Embrace the Arts for the Holidays

Campus Update

UCLA Chancellor's Council on the Arts shared this message with the UCLA campus community.

Dear Bruin Community:

In a fragmented world, the arts offer a vital gift: connection. Whether through the quiet contemplation of a painting, shared laughter in a theater, or collective awe in a concert hall, art unites us, inviting reflection and shared humanity — something we need now more than ever.

As the holidays approach, it’s easy to let the season’s busyness take over. This time of year is also an opportunity to reconnect — with loved ones, ourselves and our community. A visit to a museum, an evening at the theater, or a moment with literature can be restorative. At UCLA, we believe the arts foster resilience, empathy and healing.

Research from the World Health Organization shows that time spent in an art gallery measurably benefits mental health, reducing anxiety, depression and even pain. Just half an hour in an art gallery lowers cortisol levels, while viewing art can stimulate dopamine release, aiding restoration and memory. The performing arts offer similar benefits: shared moments marveling at musicians, dancers or storytellers inspire us with the boundless potential of the human mind and body.

This winter, we invite you to experience the arts at UCLA, across Los Angeles, or wherever your travels take you. The arts remind us that, even in moments of discord, there are stories that transcend difference, inspiring empathy and understanding. This holiday season, step into an art-filled space. Be moved by a melody, transported by a performance or inspired by a masterpiece. In doing so, you nurture your well-being and contribute to a more compassionate, interconnected world. Happy holidays to all.

Sincerely,
UCLA Chancellor’s Council on the Arts

Members:
Eileen Strempel
Inaugural Dean, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
Chair, Chancellor’s Council on the Arts

Cynthia Burlingham
Deputy Director, Curatorial Affairs for the Hammer Museum

Cindy Fan
Vice Provost for International Studies and Global Engagement
Professor of Geography and of Asian American Studies

Silvia Forni
Shirley & Ralph Shapiro Director of the Fowler Museum

Yolanda Gorman
Senior Advisor to the Chancellor and Chief of Staff

May Hong HaDuong
Director, UCLA Film & Television Archive

Brian Kite
Dean, School of Theater, Film & Television

Edgar Miramontes
Executive & Artistic Director, UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance

Mary Osako
Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications

Lionel Popkin
Interim Dean, School of the Arts and Architecture

Alexandra Minna Stern
Dean, Division of Humanities

Abel Valenzuela
Dean, Division of Social Sciences

Jessica Wolf
Director, Arts Communications and Marketing

David K. Yoo
Vice Provost for Institute of American Cultures

Co-signed by:

Darnell Hunt
Interim Chancellor

Michael S. Levine
Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Antonio Bernardo
Dean, Anderson School of Management

Ronald Brookmeyer
Dean, Fielding School of Public Health

Eric A. Bullard
Dean, Division of Continuing Education and UCLA Extension

Christina Christie
Wasserman Dean of the School of Education and Information Studies

Steven Dubinett
Dean, David Geffen School of Medicine

Susan L. Ettner
Dean, Graduate Education

Adriana Galván
Dean, Undergraduate Education

Miguel García-Garibay
Dean, Division of Physical Sciences, Senior Dean of the UCLA College

Athena N. Jackson
Norman and Armena Powell University Librarian

Tracy Johnson
Dean, Division of Life Sciences

Paul Krebsbach
Dean, School of Dentistry

Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris
Interim Dean, Luskin School of Public Affairs

Ah-Hyung “Alissa” Park
Ronald and Valerie Sugar Dean, Samueli School of Engineering

Wendelin Slusser
Associate Vice Provost for Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center