REDCAT

Last updated
Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater (REDCAT)
REDCAT Logo.jpg
REDCAT
Address631 W. 2nd Hope St.
Los Angeles, United States
Type Theatre, gallery, art center
Capacity 270 (est.)
Construction
Opened2003
Architect Frank Gehry
Website
www.redcat.org

Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater (REDCAT) is an interdisciplinary contemporary arts center for innovative visual, performing and media arts in downtown Los Angeles, California, located inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex. Named for Roy O. Disney and his wife, it was opened in November 2003 as an extension of the California Institute of the Arts' mission into downtown Los Angeles.

Contents

Programs

Facility

The art center consists of a 3,000-square-foot (280 m2) gallery space, a 200–270-seat flexible black box theater, and a lounge/cafe/bar.

History

As the Walt Disney Concert Hall began construction in 1992, Roy E. Disney, son of Roy O. and Edna Disney, saw an opportunity for the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Santa Clarita to have a presence in downtown Los Angeles. With the financial support of The Walt Disney Company and the County of Los Angeles, the Concert Hall’s architect, Frank Gehry, whose children graduated from CalArts, was asked to design the new venue as part of the complex. Patty and Roy E. Disney personally matched the Disney Company’s gift and named the facility after his parents Edna and Roy O. Disney who built The Walt Disney Company with younger brother Walt, and after his death, ensured that his greatest wish and achievement, the construction and launching of CalArts' campus, was completed.

At the time of REDCAT’s conception in the early 1990s, then CalArts President Steven D. Lavine cited the pairing of experimentation in the arts with a public space for artist-community engagement as the primary consideration for the venue design and its role as a laboratory for the Institute. Lavine noted the Cottesloe Theatre in London as a model for its high caliber renegade experimentation. [1] Lavine additionally expressed an institutional ambition for CalArts to contribute to the local community and participate in a broader dialogue about emerging forms of art and performance. The aim was to offer Los Angeles residents exposure to innovative art forms more consistently than occasional events (e.g. 1984 Olympic Arts Festival). [2] Harvey Lichtenstein, then president and executive producer of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, was brought in as a consultant during the development phases of REDCAT in 1999. [3]

After the initial search for a founding executive director proved elusive after the events of September 11, 2001 changed the national mood about the arts, Mark Murphy, originally considered for a more curatorial program director role for the theater space, was instead hired as the first executive director of REDCAT. Murphy observed a dearth of interdisciplinary art spaces in Los Angeles the likes of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Wexner Center for the Arts, and the Walker Art Center, or the Alte Oper in Frankfurt and the Hebbel am Ufer in Berlin. [4] Given Murphy’s sole focus on the performing arts, Eungie Joo was hired in 2003 as the Gallery Director and Chief Curator for the gallery space. This bifurcated leadership start was the impetus that propelled initiatives for commissioned works, artist residencies, collaborations, and public programs for the Theater and Gallery as parallel and separate from each other rather than per its original conception as a unified laboratory of CalArts. Subsequent Gallery Directors and Curators after Joo were Clara Kim and Ruth Estévez.

Upon the departures of both Estévez and Murphy in 2018, the position of Executive Director of REDCAT was elevated to a CalArts senior leadership position (Vice President), reporting directly to the CalArts President. With this position change came the added responsibility for the management of all CalArts partnerships with cultural institutions in Los Angeles and beyond, further extending the professional laboratory work of the Institute into a global context.

An international search in 2019 resulted in the hire of João Ribas, the former Director of the Serralves in Portugal, to become the first CalArts Vice President for Cultural Partnerships & Executive Director of REDCAT, occupying the Steven D. Lavine Endowed Chair (given in honor of retired CalArts President Lavine, the founder of REDCAT). [5] [6] This change returned REDCAT to its founding concept as a multidisciplinary laboratory for artists with a unified program—performing and visual arts together—under one executive director with multiple curators working together as a team collaboratively to enable public engagement with experimentation in the arts.

Initial Criticism

In the 2002 architecture book Gehry: The City and Music, Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe, a former faculty member at CalArts, describes REDCAT as a performance space located within the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Gilbert-Rolfe notes that REDCAT's exterior stone appearance and orientation towards the back of the building makes it visually distinct from the metallic exterior of the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex. He uses this comparison to illustrate the social divide between artists performing at REDCAT versus those performing at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Gilbert-Rolfe suggests that REDCAT can be seen pejoratively as an "entry-level" venue for aspiring artistic professionals looking to perform at more well-known venues like the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Gilbert-Rolfe's analysis was published prior to REDCAT's inaugural season in the fall of 2003. [7] With the arrival of the Broad Museum, and the subsequent Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill station of the LA Metro, REDCAT now occupies a "front door" to the entire Bunker Hill Arts area for those arriving via public transit.

In 2007, Los Angeles–based art critic Edward Goldman found himself driving by REDCAT and decided to see if there was an exhibition on display. Upon arrival, he noticed that the gallery did not use banners to announce their shows. Despite this, he took a chance and entered the galley. As the only person in the gallery, he noticed the art exhibit’s attendant appearing ambivalent to him as he entered the gallery. Noticing an exhibit on display, Goldman found the installation Falha (Failure) by Brazilian artist Renata Lucas to be austere, and there were no labels or wall text to explain the artwork. [8] Uncertain if visitors were supposed to engage with the artwork, Goldman took a risk and walked across the plywood sheets (contents of the artist’s exhibit). Luckily, he discovered a pamphlet with an essay about the artist, but it was written in dense, inaccessible jargon, as he described it to be “favored by Artforum magazine and the CalArts in-crowd”. Seeking clarity, he asked the young attendant for help, who explained that Lucas wanted visitors to have a hands-on experience with her artwork. Despite this, Goldman determined that the exhibition's curator Clara Kim did not clearly communicate this intention to the public. [9] Afterwards, Goldman left the exhibition with the impression of feeling like an “uninvited guest crashing the party”. [10] In a 2013 TEDTalk, Goldman disclosed that WDCH's architect Gehry was the first art professional he met in Los Angeles when he initially immigrated to the United States. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Gehry</span> Canadian-American architect (born 1929)

Frank Owen Gehry is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become attractions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Philharmonic</span> Orchestra in Los Angeles, California

The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra in Los Angeles, California. Colloquially referred to as the LA Phil, the orchestra has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September. Gustavo Dudamel is the current music director; Esa-Pekka Salonen is conductor laureate, Zubin Mehta is conductor emeritus, and Susanna Mälkki is principal guest conductor. John Adams is the orchestra's current composer-in-residence.

The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art school in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both the visual and performing arts. It offers Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees through its six schools: Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music, and Theater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Disney Concert Hall</span> Concert hall in California, U.S.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It was opened on October 23, 2003. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue, and 1st and 2nd Streets, it seats 2,265 people and serves, among other purposes, as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. The hall is a compromise between a vineyard-style seating configuration, like the Berliner Philharmonie by Hans Scharoun, and a classical shoebox design like the Vienna Musikverein or the Boston Symphony Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Music Center</span> Performing arts center in Los Angeles, California

The Los Angeles Music Center is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Located in downtown Los Angeles, The Music Center is composed of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Roy & Edna Disney CalArts Theatre (REDCAT), and Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The Chouinard Art Institute was a professional art school founded in 1921 by Nelbert Murphy Chouinard (1879–1969) in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. In 1961, Walt and Roy Disney guided the merger of the Chouinard Art Institute and the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music to establish the California Institute of the Arts. Chouinard continued to operate until the new campus opened in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diane Disney Miller</span> Elder child of Walt Disney and his wife Lillian Bounds Disney (1933–2013)

Diane Marie Disney-Miller was the daughter and only biological child of Walt Disney and his wife Lillian Bounds Disney. Diane co-founded the Walt Disney Family Museum alongside her family. She was president of the Board of Directors of the Walt Disney Family Foundation.

The California EAR Unit was an American chamber ensemble dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. The group was founded in March 1981 in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jules Engel</span> American filmmaker and animator (1909–2003)

Jules Engel was an American filmmaker, painter, sculptor, graphic artist, set designer, animator, film director, and teacher of Hungarian origin. He was the founding director of the experimental animation program at the California Institute of the Arts, where he taught until his death, serving as mentor to several generations of animators.

The Herb Alpert Award in the Arts was established in the 1994 by The Herb Alpert Foundation in collaboration with the California Institute of the Arts. The Herb Alpert Foundation, which included then-present Kip Cohen, and benefactors Herbert and Lani Alpert, approached then-CalArts president Steven Lavine with the proposition of providing young artists studying at the institute opportunities to engage with current American artists. This would be a forum to provide them with the best possible professional training. CalArts previously established a relationship with Herb Alpert from his support of the jazz program at the School of Music.

The organization of the artist is a method used by architect Frank Gehry that places the artist in control of the design throughout a building construction and deliberately eliminates the influence of politicians and business people on design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claudio Maldonado (musician)</span> Musical artist

Claudio Maldonado, also known as Xunorus is an Argentine composer, guitarist and arranger, referent musician from the new generation of classical music contemporary composers from Patagonia.

Carey Lovelace is an American art journalist, playwright, curator, and producer based in New York. She is the founder of Visions2030.

Grand Avenue is a major north–south thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California. Primarily located in downtown's Bunker Hill, Financial, and South Park districts, the avenue features many of the area's most notable destinations, and also connects to City Hall via Grand Park.

Naoyuki Oguri, who performs as simply Oguri, is a dancer and choreographer from Japan who lives in Los Angeles, California, where he works creating and teaching dance. His work is influenced by the tradition of the Japanese Butoh style of dance.

Kim Beom is a South Korean multimedia artist.

Ball-Nogues Studio is a design and fabrication practice based in Los Angeles, California, founded by Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues, and currently led by Benjamin Ball. The studio's work falls between the categories of art, architecture and industrial design. The practice is known for creating site-specific architectural installations out of unorthodox materials such as stainless steel ball-chain and spheres, paper pulp, garments, and coffee tables. The studio focuses on the process of creation, with an emphasis on the research and exploration of materials and fabrication methods. Much of the studio's work involves expanding the potential of materials and manufacturing techniques.

Christoph Bull is a German composer, musician and educator, and a Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) who was the first organist to record a complete commercial album at the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles California using the Frank Gehry co-designed Glatter-Götz/Rosales organ, 2010's "First & Grand Walt Disney Concert Hall Premiere Recording". Christoph is also the creator of Organica, a multi-media concert and recorded album series that has been performed regularly since April 1999. Dr. Bull has performed on several soundtracks for movies and television series, including the score for the 2016 remake of Ghostbusters.

Steven D. Lavine is an American academic administrator who was the president of the California Institute of the Arts. He stepped down from that position in June 2017, after 29 years in the post.

Alma Ruiz is a curator, best known as a longtime, former senior curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA).

References

  1. ↑ Lavine, Steven (April 18, 2000). "The Politics of Culture: Cal Arts". KCRW (Interview). Interviewed by Edward Goldman. Los Angeles.
  2. ↑ Murphy, Mark; Sefton, David (2023). "Two LA Impresarios". LAPL. Los Angeles Public Library. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
  3. ↑ Horn, John (February 27, 1999). "HBO Makes a Big Bet on a High-Stakes Genre". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  4. ↑ Murphy, Mark (November 11, 2011). "The Politics of Culture: The REDCAT Theater". KCRW (Interview). Interviewed by James Taylor. Los Angeles.
  5. ↑ "João Ribas Appointed New Executive Director of REDCAT and Vice President for Cultural Partnerships". 24700. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  6. ↑ "REDCAT names a new leader: curator and writer João Ribas". Los Angeles Times. 2020-02-25. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  7. ↑ Gilbert-Rolfe, J. (2002). Frank Gehry: The City and Music (2nd ed.), p. 91. Phaidon.
  8. ↑ "Renata Lucas". REDCAT. Archived from the original on 2007-06-23. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  9. ↑ "MOCA Appoints Clara Kim Chief Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs". MOCA. May 25, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Story of Two Exhibitions, One Friendly, the Other Not". KCRW Art Talk. 31 July 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  11. ↑ "A connection through art: Edward Goldman at TEDxVeniceBeach". YouTube. Retrieved March 12, 2023.

34°03′18″N118°15′02″W / 34.055123°N 118.250547°W / 34.055123; -118.250547

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.