By Michael Rosen-Molina
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
From campus galleries to student plays, the arts are an integral
part of the college experience.
At UCLA, campus arts mean much more than the slipshod macaroni
collages and stumbling “How I spent my summer vacation”
performances of grammar school. Such traditional activities now
give way to professional-looking Kerckhoff exhibitions and
meticulous student movies.
The college years are a time for student artists to polish their
work, hone their crafts, and get ready for the rapidly approaching
real world. Graduating seniors, both artists and patrons, can now
look back on their years of exposure to campus art and forward to
their artistic future.
For many seniors, the differences between arts in high school
and arts in college are drastic. English student Eric Brown spent
several quarters in the UCLA Chorale, a working environment that he
found very different from the high school experience that he was
accustomed to.
“When you’re leaving for college, you wonder what
sort of things are in store for you,” Brown said.
“Chorale is the sort of thing you dream about if you are a
performer; it just made me feel totally fulfilled.”
Brown recalled a past visit by the Sydney Symphony, whose first
stop on their American tour was at UCLA to perform a concert with
the college chorale.
“We got to work with a world famous conductor,”
Brown said. “At once, you knew that this was very
professional, and you weren’t in amateur land anymore. It was
very different from high school. Immediately, there was an
atmosphere of “˜let’s focus and rehearse.’ There
was no goofing around.”
Although a veteran of many high school plays, UCLA gave Brown
his first chance to work in the areas of film and television
acting. Brown has performed in several student films, including
Jennifer Albright’s public disservice announcement about the
dangers of not smoking.
“There’s no opportunity to act in films while
you’re in high school,” Brown said. “I found that
it’s totally different than theater. Theater’s hard
because you have to sustain the energy and connect with the
audience and they will know if you’re not being honest, but
cameras will catch every fault.”
“Obviously, we’re not exactly “˜Saving Private
Ryan,'” said Brown of his experiences acting in student
films. “But it was an adjustment because I’d never done
anything like that before. The entire crew had to be silent, and I
had only worked in theater before that, where I was used to getting
reactions.”
Brown plans to continue acting after graduation.
While for some participation in the arts is just fun, for others
it is preparation for a career. The arts naturally played a central
role in the academic career of theater major Kristi Chong.
Chong is a participant in this year’s Theaterfest, where
she will celebrate her graduation by directing her own original
play, “The Body.”
“I wanted to direct a show to commemorate the end of my
studies at UCLA,” Chong said. “I would have liked to do
more while I was here, for example, I would have liked to also do a
one-woman show, but this is a good way to end the year.”
Unlike commercial productions, on-campus productions such as
“The Body” have an advantage in that they give students
the opportunity to have fun with their work. “It’s not
like I’m doing “˜A Long Day’s Journey into
Night,'” Chong said. ” It’s just a quick
show. I give the characters a problem, they solve it. I don’t
have to worry about there being any big tragic moral to it
all.”
Chong believes her experiences at UCLA will help her in the
future.
“My involvement at UCLA has given me a lot of tools that
are helpful to me as an actress,” she said.
Student playwright Weiko Lin agreed.
“The UCLA program definitely helps; the name itself helps.
Famous alumni have written movies like “˜Jurassic Park’
and “˜ConAir.’ The program that I’m involved in is
one that bridges the gap between school and the professional
world.”
Although Lin also deals with the hassles of the professional
film world, he has a special affinity for smaller on-campus
productions, such as his recent student piece “The Tattooed
Heart.”
“It can be very frustrating to work with
professionals,” Lin said. “You get pessimistic. It
sometimes seems like it’s nothing but business and sending
stuff out to agents.”
“I like doing on-campus work with undergrads because
there’s more optimism,” he continued. “Then I
know why I got involved in this.”
Art may not be a way of life for Chemistry major Telly Koffas,
but he still has found much to appreciate in the opportunities that
on-campus arts have presented.
“There are culture shows for the different heritage
months. It’s a good way to make everyone feel
included,” Koffas said. ” I’d never seen anything
like that before coming to UCLA.”
Over the last four years, Koffas has frequented the Kerckhoff
art gallery to glimpse campus creativity.
“It’s free, which is very important to
students,” he said. “And the topics of the exhibitions
are always timely, coinciding with other events.”
The Armand Hammer museum also draws student interest. Koffas has
visited the museum regularly since his freshman year.
“It’s economical, and I’m very impressed by
the collection of real art. With exhibits like one they had
recently on Disneyland fantasy art, they have a good blend of both
modern and classic.”
Koffas does not expect that “real life” will offer
the same opportunities for artistic appreciation.
“After I leave here, I really can’t see arts having
that big of an impact on my life,” he said. Even so, Koffas
went on to explain how student life is enriched by the many art
galleries within a short distance of campus.
“In high school, I went to natural science museums, but I
never went to an art museum before I came to UCLA. With the Armand
Hammer and Fowler museums, the sculpture garden and even Kerckhoff
gallery all so close by, most students are exposed to art more
while they’re at school than when they’re at
home.”