The events and exhibitions you shouldn’t miss in September

From thought-provoking displays to triumphant performances, September brings an exciting lineup of events for the university community. Organizations from the School of Dramatic Arts, Roski School of Art and Design, and School of Cinematic Arts invite students to a variety of artistic, immersive activities in the backyard of South Los Angeles.

LA Skins: “Bad Press” and “Frybread Face and Me”

LA Skins Fest is the largest Native American film festival in the United States, encouraging Native filmmakers through creative programming and workshops.

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“Bad Press” is a thrilling, Sundance-acclaimed political documentary that chronicles the struggle of a lone journalist representing the Muscogee Nation to expose government censorship and corruption.

The free screening will be followed by a discussion with directors Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler. Landsberry-Baker is the executive director of the Native American Journalists Association. Peeler is an award-winning director and editor whose work can be seen on Netflix in the documentary “Flint Town.”

Presented by the LA Skins Film Festival in partnership with the School of Cinematic Arts, the “Bad Press” screening will take place on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Ray Stark Family Theatre. LA Skins will present “Frybread Face and Me” on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Oct. 14, in the Norris Cinema Theatre.

Thornton Symphony

Sit back and listen to the melodic opener to Thornton’s season, led by the orchestra’s program’s chief conductor Carl St. Clair. The pieces include Atlanta-based composer Joel Thompson’s “breathe/burn: an elegy,” traditional Hebrew songs “Deux mélodies hébraïques” and the musical story “Symphonie fantastique.”

The symphony will feature faculty member Seth Parker Woods, a pioneer in both cello and fashion, and the Robert Mann Chair in Strings and Chamber Music at USC.

Students can register to watch the performance on September 13 at 7:30 PM in the Bovard Auditorium.

WE ARE: Explosion event for PST Art

Commissioned by Getty, “WE ARE: Explosion Event” showcases the interdisciplinary craftsmanship and scientific innovation of multimedia artist Cai Guo-Qiang.

Guo-Qiang is a multimedia creative who combines traditional styles of performance art with contemporary technologies. He was awarded the first US Department of State Medal of Arts in 2012 and was the Director of Visual Effects and Fireworks for the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

The audience is immersed in a visual story in the sky above them, while the real stars of the show are fireworks of sustainable dyes and choreographed drones presenting Guo-Qiang’s innovative artworks alongside his personal creations in the field of artificial intelligence.

Although free tickets are limited, students can view this unique exhibit on September 15 at 4:30 p.m. at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Symposium on AI and the Arts

Join us for this full-day exploratory symposium that directly follows the event “WE ARE: Explosion.” Guest speakers and artists will discuss and present the relationships between artificial intelligence, artistry, and humanity.

Speakers include Guo-Qiang, choreorobotics engineer Catie Cuan, environmental designer Aroussiak Gabrielian, and a host of other artists familiar withat the intersection of artificial intelligence, design, science and visual arts.

All panels will take place in the Bovard Auditorium on September 16.

Roski speaks: Nadya Tolokonnikova

Roski will host Russian feminist and conceptual artist Nadya Tolokonnikova, who founded the performance art and activist group Pussy Riot. The group staged entertaining, politically resistant pieces that culminated in the song “Punk Prayer: Mother of God, Drive Out Putin.”

She is joined on stage by Roski professors Suzanne Lacy and Jennifer West.

Tolokonnikova will speak at the Wong Auditorium on September 17 at 7 p.m.

“Ghostly work”

“Ghostly Labor” is a vision to behold. From rhythmic dance to musical ear-tickling, this production features La Mezcla, an ensemble of Chicane, Latin and indigenous cultures.

Their vibrant performance explores the history of labor and exploitation along the US-Mexico border through the power of resistance.

Visions and Voices presents “Ghostly Labor” at 7pm in the Bovard Auditorium on September 19.

“The Wormwoodster” and “Barbarella”

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, scheduled to open in 2025, will present a special double screening of two genre-bending films that focus on “otherness,” a theme prevalent at the Lucas Museum and in the USC Fisher Museum of Art’s exhibition “Sci-Fi, Magick, Queer LA: Sexual Science and the Imagi-Nation.”

Online RSVP is required for this free screening and will take place at the Norris Cinema Theatre on September 23 at 7:30pm.

“She loves me”

The SDA production “She Loves Me” is a witty, heartfelt romantic comedy musical that depicts a classic hidden identity story, brought to life by “Cabaret” and “Fiddler on the Roof” visionaries Joe Masteroff and Sheldon Harnick.

The show will run from September 26-29 at the Bing Theatre. Digital tickets can be purchased at the USC Ticket Office. General admission is $25, faculty prices are $15, and student tickets are $10 each.

Jazz Night in Carson

On September 30, the Afro-Latin American Jazz Ensemble will take center stage on the Carson Soundstage to perform a variety of Latin American music genres.

The event will be led by faculty member Aarón Serfaty, who also works at the LA Music Academy.