UC Merced Magazine | Volume XIX, Issue V

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“We’re privileged to have a very culturally diverse population at UC Merced as well as in the larger Merced community, so we have an obligation to highlight all of their valuable contributions to the arts,” he said, adding that the university continues to work on bridge building — due to the campus’s location on the outskirts of town. Because of the physical distance, Lewis said, “we have to work hard on providing the community reasons to come to the campus. And we’re also aware that not everyone can come out, so we try to meet people where they are by holding events in the community like Yehuda’s lm festival.” A couple annual events that take place later in the spring have become highly-anticipated engagements. Professor Katherine Steele Brokaw’s Shakespeare in Yosemite holds productions by e Immortal Bard set against a picturesque backdrop in Yosemite National Park and with an environmentally conscious twist. And Sameulson’s Children’s Opera has been bringing thousands of kids to the university for the past 15 years. is spring, Samuelson received a grant to take the show on the road for the rst time to tour schools all around the Central Valley. Art Is For Everyone A driving force behind all this work is a concerted e ort to make the arts accessible to the greater community. Because of its history, there exists a tendency to think of the arts as “an elitist preserve,” Chandra said. And because most UC Merced students are rst-generation, she believes they may have had less or no access to the arts. Additionally, the notion of pursuing artistic aspirations — let alone an art degree — might be frowned upon by their parents in favor of more traditional pursuits. One of the ways the department addresses this is via the GASP internship; a requirement for the major that sends students into the community to work in the local arts scene and get hands-on experience. A recent production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” directed by Samuelson and hosted at the MAC, provided students with a variety of jobs — from stage and prop managers to designing and painting sets. Students also have the UC Merced Art Gallery and La Galería at their disposal and get to learn the ins and outs of putting on an exhibit, sometimes featuring their own work. “I’m really proud of the program and how it provides practical experience for the students while getting them involved in the local art scene,” said visual arts Associate Teaching Professor Tonya Lopez-Craig, who also runs the GASP internship. While only one semester of the internship is required, Lopez-Craig

A student gallery visitor finds a piece that speaks to her.

said it’s not uncommon for students to take it multiple times. What she really enjoys is seeing students from other majors come out of their shells over the course of the semester. “It happens all the time,” she said. “ ey come to me and say, ‘I am not creative, I won't do well.’ I tell them that they are but just don’t know it, and we’re able to bring that out of them.” “We all have a spice to add to the caldo,” added Gomez, referring to the Mexican soup known for its abundance of ingredients and iterations. “Some kids like to lm and edit — perfect. We need to document all of our projects. Whatever it is, we can use it.” And because of the way the major is structured, Vergara said, students are being prepared for a variety of careers outside the arts including the elds of marketing, communications and technology. “We know parents worry about this, but because we take a very holistic approach to humanities through the arts, we believe the students are being prepared for pretty much any career,” she said. “Everyone needs to be able to articulate thoughts and understand messages and how to get them across. And nowadays, with technology, it’s all about how we are communicating with each other.” While unorthodox, the GASP experiment that began eight years ago shows no signs of slowing down. Members of the department are proud of all that the young department has accomplished in a short amount of time and the partnerships it has formed with the local art scene. Comparisons have been drawn to another institution that is blazing its own trail in the Central Valley. “GASP is a vibrant and vital part of our university,” said Lewis. “It’s unique, revolutionary — and very UC Merced.”

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