SAN DIEGO — Calling all artists, dreamers and anyone who wants to create with community.
UCSD’s Thurgood Marshall College Artist in Residence program is hosting an event where you can come and be a part of an artful experience at the university’s Epstein Family Amphitheater.
The University is asking everyone from students to faculty, activists to artists and the entire community to come together and imagine or dream what a more just world looks like for you.
It's a part of Thurgood Marshall College's Artist in Residence program where this year’s artist, K, says they need your help.
Kelsey Daniels is the Marshall College Artist in Residence and it's their job to bring the community of San Diego together in art. Daniels' ties to UCSD run deep.
"I grew up in Southeast San Diego and all of my aunts and my mom went to UCSD at some point in their collegiate career. I have memories of coming to UCSD as a kid and running around the residence halls," Daniels shared.
In 2020, the community came together to create a mural that’s now on display at Voice Courtyard on UCSD’s campus.
However, because the campus is under construction right now, they're focusing on spoken word so that the community can feel what we need to feel in order to create.
"We would love to have lots of people from the community come because we would love to connect UC San Diego to the broader community and see what we're all about," said Leslie Carver, provost for the Thurgood Marshall Artist in Residence program.
"The Thurgood Marshall College is kind of unique because we were founded by a student movement to address issues of social justice and equity. We selected Kelsey Daniels because she's a phenomenal artist She just really spoke to us with her mission and the way her art speaks to issues of social justice, community and identity."
UCSD’s Thurgood Marshall Artist in Residence program is a yearlong residency open to all UC San Diego students, faculty, staff and members of the general public.
The university encourages applications from Black, Indigenous and artists of color who aim to challenge gender, racial and socio-cultural barriers.
"I saw James Avery was one of the former artists in residence and kind of felt intimidated but applied last minute because I knew I wanted to do more intensive work in my community," Daniels said.
Daniels wants to showcase San Diego’s hidden talents and dreams with their show “Dream Forget Return” show scheduled for April 24. The community creative portion starts at 6:30. The show starts at 7:30 at The Epstein Family Amphitheater.
“I want to activate what's already been done (in social justice work) and also remind students of their power to exist in these spaces and create something that's affirming and lit," Daniels said.
UCSD is waiting until late summer, or early fall to open the Artist in Residence application process because of current construction on campus.
To learn more about the program, click here.
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