Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

A group of students sit in rows of chairs, turned toward the camera and smiling during a rehearsal presentation.

MSU Department of Theatre Confronts Anger and Fear with ‘Othello’ Production

October 22, 2025

The Michigan State University Department of Theatre presents the William Shakespeare tragedy “Othello” Nov. 7-16, 2025, at the Pasant Theatre in the Wharton Center for Performing Arts. Directed by Ji Won Jeon, Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre, this production asks what happens when fear takes control, not just in one man’s life, but in a divided society.

A composite portrait of four students in a brightly lit dressing room with mirrors in the background. From left to right: a student in a dark green Michigan State t-shirt layered over a white corset-style costume piece, smiling; a student in an orange collared shirt with glasses and a short beard; a student in a light blue fitted top with silver jewelry and a white skirt, smiling; and a student in glasses, a white t-shirt, and a light denim button-down shirt.

Arts MSU / News / Student / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Department of Theatre Performing Two Plays — ‘The Seagull’ and ‘Stupid F**king Bird’ — Offering One Repertory Experience

September 19, 2025

Michigan State University's Department of Theatre continues its 2025-2026 Season, Secrets & Spotlights, with two plays performed in repertory that span more than a century of theatrical storytelling. Anton Chekhov's “The Seagull,” first performed in 1896, and Aaron Posner's “Stupid F**king Bird,” a bold reimagining of Chekhov's classic, will run Oct. 4-12, 2025, in the MSU Auditorium’s Arena Theatre.

Portrait of an older man with light hair and glasses, smiling while holding a Canon camera with a flash attachment. Framed photographs hang on the wall behind him in a gallery setting.

Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News / Research / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Exhibit by MSU Professor Part of Inaugural Cape Town Photography Festival

September 18, 2025

“Attached to the Soil,” the Fulbright Scholar portrait project by Peter Glendinning, Professor of Photography in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University, is a featured exhibition and was the kick-off event for the month-long inaugural Cape Town Photography Festival in South Africa. Consisting of 50 photographic portraits, Glendinning’s “Attached to the Soil” was created over a…

Stylized illustration of three women in vintage aviation uniforms walking forward with determined expressions. The first two wear matching blue uniforms and hats, while the third, leading the group, wears a red bandana, rolled-up sleeves, and carries a toolbox. A plane flies overhead.

Arts MSU / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Performance / Production / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

New Musical Takes Flight at MSU in Partnership with Department of Theatre and Wharton Center

September 3, 2025

Buckle up for turbulence, tunes, and 1960s hijinks as Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre, in collaboration with Wharton Center, presents “Taking Off!,” a high-flying new musical comedy and this year’s New Musical Laboratory production. Performances are scheduled for Sept. 19-21, 2025, at Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre.

AAHD / Arts MSU / Exhibition / Faculty / Faculty / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Staff / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

‘Nexus’ Exhibit Features Work by Artists Who Help Shape MSU’s Arts Community

August 26, 2025

Michigan State University’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design (AAHD) is shining a spotlight on the creative work of its academic staff, offering the public a look into the lives and practices of the artists who help shape MSU's arts community. Their work, brought together for the “Nexus” exhibition, is now on display through Sunday, Sept. 21, at (SCENE) Metrospace.

A group of college-aged performers on a theater stage, energetically acting out a scene. One performer stands center stage with arms outstretched, surrounded by others wearing red and green shirts, some crouching and others clapping or laughing in the background.

Arts MSU / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Performance / Student / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

MSU Department of Theatre Looks Forward to 2025-2026 Season

August 21, 2025

The Michigan State University Department of Theatre’s 2025-2026 Season, Secrets & Spotlights, features performances designed to foster empathy by immersing audiences in stories that highlight diverse characters and perspectives. The season opens with “Taking Off!” — a New Musical Laboratory production running Sept. 19-21, 2025 — and concludes with a Storefront Series production April 23-26, 2026. Seven additional shows will be presented throughout the year.

Ten portraits created by Michigan State University and OCAD University students for the Faces and Traces: A Cross-Border Portrait Project, arranged in two rows of five. Each piece uses a different style and medium to interpret the artist’s partner, from realistic graphite drawings to abstract line work and vibrant mixed media compositions.

AAHD / Arts MSU / Faculty / International Impact / News / Student / Student / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Art Project Brings U.S. and Canadian Students Together

August 13, 2025

When Emma Sambaer, an Art Education student at Michigan State University, was paired with Shiva Mohseni, an OCAD University student from Toronto, for a unique cross-border art project, she noticed how much they had in common despite being separated by an international border.Students from MSU and OCAD U were tasked with creating portraits of each other to capture the likeness…

Three women stand side-by-side on stage, each holding a script at a music stand and singing into individual microphones. They wear black attire under stage lighting.

Alumni / Arts MSU / Featured Alumni / News / Performance / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Theatre Alum Comes Full Circle with ‘We Foxes’ Performance in New York City

July 15, 2025

For Isa Rodriguez, stepping onto the stage at the Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York City to perform in “We Foxes” was more than just another role. It was the realization of a dream sparked years earlier by watching a rehearsal of that same play at Michigan State University where it was presented as part of the imáGen collaboration,…

Two people stand smiling in a contemporary gallery. The person on the left has their arm around the person on the right. To the right is a tall, textured sculpture of a human figure holding chains connected to small, creature-like figures on the floor.

AAHD / Alumni / Arts MSU / Event / Exhibition / Featured Alumni / News / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Work of MSU Alums, a Father-Daughter Duo, on Display at SCENE Metrospace

July 11, 2025

An exhibition at MSU’s SCENE Metrospace features new work by a father-daughter duo, both Michigan State University alums, offering a unique opportunity to see two generations of Spartan artists in dialogue.

A picture of a woman with curly black hair. She has large earrings and a denim jacket.

Alumni / Arts MSU / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Excel Network Communities / Featured Alumni / News / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Graduate Voice: How MSU Shaped Sandra Seaton’s Path to the Stage and National Recognition

June 24, 2025

Sandra Seaton is an award-winning playwright and librettist whose acclaimed works have premiered at major venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and LA Opera. She is best known for “From the Diary of Sally Hemings,” set to music by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer William Bolcom and her recent Pulitzer-nominated “Dreamland: Tulsa 1921,” a “ploratorio” created with composer Marques L.A. Garrett.…