Express Yourself! A Day of Creativity, Community and Discovery

Step into a world of creativity, movement and shared ideas at Express Yourself!, a vibrant day of arts, culture and creative exploration taking place on Saturday, May 9, in partnership with the Montclair Literary Festival. Open to students, faculty and the wider community, this celebration invites everyone to explore creative expression in many forms.

Throughout the day, participants can take part in hands-on workshops and interactive experiences led by artists, performers and educators from across the university. Write and refine your work in a poetry workshop, experiment with collage or sculpture in a mixed-media art session, or capture the world through a digital photography workshop guided by a professional photographer. Those interested in movement and performance can join beginner-friendly dance and improvisational theater workshops, while others can experience the rhythms of traditional West African drumming, singing and dancing in an energetic participatory session.

In celebration of Montclair’s commitment to literary and cultural expression, we are proud to co-sponsor Montclair Literary Festival events both on campus and in downtown Montclair. With festival programming taking place throughout the community, attendees will have even more opportunities to connect with authors, artists and thinkers who bring fresh perspectives and ideas to the conversation.

Through words, movement, music and creative practice, Express Yourself! invites us to share experiences, learn new skills and engage with one another in meaningful ways. Join us for a day of creativity, dialogue and discovery!

Express Yourself! Workshops and Events

Join us for hands-on workshops and interactive experiences on Saturday, May 9, 2026. All events are open to all and free, but registration is required.

Acting Out: Improv Group Style
9 -10:15 a.m.,  Life Hall room 1200
Crowd Source Acting is about using improvisation to act in the moment. Participants will be guided in an improvisational game that allows them to experience dropping into a roll and having the inspiration of those around them to achieve a common goal. That goal could be silly, serious, or absurd. Join us for a round or two of a game called Family Portraits, guided by Theatre department practitioners. OPEN TO ALL

A Moving Experience For All
10:30-11:45 a.m., Life Hall 1210
This session will be a dance class for beginners, emphasizing freedom of movement and some basic dance moves. OPEN TO ALL

Got Art? Take This Workshop
12:00-1:15 p.m., Calcia Hall 245
Participants will explore a visual arts technique such as collage, clay sculpting, or mixed media and create a unique work. Guided by an artist educator, attendees will learn simple methods and experiment with materials during the session. OPEN TO ALL

Snap Snap: Taking Just the Right Picture
1:30-2:45 p.m., Feliciano School of Business Lawn
This digital photography workshop will start with a presentation on the powerful choices available for capturing and documenting the world with your camera. Each participant will be given directions for taking a photograph from a specific location on campus. Jenelle Covino, Adjunct Professor of Art and Design, will guide participants to utilize basic photo retouching principles to bring each digital photograph to life. You can bring your digital camera or use your cell phone to photograph for this workshop. This workshop is suitable for all ages and all experience levels of photography. OPEN TO ALL

Drumming Up a Crowd, the West African Way
3:00-4:15 p.m.; Feliciano School of Business Lawn
The Montclair State University West African Drumming and Dance Ensemble will perform and engage everyone to participate in traditional West African recreational music. We play a strong weave of polyrhythms on traditional drums, bells and rattles, and those in attendance will drum with us, sing with us in call and response in a West African language, and dance traditional movements with us, directed by calls from the lead drum. OPEN TO ALL

Let’s Get Physical: Writing Poetry about Memory and the Body
4:30-5:45 p.m. Feliciano School of Business Room 140
In this generative poetry workshop, we will begin by bringing our memories to life on the page. We will then expand to writing about embodied experiences. Participants will leave this workshop having written two new poems and having received feedback on one of the poems. They will also leave with a few additional tools in their writers’ toolbox. OPEN TO ALL