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AU Arts
The arts have a prominent role at American University. Rotating exhibitions at the AU Museum in the state-of-the-art Katzen Arts Center emphasize regional, national, and international contemporary art. The Department of Performing Arts, comprised of Arts Management, Audio Technology, Dance, Music, and Theatre/Musical Theatre, provides dynamic, connected, expressive, and fulfilling experiences for all of our majors, minors, and participating students. The Department of Art encompasses Studio Art, Art History, Photography, and Graphic Design.
To stay up-to-date on performances, exhibitions, and events, join the AU Arts mailing list and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Questions? Call 202-885-ARTS or email us.
Event Spotlight Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: "Hiawatha's Wedding Feast"
American University Chorus and Symphony OrchestraApril 27, 7:30 p.m. and April 28, 3 p.m.
Katzen Arts Center, Recital Hall
Tickets: $10-$15, free for AU students with ID
The AU Symphony Orchestra and Chorus collaborate to perform a lesser-known but important oratorio by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor—”Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast.” This work sets text from a section of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem Song of Hiawatha (1855) to jubilant music that narrates the marriage celebration of the fictional Ojibwe warrior Hiawatha to Minnehaha, a Dakota woman.
AU Arts Events
AU Museum Exhibitions and Events
Spring at the AU Museum
Learn more about current exhibitions and see the museum event calendar.
- The Tree around the Corner
Barbara Kerne, Artist
Vivienne M. Lassman, Curator - Art and the Demands of Memory
Works by Second Generation
Holocaust SurvivorsArtists:
Trudy Babchak
Michael Steiner Borek
Coos Hamburger
Micheline Klagsbrun
Kitty Klaidman
Dalya Luttwak
Miriam Mörsel Nathan
Margot Neuhaus
Chaya Schapiro
Mindy WeiselAneta Georgievska-Shine, Curator
- Dana Hart-Stone: Kaleidoscope
Dana Hart-Stone, Artist
Brian Gross, Curator - A Drawing Like No Other: Marilyn Brought Back to Life in 9,000,000 Marks
Billy Pappas, Artist
Gary Vikan, Curator - The Human Flood
Ellyn Weiss, Artist
Sondra N. Arkin, Artist
Laura Roulet, Curator -
Looking for the Light
Artist: Bob Schieffer
Curator: Michael Beschloss -
SURFACE TENSION
The Visible and The Hidden
AU Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition -
Image: Barbara Kerne, Day and Night, 2022. Oil on linen, 39 x 39 inches.
Music
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: "Hiawatha's Wedding Feast"
American University Chorus and Symphony Orchestra
Matthew Brown, director (AU Symphony Orchestra)
Casey Cook, director (AU Chorus)
April 27, 7:30 p.m. and April 28, 3 p.m.
Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall
Tickets: $10-$15, free for AU students
The AU Symphony Orchestra and Chorus collaborate to perform a lesser-known but important oratorio by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor—”Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast.” This work sets text from a section of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem Song of Hiawatha (1855) to jubilant music that narrates the marriage celebration of the fictional Ojibwe warrior Hiawatha to Minnehaha, a Dakota woman.
The program also includes Saint-Saëns' Symphony no. 2 in A minor, the world premiere of “January Sunrise” by AU student composer Matthew Lipka, and soloist Madeleine Corrigan, AU student and winner of the annual Concerto and Aria competition, playing the first and second movements of Shostakovich's Cello Concerto no. 1.
Longfellow’s The Song of Hiawatha contains some misrepresentations of Native American culture. Learn more about Hiawatha in context.
Mixed Ensembles Concert
Monday, April 29, 7:30 p.m.
Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall
Free and open to all, no RSVP required
Celebrate the end of classes with AU's mixed ensembles—chamber music with strings, piano, winds, brass, percussion and voice! Will also include appearances by the Songwriters' Hub, Improvisation class, and the West African Drumming ensemble.
Katzen Exhibitions
FINALE Senior Capstone: Photography and New Media and Studio Art Majors
April 17-May 1
Reception: April 26, 5-7 p.m.
Katzen Arts Center Rotunda
The capstone exhibition, FINALE, represents the culmination of intensive research and creative exploration by students from two sections of the Studio Art Capstone class. Showcasing a diverse array of backgrounds, practices, and themes, this exhibition serves as a testament to the transformative journey each student has undertaken. Through their dedicated efforts, they have not only synthesized their learning from this education but also forged a new language of expression, one that reflects their unique ideas, imagination, and craftsmanship. FINALE invites viewers to embark on a journey of discovery, where each artwork offers a glimpse into the rich tapestry of perspectives and experiences cultivated within our Studio Art program at AU.