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On Saturday, May 3, 1969, CalArts’ administration, Board of Trustees and special guests gathered at noon on a sprawling field in Valencia, Calif., for an event titled, The Great Ground Breaking.
The dignitaries—led by CalArts’ first Board Chairman Harrison “Buzz” Price and first President Robert W. Corrigan—ushered in a new era in the Institute’s history by breaking ground on CalArts’ Valencia campus.
We’ve posted an audio track from the actual groundbreaking ceremony in which Thomas Lowe, then-president of the Newhall Land & Farming Company, addresses the audience on a vision for Valencia and how CalArts fits into that vision. The audio has been superimposed on film footage capturing the grading and construction of the campus and Main Building.
The gallery’s images, above, are of the day’s program and a souvenir button distributed at the ceremony.
Keep reading 24700 for additional film footage from CalArts’ groundbreaking and early era.
Soundtrack and video editing by Stephanie Cheng Smith (Music MFA 11).