College of Visual and Performing Arts to launch Ginsburg-Klaus Art in Los Angeles Practicum Week

Continuing its role as a leader of academic initiatives on Syracuse University’s Los Angeles campus, the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) has announced the creation of the Ginsburg-Klaus Art in Los Angeles Practicum Week. The inaugural Art in LA, which takes place March 13-20, will allow eight students in VPA’s School of Art and Design to undertake an intensive investigation of art collections housed in the city’s most significant museums, as well as visit galleries and contemporary artist studios to hear from prominent artists, curators and gallery owners, many of whom are accomplished SU alumni.

Funded through a gift by VPA alumna and Advisory Council member Marylyn Ginsburg-Klaus ’56, G’57 and her husband, Charles Klaus, Art in LA is led by Stephen Zaima, professor of painting in the School of Art and Design, who has also taught VPA’s popular Art in New York City class for the past 27 years. During the week, Ginsburg-Klaus and Klaus will host the group for a day in San Pedro, Calif., a growing artists’ residency location where they are deeply involved in the art and commerce communities.

“We are looking forward to spending time during Art in LA with Stephen Zaima and the SU students and hope they find their visit here most enjoyable and informative,” says Ginsburg-Klaus, who owns Grand House Management Co. and the Grand Emporium in San Pedro.

Among the highlights of Art in LA is a discussion with Deborah Irmas ’72, a volunteer in the LA art community; a visit to the studio of renowned video artist Bill Viola ’73, H’95; and a meeting with Paul Schimmel ’74, chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art. Collection visits include the Hammer and Fowler Museums at UCLA, the Broad Art Foundation, Bergamot Station, Galleries Culver City, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Broad Contemporary Art Museum, the Museum of Latin American Art and the Getty.

Art in LA coincides with another VPA initiative in Los Angeles: the Sorkin in LA Learning Practicum, a weeklong immersion experience for drama and film students founded by VPA alumnus Aaron Sorkin ’83 in 2006. Sorkin Week students meet with actors, writers, talent agents, directors and producers; participate in workshops; and attend live theater performances, among other activities. Both the Art in LA and Sorkin Week students will be the featured guests at a VPA alumni reception on Tuesday, March 16, at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

VPA’s presence in Los Angeles also includes participation in the LA Semester, which SU launched in fall 2009. Students in the Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries in VPA’s Rose, Jules R. and Stanford S. Setnor School of Music are among those SU students who may engage in professional internships, specialized course work and regular interactions with industry leaders, including SU alumni.