CAS Events

Art All Night at the
Katzen Arts Center September 12, 7-10 p.m.

Kick off Tenleytown's annual Art All Night at American University's Katzen Arts Center! Experience the arts in action.

• Go to the AU Museum at the Katzen Arts Center after dark to explore the new fall exhibits.
• Visit the studios of the artists in AU’s Studio Art MFA program. Meet student artists and see their work. 
• Explore GILT by association: Paintings, Sculpture, Prints & Drawings, the Group 93 exhibition on view in the Katzen Rotunda.
• View Seeing America in Scale: A Humongous Photography Exhibition, a large-format photography exhibition celebrating diverse perspectives on American life, culture, and community through visual storytelling. 

Then, head into Tenleytown for more art! Stay tuned for updates from Tenleytown Main Street.

STEM Events

• STEM Clubs Open House outside on Hall of Science Terrace patio, Sept. 16, 5:30–6:30
• Math-Stat Colloquium with Professor Nathan Harshman on the quantum dynamics of indistinguishable particles, September 22, 2:30–3:30, DMTI 111 and Zoom

Find details in the STEM newsletter.

Why Monuments Matter: A Workshop on Public Policy, Public Space, and Public Art
Monday, September 21, 6–8 p.m. | MGSC 128

Author of Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America’s Public Monuments (2022), Dr. Erin Thompson is a Professor of Art Crime at John Jay College in New York City, and an expert on the legal and social clashes surrounding stolen art and public monuments. Dr. Thompson will discuss her approach to understanding controversial public monuments, art installations, and memorials. The workshop aims to guide students interested in researching shifting perceptions of local monuments and public art, as well as legal obstacles to change. Presented by the Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies Department, AU College of Arts & Sciences, and the Public History program.
  

AU Museum Fall 2026 Exhibitions
September 5–December 6

At the center of AU Museum's fall season is a major solo showcase by Ahn Chang-Hong, one of South Korea’s most significant contemporary artists, as well as works of Islamic calligrapher Ayesha Kamal, urban photographer Norman S. Carr, and unique digital drawings by American University professor emerita Mary Garrard.

• Ahn Chang-Hong: noon-mool  
• Beyond Words: The Sacred Art of Ayesha Kamal
• Observer: The Street Photographs of Norman S. Carr  
• Double Feature: Two Graphic Narratives by Mary Garrard

Exhibitions & Events
 

Seeing America in Scale: A Humongous Photography Exhibition
On view September 5 – December 6
Kreeger Lobby, Katzen Arts Center

Organized by the Studio Art Department, Seeing America in Scale is a large-format photography exhibition celebrating diverse perspectives on American life, culture, and community through visual storytelling.
More about the exhibit

GILT by association
Paintings, Sculpture, Prints & Drawings
On view September 1 — October 11
Katzen Rotunda, Katzen Arts Center

Presented by Ward Circle Faction, a long-running collective of artists associated with American University,

A bit of GILT can accentuate the twinkle of an eye. While golden frames add gravitas and glory to old master paintings, they also come with a side of wealth. So thought Midas when he wished that all he touched would turn to gold. Today, glittering highlights and gold are rarely used for effects elevating the transcendental spirit. Inversely, GILT is becoming associated with GUILT for crushing such spirit.  

GILT by Association explores the range of these entanglements — glory, beauty, delight, honor, artifice, glitter, avarice, repression, conflict, promises of a New Golden Age, by juxtaposing artworks and inviting viewers to summon associations.

Artists: Lucy J Blankstein, Michael Graham, Marjorie Hirano, Carol A. Jason, Luciano Penay, Patricia Segnan, Romeo Segnan, Myrtle Katzen, Norman Strike, Claudia Vess, Gail Watkins, Mimi Wolford, Julie Zahn.

Curated by Claudia Vess and Lucy Blankstein

Center for Israel Studies Events

• September 24: Oren Kessler will be in conversation with Professor Michael Brenner about his new book, Palestine 1936.
• September 30: Sonenshine Lecture featuring Sarah Hurwitz, author of As a Jew, in conversation with Professor Pamela Nadell.
• October 5: Adam Ferziger will be in conversation with Professor Lauren Strauss on his recent book, Agents of Change: American Jews and the Transformation of American Judaism. 
• October 15: Zoom event as part of AU's 250+ Series: 
  A Virtual Debate: "Is America Different? A Debate on the 'Myth of American Exceptionalism' for American Jews" 
  • Dr. Tony E. Michels, George L. Mosse Professor of American Jewish History, University of Wisconsin-Madison 
  • Dr. Kenneth D. Wald, Distinguished Professor of Political Science Emeritus and the Samuel R. “Bud” Shorstein Professor Emeritus of American Jewish Culture and Society, University of Florida-Gainesville 
  • Moderator: Dr. Lauren B. Strauss, Research Assistant Professor; Director of Undergraduate Studies, Jewish Studies Program, American University 
• November 15-16: Meltzer Trone Conference, titled "Reimagining Shared Society: Jewish and Palestinian Citizens of Israel Challenging Fear, Mistrust, and Polarization." 

Overture 2026: Scenes, Songs,  and Original Work Performed by the Class of 2030
October 9, 8 p.m. and October 10, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.  
Katzen Studio Theatre 

Conceived and Directed by Nancy Bannon
Created and Performed by Student Ensemble  
Kristin Stowell, Music Director and Piano   
 
Overture welcomes AU’s newest actors from the Class of 2030 to the stage! This performance piece features dialogue, music, and movement that explores the passions, fears, trials, and triumphs of this stage of life. Overture is conceived and directed by faculty member Nancy Bannon and performed by the student company. 
 
“Each year in Overture, we explore a wide range of theater-making practices around themes of creating community. We examine our relationships to ourselves, our origins and our new environment, asking, "Who am I now?" We do this through the piece itself and its three structural sections: Coming Together, Rupture and Repair. The cast contributes ideas, content, skills and talent to the process, inspiring me over and over but, more importantly, becoming a vital creative ensemble along the way.” — Director Nancy Bannon 
 

2026 Hugo J. Mueller Linguistics Lecture Fall:The Semantics of SlopAdam Aleksic

Wednesday, October 21, 5:30 p.m.
Katzen Recital Hall
Lecture followed by autograph signing and reception
RSVP for Adam Aleksic

"Slop" and "brainrot" are often dismissed as a waste of time, but both concepts gesture at an incredibly rich digital ecology worthy of academic inspection. By understanding memes like "67," "Italian brainrot," and "skibidi toilet," we can understand how meaning is constructed through social media algorithms. In this talk, linguistics influencer and New York Times best-selling author Adam Aleksic will discuss his newest book, Reality Drift (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2027), and the importance of understanding new internet speech.

Adam Aleksic is a linguist and influencer best known for creating educational videos as the "Etymology Nerd" to a following of over three million across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. His NYT bestselling book Algospeak investigates how social media is changing language.
 

The Welkin
October 22–November 1 | Greenberg Theatre

By Lucy Kirkwood
Directed by Dylan Arredondo 
 
“The Welkin continues to ring as women call out for bodily autonomy, for soul sovereignty, for justice...will we finally answer?” —Sybil Roberts  
 
A woman has been sentenced to hang. Twelve women must decide whether she lives or dies. 
 
Set in rural England in 1759, The Welkin follows Sally Poppy, who escapes the gallows only if a jury of local women determines she is pregnant. As Halley's Comet streaks across the sky, the jurors confront questions of justice, class, gender, and truth in a legal system that gives them little power but asks them to make an impossible decision. 
 
At once suspenseful, witty, and profoundly relevant, Lucy Kirkwood's The Welkin connects women across time through enduring questions of justice, power, and truth.

About the Director: Dylan Arredondo is a Helen Hayes Award–winning director and actor whose work spans many of the Washington region's leading theaters, including Signature Theatre, Ford's Theatre, Round House Theatre, and Olney Theatre Center. 
 
Content Advisory: This production includes strong language, scenes of violence, sexual content, simulated nudity, and references to pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, murder, and assisted death. 

AU Symphony Orchestra
October 30, 7 p.m. and October 31, 5 p.m.  
Abramson Family Recital Hall

Matthew Brown, conductor 

AU Symphony Orchestra performs a variety of well-known works, including some spooky and movie related pieces for this Halloween weekend concert. Audience members are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes! 

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder  
November 5–7 | Katzen Studio Theater

Directed by Karl Kippola  
Music Directed by Deborah Jacobson  

Book and Lyrics by Steven Lutwak 
Music and Lyrics by Robert L. Freedman 
Based on A Novel by Roy Horniman  

In this Tony award-winning musical comedy, the low-born Monty Navarro discovers he’s eighth in line to become Earl of Highhurst. Chances of outliving his predecessors are slim, so he takes a far more ghoulish path. Can he knock off his unsuspecting relatives without being caught? And what of love? Because murder isn’t the only thing on Monty’s mind… 

"This show combines everything I crave in an evening at the theatre -- music, comedy, and murder." "This show is such a great opportunity to dive into the Edwardian era and explore characters and values from 120 years ago -- but it has also been fascinating to see all of the ways it reflects the tensions between the top 1% and everyone else today." - Karl Kippola 

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com 

AU Chamber Singers  International Tour Preview Concert - Portugal 
November 7, 7:30 p.m. and November 8, 3 p.m.  
Abramson Family Recital Hall 

Daniel Abraham, director 

In preparation for a May 2027 tour to Portugal, please join the AU Chamber Singers for an exciting array of choral works and a cappella traditions. The program will include contemporary masterpieces for a cappella ensemble from the Latin diaspora, Europe, and North America to the traditions of gospel, American folk, and spirituals. 

AU Symphonic Band 
November 15, 3 p.m. | Abramson Family Recital Hall

Matthew Brown and Aidan Dixon, conductors 

AU Symphonic Band performs a variety of classic and contemporary works from the concert band repertoire, including pieces by Norman Dello Joio, John Mackey, Robert Russell Bennett and others. AU Pep Band Director Aidan Dixon leads the ensemble along with director Matthew Brown. 

Fall Dance Concert 2026 
November 20, 7:30 p.m. and November 21, 2 p.m. 
Greenberg Theatre 

Erin Foreman-Murray, artistic director 

For Better or Worse 
December 3-5 | Katzen Studio Theatre

Directed by Carl Menninger  
Written by Carl Menninger, Created by Deann Bayless, Rick Bayless, Carl Menninger and Amy Rubenstein 

What if you could shuffle the story of a relationship and watch its meaning change before your eyes? For Better or For Worse is a bold new theatrical experience where the audience chooses the order of the scenes, turning a single love story into hundreds of thousands of possible versions. Across 16 interconnected scenes, one couple navigates love, betrayal, addiction, grief, and the small moments in-between, but the sequence you experience is unlike any other performance. In Act One, you decide what happens next. In Act Two, chance takes over. Same scenes, same characters, infinite stories. 

AU Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Combos  Fall for Jazz 
December 4, 7:30 p.m. | Abramson Family Recital Hall 

Joshua Bayer, director  

The American University Jazz Orchestra plays music for all eras and styles of Jazz. Experience Swing, Bebop, Latin, Funk, and Rock. AUJO concerts are a menu from the history of Jazz! 

Senior Dance Capstone 2026
December 4-5, 7:30 p.m. | Greenberg Theatre 

Erin Foreman-Murray, artistic director 

AU Chorus  Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing: A Celebration of Our Freedom 
December 5, 7:30 p.m. and December 6, 3 p.m.  
Katzen Recital Hall 

Patrick Vaughn, director
Barbara Wilkinson, collaborative pianist 
 
"Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing will fill your hearts with joy and gratitude as we reflect on the ideals of what makes our country so special." -Patrick Vaughn, AU Chorus Director 
 
As our country celebrates 250 years of independence, please join the AU Chorus for a program featuring works by American composers across several different genres, including Randall Thompson's brilliant Testament of Freedom, focused on the writings of Thomas Jefferson. Other works include settings of My Country 'Tis of Thee (arr. Forrest), America, the Beautiful (arr. Gaspard), Hymn for America (Paulus), Homeland (Stroope), the Battle Hymn of the Republic (arr. Wilhowsky), and more. Come celebrate our freedom, breadth, and depth as a nation. 

Graduate Admissions
Events & Visits

Join us for degree program ask-me-anythings and similar online events with faculty — or sessions on admissions fundamentals, virtual visits one-on-one with our staff, campus tours, and more.
Grad Admissions Events & Visits