Steven Lavine


Steven D. Lavine is the former president of the California Institute of the Arts. He stepped down from that position in June 2017, after 29 years in the post.

Early life and education

Steven D. Lavine was born 1947 in Sparta, Wisconsin and grew up in Superior, Wisconsin. His father was house call doctor, and his mother was a gifted pianist, reciting compositions of Sergei Rachmaninoff and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky at home. Lavine cites artistic works like Bob Dylan's debut album and Alain Resnais' film Hiroshima mon amour as early influences in developing his interests in the arts.
Lavine graduated from Central High School in 1965. He is graduate of Stanford University. He received a master's and doctorate in English and American literature from Harvard University.

Career

Through the professional recommendation of Martin Friedman, then-director of the Walker Art Center, Lavine became in contact with the Board of Trustees at CalArts. In 1988, Lavine was named president of CalArts, after serving as the associate director for arts and humanities at the Rockefeller Foundation.
In 1991, with Ivan Karp, Lavine co-edited, Exhibiting Cultures: The Poetics and Politics of Museum Display.

CalArts

As the third president of CalArts, Lavine oversaw the naming of The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance, The Herb Alpert School of Music, and REDCAT, the Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater that opened in the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.

Personal life

Lavine is married to writer and artist Janet Sternburg.