Arts & Culture

Experience top-notch arts and culture at Towson University.

Playful colorful letters spell out the exhibition logo, the Chicken and the Egg
TU Department of Art + Design, Art History, Art Education presents:

The Chicken and the Egg

Before there is writing or drawing, there is simply image. The artists in this exhibition embrace a holistic approach to artmaking, marrying symbolic freedom to mature narrative, in a creative domain unconstrained by imposed rules of language or material. This liminal space yields divergent and imaginative formal outcomes from comics to sculpture, textile to paint, often in hybridized forms. Co-curated by Professor Amanda Burnham.

Lecture February 8 at 6:30 p.m. followed by reception

Center for the Arts Gallery, CA 3040  |  February 2 – April 13 (closed March 17 – 24), Tuesday – Saturday from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

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Cots sit around in a circle with drawing on them in the Dream Refuge art installation
Asian Arts and Culture Center presents:

Dream Refuge for children imprisoned

While children safely slumber in this healing space by Na Omi Judy Shintani, visitors gain insight into the experiences of Japanese American children incarcerated in American concentration camps during World War II, Native American boarding school children denied their culture and taken from their communities, and the Central American children imprisoned, separated from their families, and living in squalid conditions at the U.S. border.

Visitors are invited to bring offerings (origami, small toys, paper flowers) and leave messages on an altar in the exhibit to honor the imprisoned children. The items will be used in future ceremonies and will not be returned.

Asian Arts Gallery, CA 2037  |  February 7 – May 18 (closed March 17 – 24), Monday – Saturday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

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A fun, colorful, youthful illustration of a woman at home
Asian Arts and Culture Center presents:

Mini-Exhibition: Children’s Book Art by Japanese American Illustrators

Delight in the imaginative worlds of award-winning children’s book illustrators, Melissa Iwai and Katie Yamasaki, while learning about courage, love and adaptation by an incarcerated Japanese American family; intercultural sharing among immigrant families; and multicultural Zen-inspired stories. Become energized by to support the welfare of children, intercultural understanding, healing, and peace.

Vitrines outside the Asian Arts Gallery  |  February 7 – May 18

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Joseph Gatoff holds a cello and Wan-Chi Su looks confidently at the camera
TU Department of Music presents:

Faculty Recital | Joseph Gotoff

Towson University faculty member Joseph Gotoff, cellist, and pianist Wan-Chi Su present a program of works by all-female composers. Spanning over 150 years and diverse musical styles, this program emphasizes the creativity and genius of a group of composers that have historically been marginalized. The program also includes a world premiere of a work for cello and piano by Boston-based composer Binna Kim.

Recital Hall, CA 3066  |  March 2 at 7:30 p.m.

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Headshots of Melissa Iwai and Katie Yamasaki
Asian Arts and Culture Center co-presents:

Journeys in Children’s Book Illustration

Award-winning children’s book authors and illustrators Melissa Iwai and Katie Yamasaki share their art, books, personal stories, and techniques for reaching young audiences through visual storytelling. Their publishers include Norton Young Readers, Harper Collins, Broadway Books and more. Co-presented with TU Career Center and TU Animation Club.

Book signing and post-discussion reception in the Atrium outside the gallery. Books will be available for sale.

Art Lecture Hall, CA 2032  |  March 5 at 5:30 p.m.

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The text logo for the "Invisible Architectures" exhibition
TU COFAC CoLAB presents:

Invisible Architectures: Social Contracts

As we approach another election year in the United States, agreements about what is included in an American social contract continue to be up for debate. The term social contract started when philosophers from France to England started to think about the nature of humanity and the tensions that exist between the people who enact power and the people who do not. What are the agreed upon boundaries that exist within our social, family and political structures? How do these boundaries create or negate cognitive distance with what actually happens in any social theater? Artistic interventions have the potential to offer us much needed insights and possibilities for our collective future.

Current Space, Baltimore, MD  |  March 6 – April 6

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A singer and pianist perform on stage in formalwear
TU Department of Music presents:

Sanborn Winner's Concert

The TU Department of Music features the winners of the Henry Sanborn Scholarship Competition in our annual scholarship recital sponsored by Henry Sanborn and the TU Foundation.

Recital Hall, CA 3066  |  March 7 at 7 p.m.

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A hand holds a paintbrush on the poster of How to Catch Creation
TU Department of Theatre Arts presents:

How to Catch Creation

by Christina Anderson  |  directed by Danielle Drakes

How to Catch Creation is the story of a couple drifting apart, of a once-incarcerated man determined to adopt a child, and a single female academic who has lost her way professionally and personally. How to Catch Creation takes place in the present when two couples find their lives unexpectedly connected with the life of a Black queer feminist writer from the 1960s. This intergenerational portrayal of queer relationships of color allows us to grapple with our own definitions of family, love and the universal act of creation.

This production contains strong language and themes of queer intimacy.

Studio Theatre, CA 3060  |  March 7 – 14

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A woman holds the moon, with a shadow of a pirate ship and a flying boy cast on it
TU Department of Theatre Arts presents:

Becoming Wendy

written and directed by Alanna Kiewe

Becoming Wendy explores the growing pains that come with getting older. Pointing a lens at what happens when society expects girls to grow up and take responsibility while boys are forever excused for their behavior, the boy who never grows up takes a much darker tone. However, as all adults know, growing up isn't all bad; there's a lot of fun and joy to discover when one learns to trust themselves, understand their body, and embrace their sexuality. Recommended for mature audiences due to moments of sexual intimacy and partner violence depicted onstage.

Talkback after the March 9 2 p.m. performance.

Ruth Marder Studio Theatre, CA 3044  |  March 7 – 9

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Dr. Sam Holzman smiles in front of an ivy-covered wall
TU Department of Art + Design, Art History, Art Education presents:

Architectural Innovation at the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, Samothrace: Engineering of the Stoa

Please join the Archeological Institute of America (AIA) Baltimore society, hosted by the TU Department of Art + Design, for the 2024 Ludlow Hopkins Baldwin/Gladys Callahan Vocci Justice Lecture. Dr. Sam Holzman (Princeton University) will speak on “Architectural Innovation at the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, Samothrace: The Engineering of the Stoa.”

Art Lecture Hall, CA 2032  |  March 8 at 5 p.m.

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Colorful patterns frame the title PRISM
TU Department of Music presents:

PRISM 2024

Join the Department of Music for its annual showcase concert in which over 175 students in large and small ensembles, solo and chamber music, jazz, and student composers present a diverse array of music under theatrical lighting. The fast-paced concert lasts 75 minutes without intermission.

Harold J Kaplan Concert Hall, CA 3042  |  March 10 at 3 p.m.

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Members of the High Zero collection play jazz instruments under colorful lighting
TU Department of Music presents:

Improvisation and Experimental Music Night

An evening of improvisation and experimental music featuring members of the High Zero collective and faculty members from several departments across the College of Fine Arts and Communications. This event is a cross departmental collaboration highlighting the commonalities shared by our diverse disciplines.

Recital Hall, CA 3066  |  March 12 at 8 p.m.

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A performer plays a trumpet on stage
TU Department of Music presents:

TU Bands and Orchestra Concert

Join the Towson University Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, and Symphony Orchestra for our mid-semester concert.

Harold J Kaplan Concert Hall, CA 3042  |  March 13 at 8 p.m.

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Artist Krystle Lemonias stares intensely at the camera in a sunny, outdoor space
TU Department of Art + Design, Art History, Art Education presents:

Lecture | Artist Krystle Lemonias

Krystle Lemonias, featured in The Chicken and the Egg exhibition, is a Jamaican born interdisciplinary visual artist, labor activist, and art educator. In her work she uses found materials, fabric, and iconography to explore social class privilege, citizenship, labor rights, and how economic inequality affects Black communities. She seeks to educate viewers on Black immigrant cultural identity and its connection to the broader diaspora. Lemonias is represented by Andrew Rafacz Gallery.

Art Lecture Hall, CA 2032  |  March 14 at 6:30 p.m.

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Singers from the TU Chorale perform in the Kaplan Concert Hall
TU Department of Music presents:

TU Choral Collage

Come enjoy an evening of choral music performed by University Chorale, Treble Voices, Choral Society, and Men's Chorus.

Harold J Kaplan Concert Hall, CA 3042  |  March 26 at 7 p.m.

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A smiling students holds up a video camera
TU Department of Electronic Media & Film presents:

Let's Collaborate

"Let's Collaborate" is an event presented by the EMF department for all COFAC students to connect with one another across majors. From film to theatre, from music to dance, from mass comm to art, this is an opportunity for students to collaborate on one another's projects and expand their network. Come enjoy food, music from XTSR, and networking opportunities!

Chapman Quad outside of the Media Center  |  March 27 at 12 p.m.

 

TU dancers strike dramatic poses in front of a blue background
TU Department of Dance presents:

Refracted: Senior Seminar Dance Concert

The next generation of movement artists premiere their senior choreographic works. Two diverse and exciting programs will be presented as refracted perspectives of each individual artist. This student-choreographed and performed concert is part of the senior capstone

Each program will be performed twice.

Dance Studio Theatre, CA 1003  |  March 28 – 30

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Upcoming Events

Art + Design, Art History, Art Education

Lecture: Artist and Conservator Adriana Benavides  |  April 4 at 6:30 p.m.

Exhibition: Undergraduate Juried Exhibition  |  April 5 – 13

CoLab

Invisible Architectures Exhibition at the StartUp at the Armory Gallery  |  April 12 – May 16

Communication Studies

Public Speaking Competition: How My Cultural Identity Has Shaped Me  |  April 10 at 5:30 p.m.

Dance (Community)

Aerial Workshop with Jayne Bernasconi  |  April 27 at 12 p.m.

Music

Murray Jazz Residency Guest Artist Drew Gress  |  April 3 – 5

Student Composers Concert  |  April 10 at 8:00 p.m.

Lieberman Scholarship Award Convocation  |  April 16 at 11:00 a.m.

Die Fledermaus or The Revenge of the Bat  |  April 19 – 21

Percussion Ensemble  |  April 22 at 8:00 p.m.

Talent Award Winners Convocation  |  April 23 at 11:00 a.m.

The New Music Ensemble Presents Leneida Crawford and Joseph Gotoff  |  April 24 at 8:00 p.m.

3rd Annual Towson University Honor Orchestra Festival  |  April 27 at 8:00 p.m.

Jazz Showcase  |  April 29 at 8:00 p.m.

Brass Showcase  |  April 30 at 6:00 p.m.

Theatre

The Liminal Collective Presents: An In-Between  |  April 4 – 6

One Acts | 11:50 and The Reaper Files  |  April 17 – 20

CircUs  |  April 21 at 3 p.m.

Art + Design, Art History, Art Education

Lecture: Artist and Curator Jackie Milad  |  May 2 at 6:30 p.m.

Exhibition: Senior Show  |  May 3 – 16

51st Annual Spring Pottery and Art Sale  |  May 10 – 11

CoLab

Invisible Architectures Exhibitions at the Maryland Art Place  |  May 9 – June 29

Dance

TU Dance Company Concert  |  May 1 – 5

Firebird  |  May 4 at 2:00 p.m.

Dance for the Camera Screening  |  May 10 at 7:00 p.m.

Electronic Media and Film

Dance for the Camera Screening  |  May 10 at 7:00 p.m.

End of Semester Screenings  |  May 17 – 18

Music

World Music and Steel Pan Ensembles  |  May 1 at 6:00 p.m.

TU Improvisation Ensembles  |  May 1 at 8:00 p.m.

Early Music and Chamber Music Ensembles Recital  |  May 2 at 8:00 p.m.

A Choral Evening of Songs and Poetry  |  May 4 at 7:00 p.m.

I Dream a World: Choral Songs of Peace and Hope  |  May 5 at 3:00 p.m.

TU Classical Guitar Soloists and Ensembles Concert  |  May 7 at 8:00 p.m.

TU Symphonic Band  |  May 8 at 8:00 p.m.

TU Wind Ensemble and 'Pershing's Own Army Band' in Concert  |  May 9 at 7:30 p.m.

TU Wind Ensemble In Concert  |  May 9 at 8:00 p.m.

TU Jazz Orchestra  |  May 10 at 8:00 p.m.

TU Wind Symphony In Concert  |  May 12 at 12:00 p.m.

Theatre

A Year With Frog and Toad  |  May 3 – 11

 

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Galleries and Art Spaces

Center for the Arts Gallery

Center for the Arts Gallery

Located on the third floor of the Center for the Arts, this gallery showcases some of the region’s finest artwork. Open to the public.

Visit the gallery
Exhibit at the Holtzman Gallery

Holtzman MFA Gallery

Located on the second floor of the Center for the Arts, this gallery focuses on thesis exhibitions and new work by students and invited guests. Open to the public.

Visit the gallery
illustration of sculpture walk

Sculpture Walk

TU’s public art collection features outdoor sculptures around campus. Begin the walk at the Center for the Arts.

Take a tour

 

Community Centers

 

 

 

Support the Arts at Towson University

Your gift supports arts and culture events and programming.

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Tickets

TU Box Office

Center for the Arts, Room 3038

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