About SoCCAS
The Southern California Consortium of Art Schools was conceived as an originator of symposia, lectures, exhibitions, publications and other initiatives made possible through an unprecedented collaboration among ten internationally recognized graduate art programs. These include: Art Center College of Art and Design, California Institute for the Arts, Claremont Graduate School, Otis School of Art and Design, University of Southern California, University of California - Irvine, University of California - Los Angeles, University of California - San Diego, and University of California - Santa Barbara.
The consortium’s programming has two aspects, one developed by its committee of school faculty and focused on the annual SoCCAS symposium and book publication; the second directed by the MFA committed and dedicated to smaller events and discussions.
Since its launch in 2003, more than 40 faculty and 50 graduates from the art, art history, critical writing and other departments at member schools have contributed to SoCCAS initiatives by serving on planning and programming committees, introducing and presenting at consortium events, and writing for the book series.
The creative and academic resources of SoCCAS, in partnership with leading
museums and institutions, represent a signal opportunity for the diffusion,
public programming and publication of art work and criticism from the
member schools. The global significance of these cultural contributions
has already been acknowledged, and it is the ambition of SoCCAS to serve
as a proactive “central nervous system” for the collective
aspirations of this important cultural discourse.
SoCCAS has produced events in collaboration with MOCA (2004), LACMA (2005), LACE (2005), The Getty Center (2006), and Raid Projects (2006). The consortium is currently working with the Hammer Museum on its next symposium planned for Spring of 2007.