For both the university campus and greater community, the College of the Arts provides events and community services that offer cultural enrichment of all kinds. Through its PEAK Performances series, the Arts and Cultural Programming unit presents and commissions works from national and international artists that engage students and audiences both on- and off-stage through groundbreaking performances, unique workshops and challenging master classes. Events take place in numerous professionally equipped performance facilities on campus, including the state-of-the-art 500-seat Alexander Kasser Theater – a venue unique to the region, offering exceptional acoustics and an over-sized proscenium stage within an intimate and comfortable setting.
Complementing the performing arts, the college’s University Art Galleries/George Segal Gallery likewise provides visual arts enrichment through a comprehensive exhibitions program and growing art collection derived from the region and all over the world. Our largest exhibitions are presented in this award-winning space, while additional exhibitions featuring student work may be found in the MFA Gallery and student-run Gallery 3-1/2. Beyond these venues, artworks are installed throughout the campus grounds to create a visually satisfying aesthetic environment.
The Broadcast and Digital Facilities unit is another major producer of College of the Arts programming. Boasting a state of the art media complex with 4K technology, in collaboration with Sony Corp, the Center serves both campus needs and those of industry partners, while providing opportunities for university students to gain professional experience and contacts. Through student produced programs such as Inside MSU and Carpe Diem, both the university campus and New Jersey citizens are kept informed of current events while students exercise what they’ve learned in the classroom.
Beyond these academic and production units, the college’s Office of Student Services, Office of Education and Community Outreach, Technology Services and the Extension Division each extend further opportunities for student and community engagement. Programs include arts training and related programming for pre-college students and P-12 teachers, as well as academic support for enrolled students. Speaker programs such as Art Forum and Film Screening Series, offered by the academic units, round out the cultural offerings, while the college’s Creative Research Center provides a virtual haven for interdisciplinary, industry and international collaborations.