State of the Arts to showcase student works
Photo from SparkSC
Artistic value · Laura Krostovska-Guerrero, a senior majoring in global studies and a contemporary multimedia artist, will present her art at the event. She conveys themes, such as social justice, in her works.
On Nov. 11, USC’s talented student artists will join forces with Los Angeles’ artists to put on State of the Arts, a fair showcasing the student community’s artistic and creative innovations. The event will include exhibitions, keynote speakers, videos, interactive exhibits and food sampling.
Several USC students have been developing independent creative projects, which will be showcased at the event. One such artist is Michael Chang, a senior majoring in fine arts, who will have his own exhibition at the event.
“I examine cultural intersections between people and objects in my artwork. Explorations manifest through various mediums including drawing, painting, collage, and graphic design,” Chang said. “I combine historical research and personal experiences to create speculative narratives that often in futuristic, fictionalized realities.”
Another exhibition will be hosted by Laura Krstovska-Guerrero, a senior majoring in global studies. A multimedia artist, she discusses topics of social justice, identity and her background. She uses the recurring motif of a palm tree to represent the complex issues that she tackles. Her senior thesis explores the experience of artists of color at USC.
Melisa Seah, a freshman majoring in business administration and founder of Classic Revivals, will have an exhibit on the fashion industry and sustainability. Her brand utilizes eco-friendly materials and fair labor practices to create socially conscious clothing.
The interactive exhibits portion of the event will have booths for attendees to pitch their own ideas. USC’s 1000 Pitches booth will be there, an on-campus competition for student entrepreneurs to develop their ideas and win a prize of $1,000.
Hosted by SparkSC, USC’s entrepreneurship and innovation club, State of the Arts aims to inspire entrepreneurial spirit among aspiring artists. Fostering a culture of creativity has been a goal for this student organization and many others on campus, such as Visions and Voices and LavaLab.
Additionally, the University has invested many resources into integrating entrepreneurship as an academic concentration. The Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies is the oldest institute of its kind and the joint minor in Innovation: The Digital Entrepreneur, was co-established by the Viterbi School of Engineering and the Marshall School of Business to prepare students interested in business and innovation. Additionally, the Iovine and Young Academy, established in 2014, combines arts, business and technology to foster the spirit of entrepreneurship.
SparkSC hosted an event last year called Arts, Grooves and Foods. The event attracted over 450 people throughout campus. State of the Arts aims to build upon that audience and expand the reach of the entrepreneurship club.
The event will take place in the Fishbowl Chapel at from 4 to 8 p.m, and is free and open to the public.