CALARTIANS’

AGENCY IN ACTION: Doing their part to solve an overwhelming problem, and finding hope and inspiration in the process

“The spirit of this endeavor is so different from how we usually address climate change,” McCann said. “Most of the time, we focus on the apocalyptic nature of it all but, instead, this project is about finding a way to actively exist, with agency, inside the circumstance and connect with the very nature that will be so impacted by it.”

McCann had met Sweet two years earlier and was moved by the work in which she and her team were engaged. He quickly told Bryant about it with the hope that the two of them would be able to recruit some CalArts students to participate and, eventually, develop ongoing participation in the project. Sweet was eager for the assistance. And in fall 2022, six students—two MFA Creative Writing students, an MA in the Aesthetics and Politics program, and three BFA students from Bryant’s classes—signed up to participate. The group spent a long, hot weekend at the park in September 2022, observing and recording plant species alongside UCR and NPS climate scientists, as well as taking measurements and gathering other critical data. This information will be used in sophisticated climate models that will enable scientists to accurately predict what is likely to happen in the park as it warms over the coming decades.

“It’s this amazing project that covers both a huge area but is also designed to cover a lengthy amount of time,” Bryant said.

“The data that we were gathering while we were there will inform scientists and policymakers about the decisions that they have to make now in order to ensure the survival of many of these species 50 years down the road.”

As a result of data collected by the CalArtians, as well as many others over a number of years, scientists will be able to understand whether specific sections of the park will be more viable for Joshua trees and other critical plant species than other areas of the park decades into the future. The snapshots of data being gathered today will ultimately help inform what decisions are made with regard to resource allocation. For example, if Joshua trees are predicted to be more viable in one area, policymakers and park officials can focus their resources now and in the coming years on mitigation efforts in that area in order to help enable longterm survival of the flora. The effort will ensure that resources are spent wisely where they are needed the most.

Most of the time, we focus on the apocalyptic nature of it all but, instead, this project is about finding a way to actively exist, with agency, inside the circumstance and connect with the very nature that will be so impacted by it.

-Anthony McCann

“The area that we were working in seemed to have the right conditions to support the Joshua tree and other species,” said Jackie Hensy, an MA student in the Aesthetics and Politics program and a participant in the project. “So things like fire breaks and resources can be focused in this area as a means for protecting the plant species there.”

While doing their work, the participants witnessed firsthand the damage that climate change has already wrought in the park. “I documented a remote pinyon pine woodland plot, and we found one young living tree,” Hensy said. “We measured the length of about 25 mature, felled trees.”

Yet, in spite of this, the clear feeling among the student participants—as well as Bryant and McCann—was pure exhilaration. They seemed to find themselves energized at the thought of being able to flip the script on the usual narrative surrounding climate change. They were hopeful about doing work specifically designed to mitigate and protect valuable plant species in the face of warming temperatures. Some of the students even found inspiration for their art, taking photos, writing poems, and ruminating on their experience. It also altered their outlook on climate change and the role that they can play adapting to it.

“I left Joshua Tree with a much more hopeful outlook on individual efforts,” said Natalee Park, a BFA1 in the School of Art who also participated in the project. “I now see how even seemingly small efforts mean something.”

“I’ve certainly spent a fair amount of time grieving about climate change, but lately I don’t,” Hensy said.

“I find education and action-oriented work related to climate change to be hopeful. And being able to witness the overlap between the sciences and the humanities in this way is very encouraging to me. A livable planet is dependent on reversing past systems of dominance and oppression, and art helps to tell these stories.” ⁂

Dancer and choreographer Jasmine Sugar (danCe BFa 18) has forged her career by taking on both commercial and concert work. Her efforts have led to projects with A-list stars—from dancing under the direction of Solange Knowles (with the developed work featured in Solange’s art book In Past Pupils and Smiles) to dancing at the 2020 Grammys with Lizzo and working on movement and direction with Zendaya and Amanda Seyfried on a Lancôme mascara campaign. In addition, Sugar has expanded her personal artistic practice to include sustainable fashion, design, drag artistry, and exploring the physical relationship between the three.

In the following conversation with Yusha-Marie Sorzano, BFA program director of The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance at CalArts, Sugar discusses her time at CalArts and her art practice. Here are excerpts from their conversation, which was edited for length and clarity.

Yu S ha-Marie Sorzano: I’m happy to meet you and to be sharing this space to learn more about you. Can you tell me about yourself, when you graduated from CalArts, where you came from, how you grew up, and how you came to dance?

Ja SM ine Sugar: I grew up in Centennial, Colorado, and I started dancing at the age of 4. Just your typical ballet, tap, jazz. When I turned 6, I started competing, and I did that up until I graduated high school. Then I went to CalArts. And it’s funny, but CalArts was the place you go to strip all of your knowledge of competitive dance training, which I grew to really appreciate. When I was there, the feedback I received was: “Technique is good, but let’s prioritize your artistry. Let’s start from the base and grow as an individual.” And when you’re 17, you’re like, “Oh my God, what’s happening?” But now I’m so glad that I went through the entire process of CalArts to become the artist and mover I am today.

What was the first work that you did after CalArts?

The first work I did was with Solange Knowles. I started my fourth year of college while she was curating this piece called Metatronia, in partnership with two directors, Gerard & Kelly, who I worked with further. I believe Solange has moved beyond the space she holds as Beyoncé’s sister and has truly developed into a creative force in the fine art world. She truly is an artist. She creates entire worlds from her own inspirations and intuitions, and it feels so organic to be in that space. That was a unique experience where I could take a step out and say, “OK, this is both what I know from CalArts and the commercial world. I like how this is feeling. This feels authentic and organic, and I’d like to stay on that path.”

So you would say that you’re a hybrid [artist], and you can’t say one or the other is better. They both feed you. They really do. Although industry work does provide a greater income, there is also a flash and “fabulocity” about it that I feel is lacking in the contemporary sphere. However, I feel more grounded in the artistic space of exploration and collaboration. There’s really a constant pull from both worlds.

At CalArts, many of my friends went through gender transformation, exploring their sexuality, changing who they are, and evolving and growing because we were so young. And then to come out as young adults, it’s just a beautiful transformation. And when you apply the complexities of becoming your own artist, that’s not an experience I would ever take away from myself.

Even when I step into more commercial experiences, I feel so much more in my body because I have that training and went through that process of asking, “Where does movement come from? What kind of artist do you wanna be?” So I would say I’m more of a hybrid, especially working with all of the different schools. Working with the actors and the vocal department and animation, all of that feeds into who you are as well. That’s so powerful. Can you tell me about all of that information marinating and bubbling up in you? How have you used it specifically in some of the jobs that you’ve never expected to take? Could you tell us what that job has looked like and how you’ve brought your hybridity to it?

Absolutely. I was recently working on the [Apple TV+] show The Shrink Next Door with Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd. I had to step into this character where I was auditioning as a dancer, but they asked me to lip sync in the audition. And then when I arrived on set for rehearsal, we had to sing the song because in the show, it’s set up like we’re doing Jesus Christ Superstar. And I was playing Mary. The choreographer I was working with— Kat Burns—she has her dancers sing. So every time we were running the piece, I had to sing it and vocalize it. And throughout a lot of my time being a dancer, I didn’t use my voice and I didn’t take acting classes. You pull from memories of people you went to school with and friends you have that are bold and brave. I had to tap into my friends that sing and how to breathe in that way, and my friends that act and have that calm presence and confidence.

That speaks to the interdisciplinary, the collaboration between the schools at CalArts. What do you hope to do going forward? What are your dreams for Jasmine Sugar?

Jasmine

SUGAR TALKS DANCE, DRAG, AND FACING THE FEAR