queering South/East Asian Diasporas
Thursday, March 3, 2022, at 6 p.m.
ONE Archives at the USC Libraries

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by Alexis Bard Johnson (ONE Archives) and Aziz Sohail.

Schedule:
5 p.m.: Ahmanson Lab presentation
6 p.m.: California Dystopia panel

USC Libraries Contributor: Hannah Schilperoort

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
In the fall of 2020, when wildfires turned the once-blue skies of California into a glowing orange hellscape—all amid a viral pandemic marked by severe racial and social disparities and protests over police violence against communities of color—some of the darkest fiction about California’s future seemed especially prescient.

Moderated by Los Angeles Times culture columnist Carolina A. Miranda, a wide-ranging panel including climate resiliency expert John Bwarie, Octavia Butler scholar Ayana A. H. Jamieson, science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson, and climate scientist Daniel Swain will try to make sense of a California that increasingly resembles the dystopia of Butler’s classic novel Parable of the Sower. Were the historic wildfires of 2020 an aberration—or the new normal? How do social and environmental distress amplify each other? Do fictional depictions of California’s future inform, encourage, or hinder efforts to build a better future? And can utopian visions still play a role?

Prior to the discussion, digital artist Erik Loyer of Opertoon and a team of students from the Ahmanson Lab at the USC Sidney Harman Academy for Polymathic Study will share their speculative vision of California’s future in the form of an immersive digital work, accompanied by an exhibition of rare and unique materials from the USC Libraries’ collections.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by Nathan Masters, Curtis Fletcher, and Bo Doub (USC Libraries).

Photo by Ray Chavez
Parable of the Sower graphic novel art by John Jennings

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
Los Angeles–based interdisciplinary artists Vinhay Keo and Prima Jalichandra-Sakuntabhai explore South/East Asian queer diasporas and the complexities of history, identity, and belonging. Join us as they perform and screen excerpts from their recent work followed by a conversation with independent curator Aziz Sohail; USC Dornsife professor Nayan Shah; and Alexis Bard Johnson, curator at the ONE Archives at the USC Libraries.

In conjunction with the event, the USC Libraries will present an exhibition of materials from the ONE Archives and Satrang, a community organization that has supported South Asian LGBTQ communities in Southern California since 1997. Celebrating 25 years of Satrang and looking toward its future, work from the organization and Keo and Jalichandra-Sakuntabhai will be on display at the ONE Archives and the USC Pacific Asia Museum, showing diverse perspectives from artists, scholars, students, archivists, and community members on queering South/east Asian histories and experiences.

Related event:
Chutney Popcorn
Screening and Conversation with Nisha Ganatra and Maryam Keshavarz
Friday, March 11, 2022, at 6 p.m.
ONE Archives at the USC Libraries

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by Alexis Bard Johnson (ONE Archives) and Aziz Sohail. Co-sponsored by Asian Pacific American Student Services.

EVENT DESCRIPTION: 
Through the Experience L.A. series of events, Visions and Voices takes USC students on trips throughout the city to experience Los Angeles’s dynamic cultural landscape firsthand.

“Wake Me When I’m Free looks at the revolution that created the revolutionary.”–The Undefeated

Tupac Shakur. Wake Me When I’m Free is a fully immersive, thought-provoking experience that explores the life and legacy of the acclaimed artist and activist. Created in collaboration with the Shakur Estate, the exhibit leverages technology, contemporary art, and never-before-seen artifacts from his personal archives. Following an overview by USC Thornton School of Music lecturer Jae Deal, attendees will be educated, enlightened, and go through a labyrinth of emotions as they take this journey through Tupac’s extraordinary life and delve into the greater meaning of his activism, music, and revolutionary art.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative.

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
Through the Experience L.A. series of events, Visions and Voices takes USC students on trips throughout the city to experience Los Angeles’s dynamic cultural landscape firsthand. For our first Experience L.A. outing in two years, we are excited to bring students to the North American premiere of the hit West End musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

Since opening in 2017, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie has thrilled audiences and critics alike. Winner of three WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical, and nominated for five Olivier Awards, the funny and fabulous musical sensation tells the story of 16-year-old Jamie New, who lives in public housing in Sheffield, England, and doesn’t quite fit in. Supported by his loving mum and surrounded by his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies, and steps out of the darkness and into the spotlight. Inspired by a true story and celebrating acceptance, belonging, and how good life is when everybody is the best they can be, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is an award-winning hit musical for today.

Everybody's Talking About Jamie is composed by Dan Gillespie Sells, lead singer-songwriter of UK rock band The Feeling, with book and lyrics by Tom MacRae, and is directed by Jonathan Butterell. For the Los Angeles shows, West End cast members Layton Williams and Bianca Del Rio will reprise their roles as Jamie New and Hugo/Loco Chanelle, respectively.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative.

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
Keith Wailoo is Henry Putnam University Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University, where he previously served as Vice Dean of the School of Public and International Affairs and Chair of the Department of History. The current president of the American Association for the History of Medicine, his research straddles history and health policy, touching on drugs and drug policy; the politics of race and health; the interplay of identity, ethnicity, gender, and medicine; and controversies in genetics and society. In a timely and crucial lecture, Wailoo will survey the history of epidemics and the unequal burden on people of color in this country.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by Pamela Schaff (Medical Education, Family Medicine, and Pediatrics), Alexander Capron (Law and Medicine), Ricky Bluthenthal (Preventive Medicine), Ron Ben-Ari (Internal Medicine and Medical Education), Erika Wright (Medical Education and English), and Joyce Richey (Physiology & Neuroscience and Medical Education). Co-sponsored by Keck School of Medicine’s HEAL (Humanities, Ethics, Art, and the Law) Program and the USC Pacific Center for Health Policy and Ethics.

Friday, February 11, 2022, at 7 p.m.
Saturday, February 12, 2022, at 5 p.m.

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
“Doug Varone and Dancers command attention as soon as the curtain goes up.”—Chicago Tribune

“If this work and these dancers don’t move you, I don’t know what would.”—Dance Magazine

Whether for the concert stage, opera, theatre, or screen, choreographer Doug Varone creates kinetically thrilling dances with rich musicality and emotional depth. From the smallest gesture to full-throttle bursts of movement, Varone’s work can take your breath away with both its athleticism and its passion. He is currently an Artist in Residence at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance.

This dynamic program will include hallmark works by Doug Varone and Dancers as well as a new work featuring BFA students from USC Kaufman. The livestreams will be presented by choreography-minded video and sound production specialists RYBG, who are also USC Kaufman alumni. After each performance, Varone will participate in a conversation with conceptual artist and professor Dawn Stoppiello and take questions from the audience.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance.

Photo: Hayim Heron

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
When we conduct research, we’re searching for answers that matter. Who produces the research we rely on? Who determines what is important to research, what topics deserve to be researched, and who researches it?

This crucial roundtable discussion will address the fraught relationship between indigenous knowledge and scholars and the academic and cultural institutions that have often erased, co-opted, and excluded them. The panel of leading indigenous scholars will describe how research shapes Native peoples’ paths through academia and address their complicated history with systems of information and education.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by Elizabeth Galoozis and Suzanne Noruschat (USC Libraries). Co-sponsored by La CASA.

USC Libraries Contributor: Andrew Justice

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
Igor Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale is a timeless work of musical theater that examines the human struggle to live in balance. In this reimagining of the original Russo-French parable, written and illustrated by Catherine Farrington Garcia (USC School of Dramatic Arts), created directed and produced by Catherine Farrington Garcia and Nathan Farrington (Hazard Productions, LA Opera), and conducted by Molly Xiu Turner (Salonon Fellow at the Colburn School), we follow a young and talented soldier in the spring of her life. As the soldier walks, she meets a charismatic stranger in the woods who says he can help her to an illustrious future. Trying on the different lives he offers, she is loath to find that what she thought was everything, isn’t always enough.

This entirely new production will marry theatrical performance, dance, and imagery with Stravinsky’s iconic score, bringing to life a soldier who is living at the heart of the question, “What do I want?” The audience will measure along with her the costs of mastery, family, and fame as she marches to Stravinsky’s music and decides what truly should be at the center of her life.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by the USC School of Dramatic Arts. Co-sponsored by the USC Thornton School of Music.

POSTPONED: The Origin of Love performances featuring John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask, originally scheduled for January 21 and 22, have been postponed in the interest of public health and safety. For updates, please join our email list (sign up HERE) or follow us on social media (FB or IG).

John Cameron Mitchell & Stephen Trask
The Origin of Love: The Songs and Stories of Hedwig
Featuring the Songs of Hedwig by Stephen Trask
Featuring Special Guest Amber Martin
Produced by ArKtype / Thomas O. Kriegsmann
A Visions and Voices Signature Event
Friday, January 21, and Saturday, January 22, 2022, at 8 p.m.
Bovard Auditorium

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
“A punk-rock live Behind the Music episode of sorts and a gift to Hedwig heads everywhere.”–DC Theatre Scene

The smash off-Broadway musical that became a feature film with an ever-devoted cult following and hit Broadway show is now a full glam rock concert experience! Celebrating 20 years of Hedwig and The Angry Inch, double Tony Award–winning, Golden Globe–nominated co-creators John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask will share stories and songs from the groundbreaking rock musical, accompanied by members of the original Tits of Clay Broadway band. The repertoire includes Hedwig favorites “The Origin of Love,” “Sugar Daddy,” and “Wig in a Box,” as well as songs from Mitchell’s musical podcast Anthem and acclaimed album New American Dream.

Related Event:
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Wednesday, January 19, 2022, at 7 p.m.
Ray Stark Family Theatre
 

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Co-sponsored by the USC School of Cinematic Arts, USC School of Dramatic Arts, and USC Thornton School of Music, with support from our media partner, KCRW.

POSTPONED: This screening, originally scheduled for January 19, has been postponed. We apologize for the inconvenience. For updates, please join our email list (sign up HERE) or follow us on social media (FB or IG).  

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
“Hilarious, heart-breaking, and has a phenomenal, timelessly cool, soundtrack.”–BBC

Bringing their signature creation from stage to screen, writer-director-star John Cameron Mitchell and composer-lyricist Stephen Trask tell the story of Hedwig, who was raised as a boy in East Berlin and undergoes a traumatic personal transformation in order to emigrate to the U.S., where she reinvents herself as a rock diva. Telling Hedwig’s story through original punk anthems and power ballads and matching them with a freewheeling cinematic mosaic of music-video fantasies, animated interludes, and moments of bracing emotional realism, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a hard-charging song cycle, tender character study, and tribute to the transcendent power of rock and roll.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative and the USC School of Cinematic Arts.