Events

The College of the Arts presents a variety of college-wide programs each year, most notably the Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series and the Art Without Limits conference.

Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series

The Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series has presented guest artists respected in the field of theatre, dance, visual arts, music and architecture. The Schroth series was established in 2002 by Cecile Draime and her late husband Max of Warren, Ohio, to honor their dear friend, Thomas Schroth (1922-1997). A noted regional architect, Schroth designed the Butler Institute of Art’s Trumbull museum in Howland, as well as numerous other award-winning projects.

Learn More About the Schroth Visiting Artist Series

Art Without Limits

The day-long Art Without Limits event focuses on arts entrepreneurship and developing an entrepreneurial mindset in the arts. Held in-person on the Kent Campus and streamed online, the conference features a variety of arts entrepreneurship speakers and opportunties for discussion and networking.

Learn More About Art Without Limits

Gallery Exhibits in the School of Art

The School of Art regularly hosts exhibits in its galleries located both in the Center for the Visual Arts on the Kent Campus and the Downtown Gallery located in downtown Kent, OH at 141 E. Main Street.

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The School of Fashion's Annual Fashion Show and Fashion Week

The premier event in the School of Fashion is the Annual Fashion Show, featuring designs by graduate students and senior undergraduate students. 

Learn More About the Annual Fashion Show

Concerts and Performances in the Glauser School of Music

The Glauser School of Music presents a wide range of concerts and recitals throughout the year including performances by instrumental ensembles, athletic bands, concert bands, Kent State Opera, the Kent State Orchestra, world music and new music ensembles, and more.

Learn More About Concerts in the School of Music

Performances in the School of Theatre and Dance

The School of Theatre and Dance presents a full main stage season of dance concerts, musicals, and plays each academic year. Additionally, the student-produced Black Box Series features a variety of theatre and dance laboratory and experimental performances each semester.

Learn More About Performances in the School of Theatre and Dance

Since the inception of Blossom Music Center in 1968, the Musical Arts Association has partnered with Kent State University and its College of the Arts to develop Blossom as a complete environment for the arts. Each summer, Kent Blossom combines performance with education and joins working professionals with talented students to teach, explore and produce great art. This important relationship between a premier performing ensemble and a public university has also served as a model for other collaborations.

The Kent Blossom partnership provides advanced summer study and professional training programs in art, music and theatre held in conjunction with The Cleveland Orchestra’s summer season at Blossom. These programs emphasize intensive, individualized study with prominent visiting master artists and resident Kent State faculty, including principal members of the Cleveland Orchestra, and also offer public exhibitions and performances to community audiences. Students are selected through nationwide competitive auditions, interviews and portfolio reviews. Undergraduate and graduate credit is available in all areas of study and scholarships are provided to many participants.

In addition to the Kent Blossom summer programs, the partnership provides unique educational and artistic opportunities during the academic year through Kent State University and the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music. These include access for students to attend select Cleveland Orchestra concerts and rehearsals, administrative internships with the Orchestra, the inclusion of the University Choruses in the Orchestra’s annual Christmas concerts, Cleveland Orchestra performances on the Kent State campus, and masterclasses given by Orchestra musicians on the Kent State campus.

Kent Blossom Music Festival 

The Kent Blossom Music Festival (KBMF) brings music students from all over the world to study alongside The Cleveland Orchestra for five weeks. Students develop professional skills through personal study and classes with visiting master artists, members of the Cleveland Orchestra and Kent State University faculty. A focus on major works of the chamber music repertoire is augmented by studies in orchestral repertoire and techniques and solo master classes. Participants also attend open rehearsals and concerts of The Cleveland Orchestra. The program features a professional concert series. Faculty, guests and young artists perform 15 or more concerts per season at the Glauser School of Music, Blossom Music Center and surrounding communities. For more information call 330-672-2613, email kbmf@kent.edu or visit Kent Blossom Music Festival.

Kent Blossom Art Intensives

Kent Blossom Art Intensives (KBAI) are a series of two-week studio art intensives conducted each summer since 1968 at Kent State University. Similar to an artist residency, participants create a self-directed body of artwork under the guidance of resident School of Art faculty and talented visual artists from around the country. These studio intensives offer in-depth discussions, professional mentorships and unforgettable experiences to all that participate. Visiting artists give public presentations on their work and participants have the opportunity to show their work in the School of Art galleries at the end of the course. Enrollment is open to undergraduate and graduate students at any college or university as well as individual artists.

For more information visit the Kent Blossom Art Intensives website or contact KBAI Coordinator Meta Hausser at mhausser@kent.edu or call 330-672-1352.

Porthouse Theatre

Porthouse Theatre offers performance and production training in a professional summer theatre company. Students work within a 12-week period to create a production season alongside equity actors and professional guest directors, designers and technologists at the Porthouse Theatre Company. Those artists also lead a range of studio and workshop experiences with participating students. Professional performances come to life at the Porthouse Theatre at Blossom Music Center, one of the top outdoor theatres in Ohio. For more information, call 330-672-3884, email porthouse@kent.edu or visit Porthouse Theatre. 

Exhibits and Events at the Kent State University Museum

The Kent State University Museum, located in Rockwell Hall on the Kent Campus of Kent State University, contains important collections of fashion and decorative arts. Its eight galleries feature changing exhibitions of work by many of the world's great artists and designers. In addition to the Museum's extensive collection of fashion garments, costumes, and accessories, it also houses a collection of American glass, fine furniture, textiles, paintings and other decorative arts.

To learn more about the current and upcoming exhibits and other events sponsored by the KSU Musuem, please visit their website at the link below.

Learn More About the Kent State University Museum