Welcome to The Arts at BGSU!
The Arts at Bowling Green State University continue to flourish and stretch the boundaries of knowledge and imagination. You can experience the strength of our traditions and the inspiration of our creative innovations.
Comprising the College of Musical Arts, the School of Art, the Department of Theatre & Film and the Creative Writing Program, The Arts at BGSU function as an interdisciplinary unit, promoting a culture of creativity both on our campus and in our community.
Join us! We look forward to sharing our performances, galleries, lectures, and research with you.
Featured Premier Arts Events
BGSU Bands Concert on the Lawn
September 22 | 7:15 p.m.
Alumni Gateway Plaza
Join us as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of BGSU Bands with a commemorative concert on the lawn behind the Schmeltz Family Fountain at the Alumni Gateway on Thurstin Street! From lively marches to popular tunes and everything in between, students, alumni and community members can gather on the lawn to enjoy a variety of performances by our talented BGSU Bands.
Free and open to the public
Edwin H. Simmons Creative Minds Series
Benjamin Percy, author and screenwriter
Public Reading & Book Signing
October 5 | 7:30 p.m.
Thomas B. and Kathleen M. Donnell Theatre
Wolfe Center for the Arts
The 2023 Edwin H. Simmons Creative Minds Series at Bowling Green State University welcomes author and screenwriter Benjamin Percy for a public reading and Q&A session at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5, in the Thomas B. and Kathleen M. Donnell Theatre, Wolfe Center for the Arts.
Percy will be available for book signings in the Wolfe Center lobby immediately following the onstage presentation. Books will be available for purchase.
He is the multi-talented author of seven novels, the most recent among them The Sky Vault (William Morrow, 2023), as well as three books of short stories. He also writes for comics, producing stories for Batman, Green Arrow, Nightwing and others.
He has written scripted podcasts for Marvel, including two, ten-episode seasons of the audio drama “Wolverine.” Season 1, “Wolverine: The Long Night,” was listed as one of the top 15 podcasts of the year by Apple and won the iHeart Radio Award for best scripted podcast in 2018.
Percy has written screenplays, notably the script for the feature film Summering, which he co-wrote with director James Ponsoldt. Summering debuted at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, followed by wide release last summer.
His craft book, Thrill Me: Essays on Fiction, was published by Graywolf Press in 2016 and is now widely taught in creative writing classrooms – including at BGSU.
Free and open to the public
Sticks and Stones Exhibition
October 6-December 3
Opening Reception - October 6 | 6-8 P.M.
Artist Roundtable - October 6 | 7 P.M.
Poetry Reading - December 5 | 6-8 P.M.
Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery
BGSU Fine Arts Center
Looking at the expanded field of poetry, Sticks & Stones presents a carefully curated selection of contemporary art practices that blend the narrative, metaphorical, and aesthetic elements of both poetry and visual art. Noted contemporary artists Chris Lux (US), Skye Volmar (US), Oreka James (CAN), and Jade Townsend (NZ) employ a distinctive poetic visual vocabulary and syntax, creating a visual rhythm, rhyme, and resonance within their compositions. Interested in teasing out unique poetic visual languages, invited artists from multiple countries will incorporate painting, sculpture, site-specific installation, and personal artist sketchbook selections to create a permeable and collaborative exhibition that employs poetry as a process, subject matter, and language. While artists are visiting for two weeks preceding the show, BGSU communities are invited to participate in open workshops, studio visits, and an artist roundtable event.
Free and open to the public
For gallery hours, visit bgsu.edu/gallery
To individuals with disabilities, please indicate if you need special services, assistance or appropriate modifications to fully participate in these events by contacting Accessibility Services at access@bgsu.edu or 419-372-8495. Please notify us prior to the event.
In The Round: Artistry, Activism, & Presence of Native Creatives
In The Round: a speaker series featuring Native American Creatives seeks to render visible—to the BGSU and local communities—the artistry, activism, and presence of contemporary Native American artists. This series is an extension of the recently-developed BGSU Land Acknowledgment, which provides a foundation upon which the university can build purposeful and sustained practices that seek to decolonize our institution.
In The Round features Native American creatives who work in the areas of the arts here at BGSU: Fine Art, Graphic Design, Music, Creative Writing, Film, and Theatre. The series offers opportunities to enrich the learning, experiences, and perspectives of all members of our campus and local communities. By engaging contemporary Indigenous and Native American Artists, this series challenges erroneous and harmful stereotypes that continue to permeate American society today. Exposure to the artists’ works and techniques through which they share their experiences, worldviews, and reactions to the cultural and historical moment in which we all find ourselves facilitates growth and dynamic learning opportunities for students, staff, and faculty.
View our In The Round speakers for 2023.
Arts Calendar of Events
Updated: 09/21/2023 10:36AM