USC names new Vice Provost for the Arts
Josh Kun, a professor and chair in cross-cultural communication at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, will serve as USC’s first-ever vice provost for the arts, President Carol Folt announced in a Universitywide email Thursday morning. Kun will assume the role Sept. 1 while continuing to teach and advise students at Annenberg.
Kun will “serve as both innovative curator and ultimate connector” by supporting artistic efforts on campus and also engaging the community beyond the walls of USC, Folt wrote in the email.
The vice provost for the arts is tasked with supporting the artistic community in Los Angeles with new initiatives, fundraising and programs in partnership with the University’s six art schools and the USC museums.
Kun said in an interview with the Daily Trojan that, because the role did not exist previously, he will be able to build the position in collaboration with different players on campus and amplify work both at the University and in the city of L.A. He spoke about potential projects he may take on, such as having artists in residence on campus, creating ways to showcase the artistic work of USC students to communities beyond L.A., and holding a USC Arts Festival.
Kun added that he is seeking to create pathways “for the arts to go beyond the arts.” He hopes to explore the intersections between arts and economics, sociology and more.
As a part of his role, Kun will also serve as chair of a USC Public Arts Committee to organize policies concerning public art around the University, such as why certain pieces belong on campus.
“I’m excited to think about the campus as a space of curation,” Kun said. “These artistic moments around campus [can] be opportunities for new kinds of reflection, new kinds of thinking, new kinds of emotional experiences.”
Music is one of Kun’s major passions because of its ability to connect communities, revealing cultural histories of exchange, he said.
“Music, like so many other artistic forms, allows different individuals with different backgrounds to find ways to be in community with each other without sacrificing their individuality, so that [they] can be together in difference,” he said. “That’s a gift music has given me, and it’s a model that I want to try to use to inspire the work that I’m going to do.”
Kun expressed a sense of excitement for the months to come as he steps into his new role.
“I’m really excited to have more and more conversations,” Kun said. “I’m really excited about meeting new folks, learning about work that I don’t know about yet, introducing the USC arts communities to key arts partners around the country and around the world who might not know the depth and breadth of what we do.”