ACTS OF LIVING

THE HAMMER MUSEUM AT UCLA

What is the relationship between art, community, and everyday life?

Centered on the sixth iteration of the Hammer Museum’s Made in L.A. biennial exhibition, artworxLA students explored the intersection of art and everyday life during the Fall 2023 semester. Acts of Living draws its title from a quote by Noah Purifoy memorialized at the Watts Towers Art Center: “One does not have to be a visual artist to utilize creative potential. Creativity can be an act of living, a way of life, and a formula for doing the right thing.”

Inspired by the diverse backgrounds and practices of the 39 Los Angeles-based artists in the exhibition, artworxLA students considered their own roles in shaping the visual culture of Los Angeles. They learned methods to represent and see value in their own everyday lived experiences, and they discovered what it means for artists to commit to their practice. Art might be a process of preserving or memorializing, reflect a style that is diaristic or abstract, draw from tradition and history or playful experimentation. Most importantly, students asked, “Why do we make art, and who is it for?”—leading them to forge connections between their creations and the multiple communities in their lives.

enter students’ inner worlds.

At the Design and Media Arts Academy (DMAA), artworxLA students began their semester by discussing places and people in their lives that we wanted to uplift, honor, and document. With these words in mind, Teaching Artist Tasnim Boufelfel invited the students took disposable film cameras out into their worlds to capture imagery they felt drawn to, with the end goal of creating experimental short films about an internal safe space.

Together, Boulfelfel and her students then began the sacred activity of tapping into their imaginations, using techniques like breathwork, mindful listening, play, drawing, writing, and painting. The students applied what they learned about cinematography to reimagine the school campus by recording imagery that reminded them of these sacred spaces. The integration of the everyday and imagined oases came together in the editing process. The students used Adobe Premiere to edit their footage and photos into films that expressed feelings of calm, peace, belonging, connection, and more.

Press play to witness a sizzle reel of excerpts from DMAA students’ experimental films.

“I learned that I am very resilient . . . and had lots of fun.”

- artworxLA Design and Media Arts Academy student Angel

watch and listen.

This semester, Teaching Artist Eddie Ruiz’s artworxLA students focused on the multidimensionality and growth of characters, story, and film compositions through storytelling, imagination, implementation, and practical growth. Inspired by the work of various artists in the exhibition Made in L.A.: Acts of Living, Ruiz taught students that their stories are not only valid, but important to share in order for traditions to carry on and re-control our narratives.

Students discussed two central questions: “Why do we tell stories?” and “How do we continue to rediscover storytelling for healing through our own personal and unique story of our experiences in our ancestral colonized land?” through theater, motion pictures, stills and monologues. At each workshop, students learned new storytelling techniques and skills from theater and film acting, writing and technical practice. Additionally, they were introduced to the variety of fields and job possibilities that help enrich each individual motion picture.

Click on the videos below to experience student soundscapes.