Professor Art Nomura is retiring from the University. As the first minority hire at the School of Film and Television, Nomura has been a steadfast champion for diversity at LMU. “I think that there are two uniquely human qualities that need to be nurtured and celebrated: creativity and compassion,” he said. “My goal has been to encourage those qualities in the people that I have taught and befriended along the way, and I sincerely hope that others will continue to do so.”
Before arriving at LMU in 1990, Nomura taught media production throughout Southern California. From 1981 to 1985, he co-managed the Video Annex of the Long Beach Museum of Art and then from 1985 to1995, he directed video art production in Studio Art at the University of California, Irvine.
At LMU, he focused much of his teaching on Senior and Graduate film/video projects and the innovative use of media, including trans- and 360-degree media. He launched SFTV’s Media Innovation class, emphasizing to his students that “the technology with which we make and distribute media are not just tools, but have the power to change both approach and substance.”
He has also taught internationally–including film and video production, editing, screenwriting, computer animation and film history–in Portugal, Italy, Germany and New Zealand. In 2003, he received a Fulbright Research Scholar Grant to live in Japan and shoot his documentary Finding Home.
“I was deemed the resident wise man by some, and the resident wise guy by others,” said Nomura at his retirement luncheon. After nearly a quarter of a century of dedication to the LMU community, Professor Art Nomura will be missed, but his wise words will not be forgotten.