The Crossroads

Sajeda Issa at UCLA's Department of Art's M.F.A.

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Just below the foothills of the Santa Monica

Mountains lies the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles. For over a century, film has bestowed its glow on UCLA, with the iconic Hollywood sign just down the road, this year celebrating its 100th anniversary. Creativity is suffused in the atmosphere. And though the school might nationally be known as the home of John Wooden, Lew Alcindor, and one of the greatest two decades of college basketball ever, it's also the home of one of America’s top-ranked Art’s MFA programs. From an emeritus faculty that counts Barbara Kruger, Charles Ray, and Lari Pittman, and an alumnus that features Ed Moses, Ruby Neri, and Elliott Hundley among countless contemporary luminaires, UCLA is literally an arts powerhouse.