Last week, Dr. Bernd Fischer, the German Consul General in Los Angeles, presented CalArts President Steven D. Lavine with the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. Lavine was honored for his “tireless commitment in the cultural exchange between the United States and Germany.”
The small ceremony was held at the Villa Aurora in the Pacific Palisades, an artists residence and historic landmark located in the former home of exiled German-Jewish writer Lion Feuchtwanger. During his brief remarks, Lavine thanked the audience on behalf of CalArts, which has served as a conduit for several German-American exchanges, as well as many other international programs in recent years.
Among the CalArts-German exchanges:
- In 2011, a CalArts student, faculty and alumni contingent presented a range of new works at PACT Zollverein in Essen, Germany, as party of the larger Ruhrtriennale 2011 festival.
- CalArts School of Art students and faculty members Shirley Tse and Kaucyila Brooke presented the Artist as Traveller exhibition at the Braunschweig University of Art (HBK) in Braunschweig, Germany, in July 2012 as part of an exchange program between the university and CalArts. In November 2012, the Artist as Traveller exhibition was mounted at CalArts featuring work by HBK faculty member Corinna Schnitt and 11 students.
We’ve posted a few photos from the Nov. 6 ceremony in the slideshow above.