Cal State Los Angeles received a grant of $1 million from the international modern and contemporary art gallery Hauser & Wirth to support the undergraduate program in the Department of Television, Film and Media Studies, it was announced Wednesday.
CSULA is ranked first in the nation for the upward mobility of its students, many of whom are first-generation college students, according to the university.
“Cal State LA’s commitment to civic engagement and public service aligns perfectly with our gallery’s desire to contribute to the communities where we work,” said Marc Payot, partner and vice president of Los Angeles-based Hauser & Wirth, who also oversees all of the international gallery’s activities in the United States.
“We want to support scholarship in all forms, from art historical research and the preservation of artists’ archives, to the efforts of young students seeking to become community activists themselves through the art and films they are learning to make,” he said.
The grant is the latest development in a partnership that began in fall 2017 with the introduction of a semester-long course titled Community Impact Media. The course provides student filmmakers with hands-on experience in media production and offers storytelling mentorships to guide them through creation of original short documentaries about the work of local nonprofit organizations.