Arts

Experience world-class instruction, facilities and events.

Arts Disciplines and Degrees

Our colleges and schools train the next generation of fine and performing artists, writers, musicians, designers and arts scholars.

At Northwestern, arts training not limited to a single school. It is seen across many academic programs and offerings.

Writers study their craft in journalistic, marketing and creative writing programs. Artists explore traditional media, digital platforms and design. Performers hone their skills as musicians, singers, dancers and actors. Media producers can try audio, video and multimedia creation. Our students may focus deeply on one field or try multiple creative disciplines.

Northwestern's ARTS DISCIPLINES

Art Events

The Arts Circle website consolidates art events across Northwestern, from book readings and exhibits to concerts and performances.

500+

Concerts and events each year

40+

Musical groups and ensembles

30+

Performance and arts venues

Explore Events at Arts Circle

Arts Events Calendar

Upcoming Events

Arts Research and Scholarship

Our arts-affiliated research centers and institutes expand scholarship around the fine, performing and literary arts and humanities.

Northwestern faculty and students focus on subjects that range from music cognition to journalistic innovation to performance culture.

Arts Centers and Institutes

Featured Centers and Institutes

Museums and Collections

Through exhibitions, archival collections and student works, Northwestern has become a destination for scholars and art-lovers.

Explore some of Northwestern's distinctive museums, galleries and collections.

Block Museum of Art

The Block Museum of Art is Northwestern’s hub for bold art and ideas—presenting nationally recognized exhibitions, provocative film programs, and vibrant arts events. With a collection of over 6,000 works, The Block sparks dialogue and interdisciplinary thinking across campus and beyond.

Dittmar Memorial Gallery

Dittmar Gallery is located in Norris University Center. It is a student-run gallery space featuring 5-6 exhibitions per year.

McCormick Library

McCormick Library of Special Collections and University Archives is home to a vast collection, including strong holdings in theater and broadcasting, Dadaism/Surrealism/Futurism, graphic arts and the Charlotte Moorman archive.

Music Library

Among the largest music collections in the U.S., the Music Library has an unmatched strength in 20th century and contemporary classical music, including musical scores and the John Cage collection.

Arts Venues and Spaces

Explore a few of the places our students create on campus.

Annie May Swift Hall

Home to the department of of Radio/Television/Film, as well as a film library, black-box theater, and an auditorium.

Cahn Auditorium

Northwestern’s largest performance space is home to the annual Waa-Mu show and other productions.

Department of Art Theory & Practice

Students work in a former school designed by a Prairie School architect.

Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

Thanks to excellent acoustics, the concert hall hosts major orchestral, band and choral performances.

Regenstein Hall

School of Music students practice in Regenstein's studios and take master-classes in its lecture hall.

Ryan Center

The state-of-the art center for musical arts includes a rehearsal hall, opera theater, and choral and recital rooms.

University Hall

Home to the Department of English, University Hall is also a common venue for events like lectures and readings.

Wirtz Center

Performances spaces include a thrust-stage theater, a proscenium theater and black box laboratory theaters.

Block Cinema

The Art of the Moving Image

Block Cinema's free public screenings showcase perspectives and filmmakers rarely seen in mainstream venues. A unique hub for media arts at Northwestern, Block Cinema pairs groundbreaking works with live conversations that inspire scholarly insight and public dialogue.

See what's playing

Arts and Culture News

Read about student and faculty artists, upcoming events and more.