Wake The Arts—the Arts are alive at Wake Forest University.

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Wake The Arts

Wake the Arts is a movement to infuse the arts into every aspect of the Wake Forest experience. Through this shared connection we will elevate Pro Humanitate to develop Wake Forest graduates who are empathetic, curious, and interdisciplinary problem solvers. We believe that all knowledge becomes more impactful when combined with the power of expression.

No matter what field of study one chooses at Wake Forest, it will be enhanced through a culture of creativity that nurtures and celebrates our shared community.

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2022 Chamber Choir Tour

Our Guide to the Venice Biennale

Coming soon

stArt Exhibition: New Works in the John P. Anderson Student Art Collection

August 22, 2022 | 10:00am
START Gallery

Established in 1993, the John P. Anderson Student Art Collection purchases student works as way to recognize the accomplishments of Wake Forest’s student artists, including those who have achieved Honors in the Studio Art major. The collection consists of works purchased at the annual student exhibition at Charlotte and …
This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing

September 16, 2022 | 7:00pm
Scales Fine Arts Center

a play by Finegan Kruckemeyer
Secrest Series: Third Coast Percussion

September 22, 2022 | 7:30pm
Scales Fine Arts Center

The Grammy-winning percussion quartet from Chicago presents a dynamic evening of works by Danny Elfman, Philip Glass and others, demonstrating their commitment to the extraordinary depth and breadth of musical possibilities in the world of percussion. FREE with WFU ID

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#WFU’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URECA) Center provides undergraduate students opportunities to engage in mentored or independent research. Meet Iyana Trotman (‘24) and learn about her work researching the politics of Black arts and Black education, mentored by Dr. Corey D. B. Walker, Director of the African American Studies Department.

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Music Carolina begins this week and features incredible performances by many of our @wfumusic and @wfutheatre faculty and alumni! Check out the lineup below:

Tuesday, 8/9 @ 7:30: Lorena Guillén Tango Ensemble @lorena.guillen.588, featuring Jacqui Carrasco

Thursday, 8/11 @ 7:30: Summer Dances, featuring choreographers Elizabeth Clendinning @e.a.clendinning, Janice Lancaster @bellpeppered, and Monet Beatty @mblegendary, ensemble @gamelangirimurti, and produced by @christinatsoriano.

Sunday, 8/14 @ 7:30: Piedmont Jazz Composers Collective, featuring @jazzagency Matt Kendrick on bass

Wednesday,8/17 @ 7:30: Shall We Dance? - Larry Weng, piano

THere’s lots more to explore. Check out the link in our bio for tickets and info 🔗

#SummerFest2022 #MusicCarolina #WakeTheArts @musiccarolinanc @seccacontempart @pmcpianos @mrartscenter @artscouncilwsfc

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There’s still time to experience The National Black Theatre Festival (NBTF) @ncblackrep. The festival includes 75 vendors, a film festival, music, workshops, job opportunities for actors and directors, teen poetry slam, and, of course, theater. @wfuniversity and @curatereynolda are two of many locations in Winston-Salem hosting performances. Productions at WFU are being held at the Scales Fine Arts Center in the Tedford Mainstage Theatre.

Don’t miss these incredible plays TONIGHT and Friday/Saturday:

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
BNS Productions (Charlotte, NC)
Tedford Mainstage

THE HOUSE OF THE NEGRO INSANE
Contemporary American Theater Festival
(Shepherdstown, WV)
Ring Theatre

FREDERICK DOUGLASS: NO TURNING BACK
Actors’ Theatre of South Carolina (Summerville, SC)
Reynolda House Museum of American Art

Visit the link in our bio for more info, including a full schedule of events 🔗

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Caitlin Berry (’09) @cberryfineart, a fine-arts dealer who was the first manager of @startgallerywfu, has been named as the inaugural director of @rubellmuseum ’s D.C. complex opening in the fall.

Read about Caitlin at the links in our bio, including her interview with DeacLink!

📸 by Sarah Marcella Creative and @wakeforestphoto

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Scan the art to plant a tree!

@meredith_mulhearn_art "I’m thrilled to announce that my piece, “Reforestation 2”, is officially part of Wake Forest University’s General Collection. Not only is this a huge honor, my artwork’s new home in Wake Forest’s Office of Sustainability couldn’t be more relevant.

Further adding to the personal significance, this piece is dedicated to my mentor and immensely talented sculpture artist, David Finn. His support and guidance have significantly influenced my development as an artist.

Now, this piece will be accessible to the public so that viewers can contribute directly to conservation efforts. So, if you find yourself on campus, stop by Reynolda Hall to scan this functional QR code and a tree will be planted for each scan."

Conservation with one click. 😉

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The exhibition “Matter of Style,” a survey of the past ten years of artist Paul Bright's work, opens today at @seccacontempart. We’ve all heard the phrase, “oh, it’s just a matter of style.” But what does “style” mean when an artist’s work consists of found and manipulated material from different sources, and when the work is not restricted to a single medium or “look”? In his work, @hanesgallery director Paul Bright uses collage as an approach, not just as an art-making technique, and the show includes paper collages, video, an e-book, sound collages, an artist book, and a collage fashion performance.

Paul also curated the exhibition "substrata" at @curatereynolda, which is currently on display through July 31.

🔗 link in bio

Image: "(il) Teatro (Umano) e sulla Strada," @_p_lux

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Richter Fellow Rebekah Lassiter studies historic artwork from the Pacific Islands through an exploration of museum collections in the United Kingdom and France, traveling to museums both large and small to study material culture from multiple cultural traditions throughout the Pacific to gain a broader sense of art, culture, and the history of colonialism. After spending a year as an intern in the @lammuseum, Rebekah is collaborating with museum staff and curators to view exhibition and display elements as well as conduct visual analysis on museum acquisitions behind the scenes. Andrew Gurstelle is serving as the mentor and guide on this project providing support and specialized knowledge of indigenous communities.

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Richter Scholar Alice Hauser ‘23 roamed the streets of Vienna this summer as part of her research project “In the Footsteps of Brahms.” Alice traveled to the different locations where Brahms lived and worked as a way of understanding his position at the intersection of two different musical traditions: Classical conservatism and Romantic progressivism. She visited Hamburg, Lübeck, and Baden-Baden, Wengen and Vienna while also playing the Intermezzi Op. 117. @_hauser.alice_ is majoring in Piano Performance and Philosophy with a minor in History. This research is under the direction of Professor of @wfumusic Dr. Stewart Carter.

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The Chamber Choir @wakechoirs were thrilled to embark on their inaugural tour across the Southeast, sharing incredible music along the way.

Visit the link in our bio to see a lovely virtual flipbook with photos and video highlights of this unforgettable trip 🔗

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Art and meditation along a medieval pilgrimage trail as a group of twelve REL290 students trekked across the highlands of Scotland on the well-trodden path of the 1,400-year-old St. Cuthbert's Way. Along the 100km route, students engaged in meditative practice, handled 11th century manuscripts, and experienced a different pace of life. This journey was a collaboration between Paul Bright (Director of Art Galleries and Programming @hanesgallery) and Ulrike Wiethaus (Emeritus Professor of the Study of Religions).

Visit the link in our bio to experience the pilgrimage 🔗

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"I have always been a theatre lover, but I didn’t really expect myself to do theatre as a job or as a major."

An incredible stage manager, Fuyuan "Freya" Zheng was also instrumental in founding the BiMoo Theatre Group, which produces Mandarin plays, and directed the group’s most recent production, "Same Caged." She studied flute for all four years and regularly played in the @wfumusic orchestra and wind ensemble. After graduating Summa Cum Laude, she'll continue this work at the MFA Stage Management program at Columbia University School of the Arts.

Majors: Theatre, Anthropology

Click the link in our bio to learn more about Freya and the Class of ‘22!

#WakeTheArts #WFUGrad #Classof2022 #GoDeacs

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Jacob Thomas was president of the Black Student Alliance @wfu_bsa and organized the exhibition "Black Joy" at @startgallerywfu. After graduation, Jacob will further explore his passion for diversity and equity through work as the WFU Presidential Fellow in the CEO Office of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist @wffellows.

Majors: Biochemistry, Molecular Biology
Minors: Studio Art, Spanish

Click the link in our bio to learn more about Jacob and the Class of ‘22!

#WakeTheArts #WFUGrad #Classof2022 #GoDeacs

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Mark Taylor was part of the @wfuchirho a capella group and he just moved to Nashville to continue climbing the music charts. With many accomplishments already under his belt, including a Top 15 hit, @marktaylorcountry is one to watch as he takes the country music scene by storm.

Major: Communications

Click the link in our bio to learn more about Mark and the Class of ‘22!

#WakeTheArts #WFUGrad #Classof2022 #GoDeacs

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"The natural world inspires my art. Focusing on utilizing my hands has offered catharsis, a return to self, and maturation of my identity."

S.J. Willis's @sjxwillis evocative artwork also informs their work in Communications, where S.J. plans to utilize their work in video and storytelling. S.J.'s honors exhibition "Mind in Flux" was on display in @hanesgallery.

Majors: Studio Art, Communications

Click the link in our bio to learn more about SJ and the Class of ‘22!

#WakeTheArts #WFUGrad #Classof2022 #GoDeacs

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"Music and arts are a way of connecting and communicating emotionally, language is [communicating] ideas and computer science is communicating information. I find that that connection is the way that I engage the most."

Outside of his many academic pursuits, Brae Troutman has taken advantage of the many art spaces on campus — whether that be music or visual art — including singing with @innuendoacappella.

Major: Chinese Language & Culture

Click the link in our bio to learn more about Brae and the Class of ‘22!

#WakeTheArts #WFUGrad #Classof2022 #GoDeacs

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“My only goal is to make people happy when they see me perform. If people like what they see, that’s enough for me.”

After graduation, Katarina Sams will be attending the Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA, where she will be working on her Master’s in Flute Performance. Before she moves there in the fall, she will be participating in two major music performance projects over the summer—performing in wind youth orchestra projects in Austria and Czech Republic. She also has her first gig this summer in Croatia playing alongside a Croatian city’s chamber orchestra.

Major: Music Performance

Click the link in our bio to learn more about Katarina and the Class of ‘22!

#WakeTheArts #WFUGrad #Classof2022 #GoDeacs

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A Presidential Scholar in @wfutheatre, Yaser Salamah’s thesis performance, "Toler(h)ated," took place in locations all across campus. He is headed to L.A. to pursue acting and increased representation of Muslim voices in Hollywood.

Majors: Theatre, Psychology

Click the link in our bio to learn more about @yaser_salamah and the Class of ‘22!

#WakeTheArts #WFUGrad #Classof2022 #GoDeacs

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"There's a lot of preparation that goes into music that I think translates into medicine."

Bassoonist and multi-instrumentalist Alan Spicer @alan_spice played with the orchestra, wind ensemble, and marching band as a Presidential Scholar in @wfumusic. He's going on to medical school next.

Major: Chemistry
Minor: Psychology

Click the link in our bio to learn more about Alan and the Class of ‘22!

#WakeTheArts #WFUGrad #Classof2022 #GoDeacs

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A Presidential Scholar in @wfumusic, Eric Ross researched the scores to the Lord of the Rings film trilogy as well as the history of the piccolo. He's looking forward to pursuing a Master’s in Musicology degree at Indiana University.

Major: Music in Liberal Arts

Click the link in our bio to learn more about Eric and the Class of ‘22!

#WakeTheArts #WFUGrad #Classof2022 #GoDeacs

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After completing his Art History studies, Rhys Rocher is headed to New York City to begin work as a financial services consultant.

Majors: Economics, Art History

Click the link in our bio to learn more about Rhys and the Class of ‘22!

#WakeTheArts #WFUGrad #Classof2022 #GoDeacs

Wake the Arts E-Letter

The Wake The Arts e-letter is filled with Arts highlights, innovation, and inspiration.