UCLA PRESENTS THE BEST in arts and culture, community events, sports and entertainment on and around campus. From film screenings to concerts, March is full of exciting experiences. For more UCLA events, visit community.ucla.edu.
MARCH 2 | 12:00 P.M.
UCLA First Thursdays: “Game On”
Spring is in full swing at this month’s UCLA First Thursdays. During the day, the American Red Cross at UCLA will offer CPR training and information on disaster preparedness, complete with a trivia wheel to put your newfound knowledge to the test. Then, in honor of spring training, the streets of Westwood will be lined with food trucks, sports-themed activities and prizes in this tailgate-inspired celebration of UCLA Athletics. RSVP online for a free ticket to the evening block party.
MARCH 22 | 7:30 P.M.
Originalism and the Supreme Court, with Erwin Chemerinsky
At a time when the Supreme Court is, more than ever, affecting how we live, this three-part Hammer Forum series is tackling all things Supreme Court, offering engaged citizens an accessible way to actively understand these decisions that affect them and what may come next. One of the nation’s foremost constitutional scholars and dean of UC Berkeley Law Erwin Chemerinsky returns for this final installment to discuss constitutional interpretation and the role originalism plays or doesn’t play in the court’s decisions. Arrive at the Hammer Museum at UCLA early, as this is not a ticketed event.
MARCH 3 | 2:00 P.M.
Jam Session with the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance Ensemble
In the mood for jazz? Consider this your open invitation to come have a listen. The UCLA Music Library is hosting a jam session with the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance Ensemble Class of 2023. The afternoon musicale will open with a set performed by the ensemble, after which all attendees with instruments are encouraged to join in. Bring an instrument (and if you’re bringing a tuba, bring your SUV) and jam with your peers!
MARCH 3 & 4 | 8:00 P.M.
Set within the boundaries of a contemporary ring, this intimate, physical performance duet from 2020 Guggenheim Fellow Shamel Pitts focalizes male touch in a charged reimagining of the traditionally violent space. Touch of RED — presented by UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance — is the newest work in Pitts’ “RED Series,” which reflects Pitts’ dedicated exploration of the diversity within Blackness. Performances are ticketed and will be held at the Freud Playhouse.
MARCH 9 | 11:00 A.M.
Ann Phong: Re-Evaluating Normal
Through deft variations in texture and vibrant hues, Ann Phong’s large-scale paintings explore the global events that have reshaped her as an artist. Whether they are memories of war and migration; the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; or contemporary social, political, and racial tensions, Phong transforms seminal moments into expressive abstraction, creating an invitation to pause, think and recalibrate how we coexist. This event will be held virtually and in-person at 164 Royce Hall. RSVP online.
MARCH 9–11 | 7:30 P.M.
Cauleen Smith — In Space, In Time: Black Utopia LP
Described as a “film-without-film,” Cauleen Smith’s Black Utopia LP combines the artist’s vinyl LP with a 35mm slide projection of African diaspora culture, involving history, music, outer space and African divination. Both passionately reflective and urgently contemporary, the work evolves each time it is performed to include new slides for the political moment and current locale. Presented by the Hammer Museum and the UCLA Film & Television Archive, this free performance will be held at the Billy Wilder Theater and will be followed by a Q&A with Cauleen Smith M.F.A. ’02. This evening marks the first of a three-part series, “Cauleen Smith — In Space, In Time,” with subsequent nights featuring programs of Smith’s short films.
MARCH 11 | 8:00 P.M.
Courtesy of CAP UCLA, the Ukrainian quartet that swept away audiences with sold-out performances in 2022 returns to The Theatre at Ace Hotel to charm and enchant for one night only. DakhaBrakha — which translates to “give/take” in the old Ukrainian language — aptly encompasses the band’s Ukrainian folk roots, playfully suffused with new exuberance and transnational influences. Buy tickets in advance online.
MARCH 18 | 7:30 P.M.
We Are Controlling Transmission: The Outer Limits
Sixty years after shocking viewers with its disruptively eerie message — “there is nothing wrong with your television set” — The Outer Limits returns to jolt audiences out of their reverie in this anniversary screening. The UCLA Film & Television Archive invites TV connoisseurs to experience two memorable episodes from the series in their original format. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with authors David Schow (The Outer Limits Companion), Joanne Morreale (The Outer Limits) and Marc Scott Zicree (The Twilight Zone Companion). This free event will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis.
MARCH 25 | 8:00 P.M.
Sam Green and JD Samson: 32 Sounds
A tree falling in a forest, the clack of a typewriter … these are examples of the elemental sounds captured in Sam Green’s profoundly immersive film, 32 Sounds. Screening at The Theatre at Ace Hotel and presented by CAP UCLA, Green’s mesmerizing and meditative sonic documentary explores the power of sound in manipulating time and space. Presented in its “live cinema” form, the film features live narration by Green and musical accompaniment by JD Samson of Le Tigre. Buy tickets in advance online.
MARCH 5 | 2:30 P.M.
Take yourself out to the ballgame: twice. Attend two games with just one ticket when, as part of the Southern California College Baseball Classic, you attend a doubleheader at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Tulane vs. Sacramento State will begin at 10:30 A.M., and the UCLA Blue Out game against USC starts at 2:30 P.M. Wear blue and arrive early for the chance to win a free pompom! You can purchase tickets online.
MARCH 10 | 12:00 P.M.
UC Alumni Career Network: Building and Retaining a Health Care Workforce for Health Equity
How do you begin to truly establish health equity? An integral step in treating underserved communities is to first build pathways for health care professionals of diverse backgrounds. Join UC President Michael Drake for an industry-specific conversation discussing how UC alumni serving in leadership positions across health professions are creating spaces for a more diverse, inclusive and equitable workforce in health care to advance health equity. Free virtual event; RSVP online.
MARCH 12 | 9:30 A.M.
2023 Alumnae Conference: Dare to Soar
Whether they are pursuing their degrees or handing them out, women have always comprised some of UCLA’s most influential and inspiring administrators, faculty, students and staff. In celebration of Women’s History Month, join fellow alumnae in-person or virtually for a day replete with professional and personal development opportunities, including inspiring keynote speakers, networking opportunities, a professional photo-op and an introduction to a UCLA alumnae entrepreneur marketplace. Jennifer White ’97, M.P.P. ’06, educator, investor, consultant and South African wine aficionado, will also mark the occasion by hosting an educational exploration and sampling of South African wines. Purchase tickets online; RSVP required.
MARCH 16 | 6:00 P.M.
Luskin Alumni Regional Reception
Join fellow change-makers for an evening of building community and complimentary tacos set against the breathtaking views at Bonaventure Brewing Co. Alumni, faculty and staff from across the four departments of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs are welcome to attend this intersectional networking event. In addition to a brief address from Interim Dean Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, all four current department chairs will be in attendance, eager to reconnect with the vibrantly diverse UCLA Luskin population. RSVP required.
