SEAN ARENAS: Writer | Editor | Strategic Communications
 
 

The primary storyteller for UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture (UCLA Arts), showcasing the school’s exceptional faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

Gala Porras-Kim

It is often assumed that once an object is on display in a museum, its story has reached its conclusion. Interdisciplinary artist Gala Porras-Kim challenges that notion. Her exhibition, The weight of a patina of time, offers critical, and sometimes playful, evaluations of the contemporary museum’s ability to both interpret and conserve the past.

Dancing Disability Lab

During a sweltering week in July 2023, dancers from around the world assembled in a studio in UCLA’s Kaufman Hall. The 10 participants, each identifying as having a disability, were gathered for the 2023 Dancing Disability Lab, now in its fourth iteration.

Unity and Kindness Day

On Thursday, May 25, 2023, UCLA Health celebrated its second annual Unity and Kindness Day. The event is unique because it is coordinated by nurses for the benefit of health care staff across the entire UCLA Health system.

 
 

VAPAE Program

On Wednesday, Dec. 6, the Visual and Performing Arts Education (VAPAE) Program transformed the Untitled Gallery in UCLA’s Broad Art Center into a black box theater. VAPAE’s mission is to prepare the next generation of culturally equitable arts educators, bringing inclusive arts education to Los Angeles schools and communities.

Yummy Bowl Benefit

Over 175 people gathered at Broad Art Center Plaza to select from roughly 350 handmade bowls and enjoy a delicious meal. This was the 3rd annual Yummy Bowl Benefit. Yummy Bowl was created by Department of Art professors Candice Lin and Anna Sew Hoy. In 2021, the two artists launched the inaugural fundraiser after learning that over 40% of UC students reported being food insecure.

Proposition 28

Many esteemed speakers and panelists discussed California Proposition 28 — the largest investment in arts and music in our nation’s history. Overwhelmingly passed in November 2022, Proposition 28 increases funding for arts and music education — typically the first to be cut during financial setbacks — in California’s K-12 public schools.

 
 

Producer of the UCLA Arts podcast, Works In Progress. It's available everywhere you listen to podcasts: SpotifyApple PodcastsiHeartRadio, and Pandora.

Dami Olufowoshe and Katie Chuh

UCLA Arts alumni and active practitioners Dami Olufowoshe and Katie Chuh discuss what initially drew them to architecture, what they gained from their time at UCLA, how they have adapted to rapidly evolving technology, and any advice they can provide to aspiring architects.

Jackie Lopez, Harry Weston, and Alli Gray

Dancers and UCLA Arts alumni Jackie Lopez, Harry Weston, and Alli Gray discuss what initially drew them to Hip Hop; what they gained from their time at UCLA; the history and future of Versa-Style Dance Company, a non-profit organization and dance ensemble; and any advice they can provide to aspiring dancers.

Jackie Amézquita and Roksana Pirouzmand

Artists and alumnae Jackie Amézquita and Roksana Pirouzmand discuss what originally drew them to art, their work in the Hammer Museum at UCLA’s Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living, what they gained from their graduate studies at UCLA, and what it's like to be a working artist in Los Angeles.

Artist Gideon Rubin: Inspirations from Vulnerability, Intimacy and Atrocity

Understanding the Streetwear Phenomenon

The End of the Influencer

Can Cannabis Replace Your Mental Health Prescription?

Let's Talk About Men's Not-So-Secret Aging Antidote

Meet the Photographer Who Turned His Art Into a Brand

The Future Is Smart Cities

The Secret to a Healthy, Long Lasting Relationship May Be in Your Fashion Closet

Giving Thanks Is Good For You

No, Recreational Xanax Is Never a Good Idea

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Contributor and editor for over 30 issues of Razorcake, a nonprofit, bimonthly music magazine.

Writing Coach

Writing coach and writing services designer for the Cal State LA satellite campus. Wrote their in-house manuals, resources, and style guides.