Claremont Graduate University School of Arts and Humanities

Ashley Wayne (MA in English student) is the owner of "The Struggling Academic" blog (@thestrugglingacademic_). Her blog highlights the intricacies of being in academia and navigating through it. She has a background in editing and proofreading and writes a new blog post every other Friday. In her recent blog post, "Dealing with Burnout in Academe," Wayne writes about academic burnout and how it is a common issue among grad students. As part of her blog, she compiles testimoni...es from a community of graduate students about their experiences with burnout symptoms and how they deal with burnout. To read the full blog post. http://bit.ly/384LWz8 -- **If you are struggling with your mental health or emotional well being you are not alone and there are resources to help you if you need to speak to someone. Whether you are experiencing anxiety, depression, grief, relationship issues, or just seeking help, Monsour Counseling and Psychological Services (MCAPS) is here to support your mental health needs. Services are free to students. MCAPS consists of psychologists, marriage and family therapists, psychiatrists, post-doctoral fellows, and administrative staff who are committed to providing excellent mental health and psychological wellness services to the students of The Claremont Colleges. For more information about MCAPs: https://services.claremont.edu/mcaps/

Upcoming MFA Thesis Show artist highlight Check out MFA student Julie Weaver-Loffer's artwork. Julie Weaver Loffer is Ojibwe Anishinaabeg from White Earth Minnesota. Her artwork is mainly pieces that represent Native American culture and life. She captures her paintings first through candid photography before painting them and transitioning the subjects and atmosphere into her work.... -- All CGU MFA students produce a final solo exhibition at the end of their second year of study. The art program's MFA Thesis shows starts in March. Stay tuned for Loffer's thesis show information which will be released soon.

The Cultural Studies Department at Claremont Graduate University is hosting a semester-long series of events to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Join us for our next Bradshaw Conference event! Strategies for an Abolitionist Future brings together the scholar-activists Dennis Childs (UC San Diego), Juliet Hooker (Brown University), Dylan Rodriguez (UC Riverside), and Dean Spade (Seattle University) for a roundtable conversation about Black Lives Matter, abolitionism, neoliber...al capitalism, and the varied scales of activism, ranging from mutual aid and protest to nonprofit work and more institutionally-bound modes of engagement. Moderated by David Luis-Brown (Cultural Studies, CGU). Future Publics (Strategies for an Abolitionist Future) Friday, March 5, 2021 12:00 pm -1:30 pm (PST) For more information about the Bradshaw Conference and panelists: https://bit.ly/3sFo2Cg

2021 Futurity and Future Publics: A Quarter Century of Cultural Studies at Claremont Graduate University The Cultural Studies Department at Claremont Graduate University is hosting a semester-long series of events to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Rhetoric stating that we have entered a new epoch and that we must expect radically unpredictable futures has shaped the way we have framed our current moment as a historical rupture and a state of exception. With COVID-19, risin...g global inequality, the accelerating effects of climate change, and the collusion of hegemonic structures in the disenfranchisement of Black lives, terms such as unprecedented and uncertain have repeatedly marked zones of crisis that seek to drastically rearrange temporalities of capital, labor, and life. Amid these radical transformations, imagining futures has become a precarious task. With its foundations in publicly-engaged practices that are foundational to the field and its methods rooted in interdisciplinary inquiry, Cultural Studies is well poised to address these concerns. Yet certain aspects of its intellectual genealogy and method call for a radical rethinking. What new conceptual tools and methods are needed for the field to think futurity? This series of events aims to interrogate the state of the field, reassess its presumptions, and investigate its possible future directions. Individual event postings will be released closer to the event date. To view the full schedule of events and for more information check out: http://bit.ly/3sFo2Cg. *Picture (Panic-demic) by Thinh Nguyen (MFA, ‘11)

Center for Business and Management of the Arts (CBMArts) presents Accessibility and the Arts: Reconsidering the Role of the Artist. Who is responsible for ensuring disabled people have access to art? Is it the artist or the institution that presents and exhibits their art? What are the challenges? And What are the opportunities? Let's start the conversation on Tuesday, March 2.... Katrina Sullivan (MAAM '19) and Bronwyn Mauldin, authors of "Accessibility and the Arts: Reconsidering the Role of the Artist" will be waiting for you to join this enlightening conversation. For more information: http://bit.ly/37GbzpK

Claremont Graduate University Plans for Spring 2021 We look forward to the spring 2021 semester and have been hard at work making plans to create a safe and welcoming environment. Campus life will look different in many ways, and we will all need to adjust. With the cooperation and care of every member of our community, we’re confident we can all have a successful spring semester. CGU is set to resume classes on January 19, 2021. Taking all factors into account, CGU will pro...ceed with an Online Flex model designed to support all students in their academic progress. The majority of classes will be fully online, with limited on campus activity for those degree programs that require a physical campus presence. Our overall goal is to facilitate the academic progress of our students in a manner that best supports the health of the entire CGU community. These plans reflect current public health guidance and are subject to change before and after classes begin. CGU will abide by the guidance provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. CGU will continue to proactively communicate any changes that may affect campus life. https://info.cgu.edu/emergency/spring-2021-semester/

Listen to this! CGU News spoke with Peter Boyer about his new music being performed at the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Boyer’s Fanfare for Tomorrow captured a multitude of moods, and was performed at the very moment when the new president and vice president first arrived in front of the Capitol. Boyer's new work was performed as part of the one-hour prelude music of the Inauguration ceremony, conducted by "The President's Own" United States Marine Band’s Di...rector, Colonel Jason K. Fettig. Read more: https://bit.ly/2ZdHt8l See more

Upcoming MFA Thesis Show artist highlight Check out MFA student Zafi Ahmed's Clapping Hands 4’x7’ digital illustration collage, latex and acrylic on canvas. Zafirah Ahmed (Zafi) was born and raised in Akron, OH and currently resides in Claremont, CA. Zafirah received her B.A in Art Education in 2013 from The University of Akron and is currently pursuing her MFA at Claremont Graduate University with an anticipated 2021 graduation. Her paintings, prints, installations and ...digital works are inspired by pattern. Zafirah’s work explores pattern both as an element of decoration inspired by culture and fashion. She uses pattern and multiplicity to emulate routines and trends as she sees them repeat in daily life. -- All CGU MFA students produce a final solo exhibition at the end of their second year of study. The art program's MFA Thesis shows starts in March. Stay tuned for Ahmed's thesis show information which will be released soon.

On February 6, 2021, Jonah Elijah (MFA, '20) created a mural dedicated to George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. With the help of fellow Jack Yate students and volunteers, the mural was created in front of Floyd's alma mater, Jack Yates High School. Members of Floyd's family attended the unveiling of the mural on Alabama Street in Houston's Third Ward neighborhood. The mural was commissioned by Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Houston Society for Change and... 88 C.H.U.M.P., a nonprofit social activism organization launched by Floyd’s former high school football teammates. The artwork featured the words "Black Lives Matter" with protest scenes painted into the word "Matter." The mural also features the school's colors crimson and gold and George Floyd's number 88 high school football jersey. Carl Davis, chairman for the Houston Society for Change, said Elijah's work is known for capturing "Black life in America and addressing controversial issues that affect the African American community." Elijah, Houston Third Ward native and Jack Yates High School alum, said the project allowed him to reflect on what Black Lives Matter means to him. During Elijah's interview with KHOU 11 (CBS affiliate), Elijah said that "These three words are not only for the people that don't think Black Lives Matter but also for us too. It's an anchor for us to unify." Read: http://cnn.it/3rQgv3c

The Visiting Artist Lecture Series (VALS) kicks off next week! Zoom Links will be posted closer to the date of the event. Lectures will start at 5:30 - 6:30pm. Open to all! Hope to see you there! Tag and invite your friends!

Student Spotlight! Courtenay Stallings, PhD Candidate in History, just published a book called "Laura's Ghost: Women Speak about Twin Peaks," a feminist ethnography that examines the character Laura Palmer's role in the show Twin Peaks and features interviews with and essays from women involved in the show, including Sheryl Lee, Grace Zabriskie and Jennifer Lynch as well as interviews and essays of women inspired by the show. To order your copy: http://bit.ly/3qJJ0Ps

Student Spotlight Check out MFA student Yumeng Zhang's recent installation work from home in China!

What can we do to advance the rights of our Native American citizens, thereby creating a stronger society? Join W. Richard West Jr. (Southern Cheyenne), Preside...nt and CEO of the Autry Museum of the American West, as he and CGU President Len Jessup explore representation, voting rights, and correcting the historical narrative of Native American peoples in this virtual town hall meeting. February 25, 2021 12PM - 1PM via Zoom. Register today http://ow.ly/PGV350DhMNR