Cauleen Smith's Vinyl Records for Art Class

Source: theparisreview.org

TL;DR

• Cauleen Smith Portfolio: Artist Cauleen Smith presents gouache paintings of vinyl records used in her UCLA course ART 149: Music for Visual Thinking.[[1]](https://www.theparisreview.org/art-photography/8472/art-149-music-for-visual-thinking-cauleen-smith)
• Classroom Ritual: Students spread carpets, lie down in the dark, and listen for twenty minutes to records like Lester Bowie’s The Great Pretender before working on audiovisual installations.[[1]](https://www.theparisreview.org/art-photography/8472/art-149-music-for-visual-thinking-cauleen-smith)
• Music's Role: Specific albums teach repetition's dynamism, creative thoughts over originality, and resilience in rough political times.[[1]](https://www.theparisreview.org/art-photography/8472/art-149-music-for-visual-thinking-cauleen-smith)

The story at a glance

Cauleen Smith, a filmmaker and artist born in 1967 in Riverside, California, who lives in Los Angeles, shares a portfolio of gouache paintings on black paper depicting vinyl records from her undergraduate UCLA studio course, ART 149: Music for Visual Thinking. In the class, students collaborate on audiovisual installations after a ritual of lying on carpets in a darkened room to listen to music. This appears in The Paris Review's Issue 255, Spring 2026, as a visual art feature tied to the magazine's new spring release.[[1]](https://www.theparisreview.org/art-photography/8472/art-149-music-for-visual-thinking-cauleen-smith)

Key points

• Smith teaches ART 149 at UCLA, where students build collaborative audiovisual installations.
• Each session starts with students spreading carpets on the floor, turning off lights, and lying down to listen to vinyl for at least twenty minutes.[[1]](https://www.theparisreview.org/art-photography/8472/art-149-music-for-visual-thinking-cauleen-smith)
• The portfolio renders a selection of those records in gouache on black construction paper, courtesy of the artist and Corbett vs. Dempsey, Chicago.
• Lester Bowie’s The Great Pretender demonstrates "the dynamism and liberatory possibilities of repetition as form."
• Horace Tapscott conveys that "originality is not as important as creative thoughts."
• Sylvester’s Stars plays "when the political climate gets rough."[[1]](https://www.theparisreview.org/art-photography/8472/art-149-music-for-visual-thinking-cauleen-smith)

Details and context

The article is a visual portfolio rather than prose, showcasing Smith's artwork that connects her teaching practice to specific music choices. These records set the tone for creative work in a sensory, immersive start to class, emphasizing music's role in visual thinking.

Smith's method counters typical art-class pressures by prioritizing listening and lying down, fostering collaboration on installations. The examples given tie music to lessons on form, originality, and politics, drawn from jazz and disco artists with ties to Black and queer creative communities.[[1]](https://www.theparisreview.org/art-photography/8472/art-149-music-for-visual-thinking-cauleen-smith)

Key quotes

• “to convince them of the dynamism and liberatory possibilities of repetition as form” (on Lester Bowie’s The Great Pretender). <cite>Cauleen Smith, The Paris Review</cite>[[1]](https://www.theparisreview.org/art-photography/8472/art-149-music-for-visual-thinking-cauleen-smith)
• “to assure them that originality is not as important as creative thoughts” (on Horace Tapscott).[[1]](https://www.theparisreview.org/art-photography/8472/art-149-music-for-visual-thinking-cauleen-smith)
• “when the political climate gets rough” (on Sylvester’s Stars).[[1]](https://www.theparisreview.org/art-photography/8472/art-149-music-for-visual-thinking-cauleen-smith)

Why it matters

Artist portfolios like this one highlight innovative teaching in visual arts, blending music, performance, and collaboration to shape student creativity. For art students, educators, or creators, it offers a model for using sensory rituals to prioritize process over product in studio settings. Watch for Smith's future exhibitions or UCLA course outcomes, though details remain tied to this print feature.