SCampus Student Guidebook

Student Activities

Arts at USC

Los Angeles is a dynamic center for the creative arts. This excitement is reflected at USC through diverse opportunities for involvement in the arts as a participant or observer.

USC Fisher Museum of Art

(213) 740-4561
Harris Hall
www.uscfishermuseumofart.org

In 1939, the Elizabeth Holmes Fisher Gallery was constructed and presented to USC with a fine collection of paintings. After almost 70 years as USC Fisher Gallery, in the spring 2007 the art museum was rededicated as the USC Fisher Museum of Art. Long a collecting institution, USC Fisher Museum of Art is also a center of intellectual inquiry and aesthetic enjoyment for not only the university, but also the greater Los Angeles community.

The museum holdings include numerous works from ancient to contemporary; however, the major emphasis is in painting. The two most outstanding collections are the 72 paintings donated by Mrs. Fisher from 1939 to 1951 and 49 old master works given by Dr. Armand Hammer. Together, these two collections represent the 16th to 19th centuries in Dutch, Flemish, French, Italian, English and American painting. The 20th-century and contemporary collections are growing and feature important artists from California, Mexico and Spain.

USC Fisher Museum of Art, an American Association of Museums accredited museum, offers the USC community and the public a variety of changing exhibitions in contemporary and historical art forms. Recent exhibitions have included “Julio González: Sculpture and Drawing from the IVAM Collection,” “Variations on a Theme: American Prints from Pop Art to Minimalism. A Selection from the Anderson Graphic Arts Collection,” “The Inferno of Dante by Michael Mazur,” “Material Affinities: To Clay and Back” and “Robert Graham: Body of Work.”

During each exhibition, the museum offers a number of cultural activities to enhance the experience of the concurrent visual art show. Programs include:

• guided tours, scholarly and artists’ lectures, film screenings, dramatic and dance performances, poetry readings and workshops
• “Families at Fisher,” a community event held on Saturdays for families

Admission to the museum and to program activities is always free. Group tours are also available by appointment.

Helen Lindhurst Architecture Gallery

(213) 740-2723
Watt Hall
www.usc.edu/about/visit/upc/event_venues/lindhurst.html

The USC Helen Lindhurst Architecture Gallery features the work of renowned architects and faculty members, students and alumni of the USC School of Architecture. The gallery hosts juried exhibits of architectural works, from the classic to the futuristic, with drawings, photographs, models and three-dimensional installations that blur the line between architecture and art. Recent shows have featured such leading architects as Renzo Piano, Santiago Calatrava, Alvaro Siza, Carlos Diniz, Herman Hertzberger and USC’s own Pierre Koenig.

Helen Lindhurst Fine Arts Gallery

(213) 740-2787
Watt Hall 104
roski.usc.edu/calendar/lindhurst.html

The Helen Lindhurst Fine Arts Gallery offers the best in traditional and experimental arts. Weekly thematic exhibits of new works by fine arts students, faculty and guest artists span all media from sculpture and painting to ceramics and digital media.

Cinematic Arts

Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre Complex
cinema.usc.edu

Various divisions within the School of Cinematic Arts conduct special seminars and screenings featuring distinguished artists and scholars from film, television and interactive media. While some events are restricted to School of Cinematic Arts students, many are open to the USC community. Recent advance screenings open to all audiences included “Tropic Thunder” and “The Dark Knight,” and recent guests included Helen Mirren as well as the cast and creators of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” among others. Notices of these events are posted regularly on the School of Cinematic Arts’ Web site (cinema.usc.edu), as well as in the Daily Trojan and the Los Angeles Times.

Open screenings of advanced student productions, including narrative, documentary, animated and experimental, are held every semester in the Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre Complex as well as in the Stark Family Theatre (SCA 108) in the new cinematic arts complex and the Ron Howard Screening Room in the Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts.

The Summer Program offers intensive film and video production, entertainment business, visual effects, computer graphics, gaming and screenwriting courses. For more information, visit cinema.usc.edu/summer or call (213) 740-3327.

On selected Thursday evenings, the Cinematheque 108 film series, held in SCA 108, screens independent feature films, documentaries and experimental films and often includes a discussion with the filmmaker. The presentations are free and open to the public.

Music Performances

(213) 740-2584 (program information)
(213) 740-2167 (tickets)
www.usc.edu/music

Celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, the USC Thornton School of Music presents more than 500 student and faculty performances throughout the year, both on- and off-campus. Ensembles present a variety of vocal and instrumental music in a broad range of musical styles.

The Thornton School of Music presents a free weekly recital series, “Music at Noon,” on Wednesdays at the United University Church. The series showcases some of the school’s finest soloists and ensembles performing varied and interesting programs.

Thornton Center Stage, a weekly music magazine of performances from the Thornton School of Music, is broadcast Sundays at 8 p.m. on classical KUSC-FM (91.5). Hosted by KUSC radio personality Alan Chapman, each edition of Thornton Center Stage features the most exciting live performances of Thornton School ensembles, archival recordings from the school’s golden age and the latest releases from our artist faculty.

Performing

Even if you’ve decided you aren’t meant to be the next Yo Yo Ma or Miles Davis, you can continue developing your musical skills by joining one of the many choral or instrumental ensembles at USC. Many of the Thornton School’s performance groups are open to all students, though most require an audition. Ensemble classes earn one unit of credit per semester. You can also continue musical instruction by registering for group or private instruction, or learn about the technical side of recording arts in workshops offered by the school. For detailed information, call the Thornton School’s Office of Student Affairs at (213) 740-4721.

Listening

Classical KUSC supports USC’s mission by making classical music and the arts a more important part of people’s lives. The radio station offers classical music and arts information 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Classical KUSC has a professional staff and offers internships and employment opportunities for students. More information is available online at www.kusc.org.

Classical KUSC is licensed to the university with studios and offices downtown at 515 S. Figueroa St. It is a network of five stations that broadcast to most of Southern California: KUSC-FM (91.5) Los Angeles, KQSC-FM (88.7) Santa Barbara, KPSC-FM (88.5) Palm Springs, KDSC-FM (91.1) Thousand Oaks and KESC-FM (99.7) Morro Bay.

USC Spectrum

Dane Martens
(213) 740-2167
Student Union B-7
www.usc.edu/spectrum

USC Spectrum, a program of the Division of Student Affairs, presents an annual season of arts and lecture programs by nationally and internationally known attractions for the education and entertainment of the USC community and its neighbors.

Spectrum also co-produces the annual College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Debate Series and the President’s Distinguished Artist and Lecture Series.

The 2009-2010 season begins in the fall and includes multiple performances and lectures throughout the year.

Studio Arts

USC Roski School of Fine Arts
(213) 740-2787
Watt Hall 104
roski.usc.edu

The USC Roski School of Fine Arts offers a variety of art classes to students who are not fine arts majors. Day and evening courses are available in drawing and painting, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, photography, design, digital photography and video. The school also sponsors free lecture series, held throughout the year, featuring nationally distinguished artists and art critics.

Two galleries – the Helen Lindhurst Fine Arts Gallery in Watt Hall and the Gayle and Ed Roski MFA Gallery on 30th and Flower Streets – host weekly art exhibitions. The galleries mainly feature the work of USC art students, but can also include the work of professional artists and students from USC Roski School of Fine Arts-sponsored art programs in local high schools and elementary schools.

Theatre

(213) 821-2744 (information)
(213) 740-2167 (tickets)
theatre.usc.edu

The USC School of Theatre’s season of performances is enjoyed each year by students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends, as well as many Los Angeles theatre-goers. New and contemporary plays, innovative productions of classical works and a spring musical are featured each year.

School of Theatre performances are staged in five different venues ranging in size from 100 to 550 seats, including the Scene Dock Theatre, the Massman Theatre, the McClintock Theatre and the mainstage Bing Theatre. Student tickets are available at the USC Ticket Office in the Student Union building for the discounted price of $5 for mainstage productions and $6 for musicals.

Additional activities include special staged readings of plays written by Master of Fine Arts dramatic writing students.

USC Arts and Events Calendar

Email: webcal@usc.edu

The university’s online Arts and Events Calendar is the central source for listing cultural programming at USC. It can be found on the USC home page (www.usc.edu) or directly at www.usc.edu/calendar. The calendar is searchable by keyword, date or type of event, and it can be accessed using RSS or Google Calendar. Anyone in the USC community may submit listings.