On the occasion of UCLA’s Centennial, UCLA Arts is proud to present 100 for 100—a collection of stories that celebrate the rich history of the arts at UCLA over the past century. Each monthly newsletter throughout the yearlong celebration will feature a new story by a member of our community that reflects on our past and imagines what’s possible for our future. We invite our community to explore these stories and contribute their own to the collection.
Designed by the Los Angeles-based architecture firm Johnston Marklee, the award-winning UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios is a world-class facility dedicated to supporting emerging artists and strengthening Los Angeles’s position as a world arts capital. As UCLA celebrates its Centennial, this project reinforces the department’s standing as one of the leading educational art institutions in the world. The new building underscores the university’s continued commitment to nurturing generations of artistic talent while simultaneously enriching Los Angeles’s vibrant cultural community. It also signals a deepening of support for the renowned artists whose dedication to teaching future generations has been a hallmark of the West Coast arts community for the past century.
Lindsay Erickson ’10 (UCLA Architecture and Urban Design) is a senior associate at Johnston Marklee and served as project lead for the UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios. On the occasion of the first public opening for the building, Lindsay shares a few insider details about the project.