Chouinard: An Overture

As the history of contemporary art in Los Angeles is brought to the forefront by institutions across the city through the Getty Foundation’s Pacific Standard Time initiative, CalArts President Steven D. Lavine hosts an evening dedicated to one of the great early forces in the emergence of Los Angeles as an international art center: the Chouinard Art Institute, founded by Nelbert Murphy Chouinard in 1921, and CalArts’ predecessor institution. Joining the discussion are Chouinard alumna Alice Estes Davis, a renowned costume designer noted for her exceptional work with Walt Disney, and Gianina Ferreyra, a filmmaker currently creating a documentary about Chouinard’s founder and her influential art school. In conversation with invited guests, Estes Davis and Ferreyra share perspectives on Chouinard, and its significant impact on the arts in Los Angeles. Illuminating selections from Gianina’s documentary-in-progress are screened as part of the evening.