Contact Us
AU Arts
4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016
United States
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 Senior Dance Capstone with Guest Artist
November 15-16, 7:30 p.m. | Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre |Tickets: $10-$15, free for AU students
Ronya-Lee Anderson, artistic director
Amber Marie Daniels, production coordinator
The AU Dance Program's graduating majors present an evening of creative research and original choreography.
AU Arts Events
AU Museum Exhibitions and Events
Fall 2024 Exhibitions On view through December 8
Learn more about upcoming exhibitions and see the museum event calendar.
- Ralph Steadman: And Another Thing
- Joseph Holston: Call and Response
- Endless Transformations: The Alchemy of Connie Imboden
- Faces of the Republican Party
- New American Landscapes
- A Sight to Behold: The Corcoran Legacy Collection of Nineteenth and Early Twentieth-Century American Landscape Paintings at the American University Museum
- Mira Hecht: in the center thereof rose a fountain
- PEGAN BROOKE: FLUX II, Light on Water
Music
Tickets to Department of Performing Arts events are free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children (under 18), and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general public unless otherwise noted.
The Katzen Café will be open starting one hour before music performances on Fridays and Saturdays with refreshments and light bites available for purchase.
AU Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Combos
Fall for Jazz
November 15, 7:30 p.m. | Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall
Joshua Bayer, director
Welcome autumn with the AU Jazz Orchestra as they play a full menu of works and styles including bop, swing, Latin, funk, and rock.
AU Symphony Orchestra
Dvořák Symphony no. 7
November 16, 7:30 p.m., November 17, 3 p.m. | Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall
Matthew Brown, conductor
The AU Symphony Orchestra tackles Antonin Dvořák’s formidable Symphony no. 7. Written in 1885, it is a staple of the symphony orchestra canon. The program will begin with Beethoven's Egmont Overture, Sibelius' haunting "Valse triste," and the AU Symphony Orchestra premiere of Barbara Harbach's Symphony no. 1, "Veneration."
Dance
Tickets to Department of Performing Arts events are free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children (under 18), and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general public.
Senior Dance Capstone with Guest Artist
November 15-16, 7:30 p.m. | Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre
Ronya-Lee Anderson, artistic director
Amber Marie Daniels, production coordinator
The AU Dance Program's graduating majors present an evening of creative research and original choreography. Featuring work by seniors Devi Dutta-Sultan, Kate Henry, Samantha Short, Genevieve Skinner, Myra Schoengold, Juliana Pironti, and Abbie Branda, plus a work by guest artist Kris Harris.
Advisory: This performance contains brief strobe lighting that may not be suitable for patrons with epilepsy or other light photosensitivity conditions and explicit language that may not be suitable for all audiences.
Choreo-LabNovember 16, 2 p.m. | Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre
Sarah Beth Oppenheim, artistic director
Amber Marie Daniels, production coordinator
Choreo-Lab is a mainstage event from the AU Dance Program featuring new work by student choreographers Maddie Bussolari, Anne Maison Tasker, Leah Hitzrot, and Maggie Ramos. Join us as we welcome fresh choreographic voices to the AU stage.
Photo: Lauren Brown
Katzen Exhibitions
Transcendence Transformer 20th Annual Auction Exhibition and Benefit Gala
Auction Exhibition: November 9-22, 2024 | Gallery Hours: Weds - Sat, 12 - 5 p.m.
Gala Night: Saturday, November 23, 2024 | 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Transcendence, Transformer’s 20th Annual Auction Exhibition and Benefit Gala is a celebration of innovative contemporary art and artists that rise above the fray, with 150+ artworks in a variety of mediums by a dynamic mix of emerging and more established artists, as well as unique experiences, all up for bidding and buying! All proceeds from Transcendence support Transformer and the participating artists.
Theatre/Musical Theatre
Tickets to Department of Performing Arts events are free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children (under 18), and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general public.
Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea
November 19-22 | Katzen Arts Center, Studio Theatre
By Julia Izumi
Directed by Nick Martin
The Little Mermaid is Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved and well-known fairytale, which is why it’s not the story our friend Dolan is going to tell you. No, he’s going to tell you the story of a Little Rain Cloud who falls in love with a human. They are not the same story at all—he swears.
“Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.
Visiting Artists Series
The AU Studio Art MFA Program presents visiting artists throughout the year.
Julie Wills
November 21, 6 p.m. | Katzen 201
Learn more and RSVP on Eventbrite
Image: Julie Wills, Clouds Filled to Bursting, 2023.
