What: CalArtsf - California Institute of the Arts, Bay Area Alumni Showcase
Where: Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco
When: Saturday & Sunday, June 16 & 17, 2007
Admission: FREE
Performance schedule:
Saturday, June 16, 3 and 7 pm
Sunday, June 17, 3 pm
Gallery hours:
Saturday, June 16, 1:30 to 9:30 pm
Sunday, June 17, 1:30 to 6:00 pm
The entrance to Fort Mason Center is at the intersection of Marina Boulevard and Buchanan Street, in the Marina district. There is no street address.
May 22–Valencia, CA—Some of the most interesting artists in the Northern California studied at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) near Los Angeles. On Saturday and Sunday, June 16 and 17, CalArtsf, will showcase visual art, music, dance, theater, film and video by a multi-talented group of artists whose work was shaped by their education at CalArts.
From a newly composed sonata to dazzling multimedia improvisation, CalArtsf will show why CalArts earned its innovative reputation. Visual art will range from the rock and roll photos of Michael Mendelson to Dave Barry's animated film loop, Space War Graffiti. World music ensemble Gamelan X will offer an intoxicating mix of Indonesian, Balkan, African, Indian and American influences, while Lisa Townsend Company's erotic and intense dance performance Virile Streak will "expose the madness of desire." Mark Sikes' spoken word performance will offer a hilarious and topical view of the Space Time Continuum. Choreographer Danny Nguyen's performance, inspired by the 1975 fall of Saigon, will reflect on the refugee experience.
Alumnus Troy Alders, Art Director at Lucasfilms Licensing division, is a member of CalArts Alumni Association Executive Committee. He recently wrote, "CalArts is found in the spotlight and behind the scenes wherever contemporary art is exhibited, graphic design and the written word published, independent and animated films screened, new music performed, and innovative theater or dance staged. An intensive and interdisciplinary approach to educating artists was the vision in 1961, when Walt Disney cemented his plans for arguably, the most interesting and salutary piece of his legacy, his dream that was embodied in the founding of CalArts."
The accomplishments of CalArts' alumni demonstrate the power of the original vision of the school as a unique and evolving experiment in arts education. CalArts Alumni Association was established to promote, nurture, develop and support the continuance of a community of the arts and interdisciplinary exploration among artists and the arts. Its goal is to further creative excellence beyond the CalArts campus and for Institute graduates to remain on the cutting edge of artistic expression, creativity and technology.
The nation's first art college to offer BFAs and MFAs in both the visual and performing arts, CalArts is dedicated to training and nurturing the next generation of professional artists, fostering brilliance and innovation within the broadest context possible. Emphasis is placed on new and experimental work, and students are admitted solely on the basis of artistic ability. To encourage innovation and experimentation, CalArts' six schools—Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music and Theater—are all housed under one roof in a unique, five-story building with the equivalent of 11 acres of square footage in Valencia, California, just 30 minutes north of downtown Los Angeles.