Halfway through their time as undergraduates, Ashley Dao and Dalton Mumphrey shared an epiphany.
They wanted to leave a mark. Make a difference. And they wanted to leave the School of Music with a legacy.
They started with a simple problem. UCLA is home to incredible student artists spread across several schools. But they and their peers felt disconnected with one another. They didn’t know who was doing what, where they were doing it, and how to connect with them for interdisciplinary collaboration – a drive that’s at the heart of so many creators no matter their medium.
And so the Schoenberg Art Walk was born.
“There’s so much skill and talent at UCLA,” said Mumphrey, a third-year Global Jazz Studies major. “We’d always talk about how great it would be if we were more integrated with artists in TFT and UCLA Arts. You have to go out of your way to collaborate. We heard the same thing from alumni, that they wished they’d had something like this when they were at UCLA.”
“It was inspired by the Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk, with the goal of connecting students across the artistic schools at UCLA with one another and creating avenues for future interdepartmental collaboration,” said Dao, a third-year musicology student who was just awarded a prestigious Beinecke Scholarship.
Alongside their studies, performances, other extracurriculars, and day-to-day living, Dao and Mumphrey – both members of the School of Music’s Undergraduate Student Advisory Board – put as much of their energy as possible into contacting students, administrators, and leadership at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television and School of the Arts and Architecture, and of course their home base here at the School of Music.
They received an enthusiastic response. Outreach cultivated applications from musical acts, dancers, visual artists, filmmakers, and other artists. Time and space constraints meant only 14 of these presentations could be accommodated, but the collection will serve up a diverse, interactive, and inspiring evening for anyone who roams the halls of the Schoenberg Music Building during the self-guided showcase.
Seven live musical performances will take place in the building’s lobby and courtyard. Three visual artists will showcase their work at stations throughout the halls. Three film screenings will take place in various classrooms while an additional installation occupies another classroom. Special décor, food, and drinks will elevate the experience for anyone who attends to take in what some of UCLA’s most brilliant students have to offer.
Entirely student-driven – with the goal of creating a stronger community for students themselves – the Schoenberg Art Walk is the first event of its kind that the organizers are aware of.
“Ashley and I are doing our best to make the most out of our time here. We can’t wait to showcase the incredible skill and creativity of the students while promoting collaboration to strengthen our community,” Mumphrey said.
He and Dao’s greatest hope is that their efforts have set up a framework for the future, leaving a solid roadmap for younger students to do more of the same – not to mention for leadership at the artistic schools to generate and support even further connection outside of their respective buildings.
Mumphrey added, “We hope that the bridge has finally been built.”