The WVU College of Creative Arts and Media will offer a variety of performances and events throughout October.
School of Art and Design
The month opens with visiting artist Virginia San Fratello delivering the Deem Distinguished Lecture on Oct. 1 at 5 p.m. in the Bloch Learning and Performance Hall at the WVU Canady Creative Arts Center. This event is free and open to the public.
San Fratello is an artist, designer and educator whose interdisciplinary practice examines the relationships between material systems, emerging technologies and the social and ecological conditions that shape the built environment. Working across sculpture, installation, architecture and digital fabrication, her work investigates how objects and spaces carry coded and cultural narratives and how design can engage questions of memory, labor and environmental transformation.
The Deem Distinguished Lecture series, which began in 1995, is funded by Patrick and Alison Deem. The program has brought internationally recognized contemporary artists and their work to Morgantown. As part of the series, the visiting artists give a lecture that is open to WVU students and faculty, as well as the public, and their art is on exhibition in the Mesaros Galleries at the WVU Canady Creative Arts Center.
On Oct. 2, the School of Art and Design’s Retail Lab is offering a “Weaving in the Round: Circular Weaving Workshop,” a beginner-friendly class with professional fiber artist Nevada Tribble. Attendees will learn the basics of weaving and create their own colorful round piece of wall art. The workshop runs from 5-8:30 p.m. in the Retail Lab on High Street and costs $65, which includes all materials. Get tickets at purchase.creativeartsandmedia.wvu.edu.
At the end of the month, the Sculpture Tour Invitational, an ongoing series of public artworks displayed on the WVU Evansdale Campus and Canady Creative Arts Center grounds, will commence with a public reception and walking tour, providing opportunities to hear exhibiting artists speak directly about their pieces. The reception begins at noon on Oct. 28 at the Canady Creative Arts Center.
Reed School of Media and Communications
The Reed School of Media and Communications will host “Appalachia@250: A Social Innovation Hackathon” on Oct. 24 in the Media Innovation Center. This event will bring together Appalachian GenZ and GenAlpha young people, college students, faculty, filmmakers, journalists, artists, technologists, entrepreneurs, and community members to collaboratively imagine a future that benefits Appalachia. Participants will work in facilitated teams to explore challenges at the intersection of AI, labor, and the future of work, cultural preservation, storytelling, regional opportunity, privacy, safety, and digital wellbeing. Get more information and register at go.wvu.edu/appalachia250-hackathon.
School of Music
As part of the WVU School of Music’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, the WVU Symphony Orchestra will present a concert of quintessential American orchestral works on Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. Selections for the evening include Dudley Buck’s “Festival Overture on the American National Air,” Florence Price’s “Andante Moderato,” Aaron Coplan’s suite from the ballet “Appalachian Spring of 1944,” “West Side Story Selection,” arranged by Jack Mason, and George Gershwin's jazz-influenced tone poem “An American in Paris.”
Also part of the “America 250” series, the Symphonic Band will play on Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m. and the WVU Choirs will perform on Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. All “America 250” concerts will be in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre at the Canady Creative Arts Center. These are non-ticketed, free performances.
On Oct. 29, the School of Music presents the second annual Halloween Spooktacular at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre. Several ensembles—including the Wind Symphony, Jazz Ensemble I, Symphony Orchestra, Funk and Soul Ensemble, and others—will perform a repertoire of haunting melodies, spooky sounds, and creepy chords. Purchase tickets for this family-friendly event at go.wvu.edu/Halloween-spooktacular.
The School of Music will present several other performances, including faculty and student recitals, throughout October. See a full calendar of events at music.wvu.edu.
School of Theatre and Dance
The WVU School of Theatre and Dance continues its production of “POTUS” through Oct. 4 at the Gladys G. Davis Theatre. WVU Theatre students star in this non-partisan political comedy that features seven brilliant and beleaguered women who risk life, liberty and the pursuit of sanity to keep the president out of trouble after a PR nightmare turns into a global crisis. For showtimes and tickets, visit go.wvu.edu/potus.
The School’s next theatrical production, “She Loves Me,” runs Oct. 22-25 at the Metropolitan Theatre in Downtown Morgantown. In this musical adaptation of the play “Parfumerie” by Miklos Laszlo, a store clerk and a salesgirl in a Hungarian parfumerie cannot stand each other but are unaware that they are conducting an anonymous romantic correspondence. Find tickets and showtimes at go.wvu.edu/shelovesme.
“Celebration of Dance” runs Oct. 29-31 in the Antoinette E. Falbo Theatre. The first dance production of the academic year, this performance features all student-choreographed work. The diverse program offers a multitude of dance styles, music genres and themes. Tickets and showtimes can be found at go.wvu.edu/celebration-of-dance.
Art Museum of WVU
The Art Museum of WVU will host “Lunchtime Looks” on Oct. 2 at 12:30 p.m. with Bernie and Cookie Schultz, who will discuss the life of Blanche Lazzell and her time in France. Bernie is a former dean of the College of Creative Arts and Professor Emeritus of Art History. Cookie is a retired professor from the WVU Honors College who has researched and written about Lazzell.
The next Maker Space Thursday will be Oct. 8 from 3-6 p.m. Take a walk through the Blanche Lazzell exhibit, then retire to the Grand Hall for some light crafting and calming music. Bring your own crafts or work with some of the materials provided.
The Art Museum hosts family-friendly, kid-oriented tailgate experiences in the Nath Sculpture Garden during home WVU football games. Enjoy outdoor games like cornhole and hopscotch, as well as crafts like magnet photo frames and DIY game signs. Upcoming tailgates include the Oct. 10 game versus Arizona and Oct. 17 game versus Cincinnati; times are to be announced.
On Oct. 18, the community is invited to the Museum Monster Mash from 2-4 p.m. There will be crafts, games, and a prize giveaway for those who participate in a scavenger hunt. Costumes are highly encouraged for this all-ages event.
The Art Museum will bring back “Mystery at the Museum” just before Halloween. Playing on the murder mystery idea, the public is invited to help solve the mystery of a crime committed at the museum and bring the culprit to justice. The event starts promptly at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 23. This event is free and open to ages 17+.
Art Museum events are free and open to the public.
Major for a Day
The WVU School of Music and the School of Theatre and Dance welcome high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors to come be a “major for a day” on Oct. 27. Attendees will sit in on classes, rehearsals, and studio activities while meeting faculty, current students, and other prospective students. The Admissions team will discuss the application process and available scholarship opportunities.
Register at creativeartsandmedia.wvu.edu/major-for-a-day by Oct. 19.
Learn more about the College of Creative Arts and Media at creativeartsandmedia.wvu.edu.