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�԰�����’s School of Arts and Humanities is excited to host the first-ever �԰����� Autumn Festival of the Arts. From November 3-15, �԰����� students, faculty, staff, and members of the public are invited to the Ruth Taylor Fine Arts Center and surrounding �԰����� venues to attend a series of events that connects the rich, diverse arts at �԰����� and celebrates freedom of expression. 

“This festival shows that �԰����� is a beacon for free expression and a font of creativity,” says Kyle Gillette, Ph.D., professor of human communication and theatre and the acting dean for the School of Arts and Humanities. “Throughout the semester, students, faculty, and guests create abundant work at a very high level, usually scattered across many weeks and buildings. It’s hard to take it all in, and even when you do, it’s one thing at a time. At the �԰����� Autumn Festival of the Arts, it’s all in one place for a week and a half of concentrated, interconnected work.”  

While this will be the first �԰����� Autumn Festival of the Arts, this festival also marks the first time the University has ever gathered all its arts events together in one program. The festival will feature well-known events that our community enjoys every year, such as the Stieren Arts Enrichment Series, which brings a distinguished array of outstanding leaders in the fields of art, music, drama, communication, literature, art history, and aesthetics to campus, while also featuring performances from our brilliant student artists, musicians, dancers, and more. 

Attendees can come to see the Nivia González '68 paintings in the Neidorff Art Gallery and stay for world-class guest musicians in the Ruth Taylor Recital Hall. Then, they can cross the courtyard for readings of faculty poetry and short stories in the Cafe and watch the big musical The Prom in the Stieren Theater. They can watch the Loon-E Crew Hip Hop Dance group perform in Laurie Auditorium after looking at student-made sculptures. 

“Student artworks stand next to faculty and guest artist work, connecting everyone involved in this community of scholars and artists. And it’s alive, public, a festival—where borders become fluid and individual imaginations play interactively outside the classroom,” Gillette says. “The experience of each artwork or performance affects every other experience and raises questions. How does this painting affect how you watch that student film screening? How does this banned book karaoke change the way you listen to that jazz concert?”

A liberal arts education has everything to do with discerning value and making meaning. At �԰�����, our students explore the stories, images, and sounds that shape our world. They make connections across disciplines. This is how students understand the past, respond to the present, and imagine the future. The �԰����� Autumn Festival of the Arts presents all members of our campus and local community with the opportunity to witness the full depth of the arts and humanities by experiencing interdisciplinarity at work before their eyes and ears. Join us to see how our community brings learning to life and demonstrates the true spirit of a �԰����� liberal arts education.

The �԰����� Autumn Festival of the Arts is free and open to the public. Visit to explore the individual events.