Arts & Culture

Image for NEA Big Read Northeast Ohio

Kent State University is one of 61 organizations nationwide – and one of four organizations in Ohio – to be awarded a 2021-2022 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read grant. The university’s $20,000 grant will support the Big Read Northeast Ohio, a community reading program and related events focusing on “An American Sunrise” by Poet Laureate Joy Harjo from October 2021 through May 2022.

Kent State student volunteer for Global Vaccine Poem project

Update: The Global Vaccine Poem project is finding success with more than 1,900 submissions so far from more than 100 countries. The project is a collaboration between the Wick Poetry Center and the University of Arizona Poetry Center. 

Student films violinist

Award-winning independent filmmaker and assistant professor, Dana White created the student group the Female Filmmaker's Initiative (FFI) to prepare female filmmakers for careers as directors, writers and cinematographers in an industry that’s dominated by men.

Merchandising student and professor in classroom

Kent State University’s School of Fashion has once again been ranked as one of the nation’s best programs in fashion merchandising according to the educational online learning platform, Study.com. 

Kenneth Cole image and event information

The visionary global fashion designer and activist Kenneth Cole is named as the Kent State University School of Fashion’s 2021 Hall of Fame Inductee. In its 32nd year, the prestigious award celebrates the outstanding contribution to fashion made by an individual. The accolade honors the unique qualities of their leadership.

American Academy Students Show Off the Winning T-Shirt Design

What do friendship, academics and T-shirts have in common? For the students at the American Academy, Kent State University and the PUCPR’s undergraduate program in Brazil, a student-led T-shirt design contest created that missing piece of camaraderie during the pandemic between students and their two schools.

poster for Turning Blue film

Turning Blue, a short film by Kent State's School of Media and Journalism faculty filmmakers Dana White and Christopher Knoblock, will be featured at the prestigious 45th annual Cleveland International Film Festival.

Theatre students perform

Kent State University's School of Theatre and Dance is ranked #50 on Study.com's list of Best Theatre Bachelor's Degree programs in the United States. In addition to this national ranking, the School of Theatre and Dance is one of only two theatre programs from the state of Ohio on the list. In its rankings, Study.com assesses hundreds of universities across the country and selected Kent State University based on academic and career resources, the quality of education, faculty, and more. 

Four images of accepted exhibition submissions

From April 5 to May 15, visitors to the Kent State University campus will encounter a new, outdoor public art exhibition that stretches along the Lefton Esplanade between downtown Kent and the University Library. “Import/Export” addresses the imbalances and inequalities of global import/export systems. Artists from around the world were chosen based on how their works reflect the impact of these systems on their local spaces.

Picture of the streets of Vienna

In 1996, Theodore Albrecht, professor of musicology, was diligently working on his original project of annotating, translating and studying approximately 430 letters written to Ludwig van Beethoven by his friends and family. Then a new opportunity presented itself. Albrecht found that his two projects worked together to add further understanding and context, giving him the opportunity to add depth and discover new details of Beethoven’s life.