The fourth annual Arts Division Convocation on October 2, 2024, brought together Arts Division students, faculty, staff, parents and alumni to celebrate the beginning of the new academic year and hear Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu’s vision for the year. The Distinguished Banana Slug Award in the Arts was also presented and is given each year to an honoree who exemplifies excellence and a dedication to the Arts Division, which was followed by a discussion and Q&A with chairs and directors representing each of the Arts departments and programs. This year’s recipients were UC Santa Cruz Professor of Art Eduardo Carrillo (posthumously), and his wife Alison Carrillo. Past recipients have been notable Arts Division alumni: internationally acclaimed conductor, Kent Nagano (2021); Academy Award-winning production designer, Rick Carter (2022); and renowned Pixar editor, Kevin Nolting (2023).
Addressing the audience that filled the Mainstage Theater and those on Zoom, Dean Celine (as she is fondly called by the Arts Division community) was joined on the stage by Assistant Dean for Student Success and Chief of Staff, Esthela Bañuelos, Senior Assistant Dean Stephanie Moore, and Professor of Music, Associate Dean for DEI in the Arts and Director of Digital Arts and New Media, Karlton Hester; along with the Department Chairs: Professors Amy Beal of Music, Ben Leeds Carson Program Director of Creative Technologies, Michael Chemers of PPD , Elliott Anderson of Art, Peter Limbrick of Film and Digital Media, and T.J. Demos from the History of Art and Visual Culture. Professor of Art Elizabeth Stephens and Professor of History of Art and Visual Culture Jennifer Gonzalez also were there to lead the discussion with Ms. Carrillo.
The Dean outlined her key initiatives, saying: “As I begin my fourth year as Dean, I prioritize institutionalizing initiatives under the adage of access, ambition and aspiration, equity and excellence, inclusion and innovation composed of three pillars: advancing diversity, decolonizing the curriculum and demonstrating accountability to the communities we bring, broadly defined. These compose the flag flying atop our division to lift us all up.”
She also talked about how, under her leadership, the demographics of the Arts Division has changed, citing how from the academic year 2021-2022 to the present year, the number of Arts faculty from communities underrepresented in academia increased from 46% to 58%. Over that same period, it also was noted that the Arts Division doubled the number of Latinx faculty and nearly doubled the number of Black faculty. “While our systems do not necessarily capture diversity in all its richness, we see our faculty elevating research and creative activities with a focus on the LGBTQI+ communities, and asserting the important experiences and perspectives of the differently abled,” Shimizu said.
“Increased ethnic/racial diversity in the Arts staff also improves,” she continued. “Comparing data from 2020 (just before I arrived) to 2024, a notable increase in staff racial/ethnic diversity occurs: growing from 11% hailing from underrepresented groups to now 35% of our staff. Acknowledging the rareness and rightness of this shift, let us celebrate our work together in leading the University of California in these efforts. We enact needed change right here.”
During the program, Dean Celine presented Alison Carrillo with two Distinguished Banana Slug Awards – one for Alison and one for her late husband. The awards, which depict the UC Santa Cruz banana slug mascot, are custom made from bronze in the Foundry each year by artist J. Gaston who works in the UCSC Art Department. Also on stage, positioned on an easel, was a self-portrait of Eduardo Carrillo that Alison Carrillo brought with her from her home to represent Eduardo’s presence.
When thanking the Dean and Arts Division for the award, Carrillo said that she could feel her late husband accepting the award alongside her. She shared fond personal memories of their time together and his years teaching at UC Santa Cruz, and talked about his wide influence as an artist, saying how much he thought about others and uplifting people and communities. She has worked diligently since his death in 1997 to maintain his legacy, in part by creating the Museo Eduardo Carrillo in 2001, along with supporting Chicano artists and the Chicano community. Upon Eduardo’s passing, Alison, along with family and friends, created the UC Santa Cruz Eduardo Carrillo Scholarship where funds are given to deserving 10-15 art students every year. The Eduardo Carrillo Scholarship is a need-based scholarship that provides funds to UC Santa Cruz art majors who have achieved high academic merit in painting, drawing, or sculpture. Scholarship recipients can use the funds as needed, and it has made significant positive impacts on many students’ lives.
In her remarks, Dean Celine emphasized the importance of continuing to work together to create an inclusive climate for the staff, faculty and students. “Beloved community, know this, through your devotion to the arts, you can get strong in the face of adversity,” she said. “Count on your craft to help you contribute to the world with your particular strengths in the face of any obstacles. At this moment of the new school year, I stand in reverence of what is most certainly ahead–an awesome evolution. Theater will be experienced to transform you, music will be composed and played to make you realize you did not actually know how to hear and listen until you got here. You will read texts that will completely change how you occupy your body and the world. This is guaranteed to happen here.”
Arts Division students, staff and faculty who attended commented on how much they appreciated the Dean’s keynote address and learning more about Eduardo Carrillo. One faculty member observed: “The event in general was lovely. It’s so meaningful to take the time and make the effort to celebrate, in community, the individuals who have shaped the Arts Division.” Other attendees also talked afterward about the sense of community and the inspiring speech given by the Dean, and enjoyed being able to stay to chat with friends and colleagues as well as take photos together after the event ended.
During her comments, Dean Celine also referenced her own, challenging personal journey sharing how her son, Lakas, who suddenly died at age 8 in 2013, would have been starting his first year of college at this time. “While there is so much I do not and cannot know about Lakas now, I know that transformation starts here,” she began. “One thing I have learned in my journey as a grieving mom is to channel the love I have for my son in ways that are productive and life-giving. There are such great things ahead in this precious life. I am so fortunate you are here with us to discover what you are capable of, your capacity to change, and what you will get done.”