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This summer, the Mandeville Art Gallery at UC San Diego is presenting a new commissioned work by artist LaJuné McMillian that explores liberated Black realities. “The Portal’s Keeper” was created specifically for the permanent three-sided LED screen on the outside of the gallery, transforming the building’s facade into an elegant canvas. The installation is co-sponsored by the university’s Black Studies Project and is on view daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. through September 26.
McMillian is a new media artist and creative technologist whose art integrates performance, augmented reality, and physical computing. Many of his projects are a response to the cultural appropriation of black movement and dance in the motion capture industry. McMillian promotes creative practices that encourage vulnerability, celebrate black people’s stories and lives, and create space for community growth.
“‘The Portal’s Keeper’ reminds us that movement represents not only our individual experiences, but also our collective memory, which transcends space, time and oppressive social structures,” said McMillian. “It allows us to connect with each other, with our ancestors and our deepest selves, and gives us space to communicate with our future. Movement is a technology that contains the stories of our existence globally.”
The new installation is just one example of the many exhibitions, concerts, theater performances and creative experiments taking place at UC San Diego. “With ArtsConnect, the Chancellor’s new arts initiative, we are activating the entire university as a place to immerse yourself in culture and creativity,” said Cristina Della Coletta, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities. “The program, co-led by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life, combines the innovation of the academic arts with vibrant events that engage diverse audiences on and off campus.”
