The Arts at Denison are vibrant, masterful, and thought-provoking. We nurture students’ interests through personal attention, countless opportunities to create and participate, and of course, our rich curricular offerings.
B.A.
Realize your artistic voice as a dancer and choreographer as you blend artistic practice with arts leadership. Strengthen your dance technique as you learn the cultural and scientific contexts of dance, and put theory to practice as you learn and apply a wide range of skills critical to dance-making.
Dance students learn the skills of arts leadership, creative process, and collaboration.
B.A.
Practice, perform, and create alongside theatre professionals as you prepare for a career as a theatre-maker. Develop your artistic and intellectual potential through unparalleled mainstage opportunities that offer real-world experience in acting, directing, design, stage management, production, and technical theatre.
With auditions and creative opportunities open to the entire campus, all students can take part in the arts.
Through Denison’s six main-stage productions and student-led theatre groups, students learn the creative, technical, and organizational skills to bring their theatre vision to life in our 360-seat proscenium theatre and customizable black box theatre.
Students also have access to a fully equipped scene shop for both wood and metal fabrication, an extensive costume shop, and state-of-the-art lighting and audio equipment.
B.A.
Gain the skills, mentorship, and community to pursue performance, teaching, and composition — or simply a life enriched by music. Through Denison’s multiple music festivals and concert series, learn from and perform with professional musicians, from talented faculty to renowned visiting artists.
While Music majors and minors receive rigorous musical training in their area of emphasis alongside a life-shaping liberal arts education, students from all academic disciplines with a passion for music are invited to participate in a broad range of music courses and more than 25 ensembles, including the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Concert Choir, American Roots/Bluegrass Ensemble, Balinese Gamelan, Early Music Ensemble, Gospel Choir, Latin Jazz Percussion, Singers Theatre Workshop, New Music Ensemble, and many more! Students serve as concertmasters, section leaders, soloists, and managers, helping develop their skills as leaders and stewards for the arts.
Denison is the place for students seeking a high-level musical education along with the breadth of a liberal arts experience.
B.A.
Be a filmmaker from day one as you hone your skills and develop a practical understanding of production — directing, cinematography, sound, lighting, and editing. You will explore the foundations of cinema through courses in film history, theory, aesthetics, and more.
Cinema majors shoot and complete at least seven films as part of the core classes, and often many more through elective courses, gaining a working knowledge of the principles of production in connection with an understanding of cinema as an art form.
- Our students are filmmakers.
- Each cinema student is provided their own camera and lighting equipment in every production course, at no cost.
- Our students work one-on-one with professors, who are professional filmmakers in their own right.
B.A., B.F.A.
Gain technical skills in multiple art forms as you engage with and respond to the constantly changing world. Prepare for careers as professional artists, architects, designers, arts administrators, art therapists, and more.
At Denison, visual arts students immerse themselves in the study of art while engaging critically with diverse courses, ideas, professors, and peers. Students try multiple mediums — animation, ceramics, design, painting, performance, photography, printmaking, sculpture, video, and more — developing a breadth of knowledge while recognizing the importance of finding depth within making and thinking.
B.A.
Explore the world of art and visual culture as a community of writers-thinkers. Learn about art and visual culture from a global perspective and dig deep into subjects that fascinate you under the close mentorship of Denison faculty.
Our students are guided by experts as they explore art and visual culture from around the world through visits to museums, galleries, and cities, both local and abroad. They learn to investigate art on-site, analyze primary data, listen to artists and curators, research archival materials, and more. An Art History & Visual Culture major learns to develop precise language to communicate and write about art and visual culture for different audiences and purposes, including museum and academic audiences, art practitioners, and communities.
Learn to interpret visual culture from around the world while developing strong skills in analysis and independent thinking.
Minor
Combine music and theatre in creative ways, from traditional musical theatre to contemporary collaborations of sound and movement. Focus your studies in performance, composition, directing, or any other area that interests you.
Perform in our gorgeous 360-seat proscenium theatre or customizable black box theatre. Practice in flexible rehearsal spaces, a dance studio with a radiant-heated sprung floor, and dedicated practice rooms.
The Music Theatre minor is flexible. Build the program around your interests and major(s), and spark new creative and technical collaborations along the way.
Where the arts happen.
The Arts Quad, on the college’s historic lower campus, is the home base for the arts at Denison. Students and faculty members alike describe it as a genuine community — a place where people learn and create together.
Discover every side of the performing arts
The Eisner Center for the Performing Arts is a hub of energy and creativity, uniting dance, music, and theatre under one roof. It’s where talent meets opportunity, and every rehearsal, design, and collaboration is part of the learning that brings ambitious performances to life.
The heart of the visual arts
The Bryant Arts Center’s award-winning and wide-open spaces create room for the brilliance of student and faculty conceptual art to take center stage. Bryant provides outstanding exhibition, studio, classroom, performance, practice, and social spaces.
Arts festivals
& Series
The arts live and breathe all over campus. There’s always something happening at Denison — check out the latest unforgettable events and performances in the arts.
The Vail Series is an endowed concert series that offers faculty, staff, and students the opportunity to attend concerts with world-renowned artists for free.
The Beck Series has been a mainstay at Denison, providing students the opportunity to hear, study with, and engage some of this country’s finest writers.
The week-long TUTTI Festival celebrates new music and art, bringing artists from across the country for a week of events, collaborations, and concerts.
Bluegrass Festival features several renowned performers as well as workshops and rehearsal experiences to showcase the very best of bluegrass.
Our teaching museum engages in and supports learning and inquiry. World-class exhibitions create a space for engagement and dialogue, infusing the arts across our community.
Empowering the future of the arts
Denison is committed to helping shape the future of the arts through innovative initiatives designed to engage inspired young artists.
Summer TUTTI Performing Arts Camp offers talented high school dancers, musicians, and theatre-makers a chance to deepen their skills while collaborating with professional artists and ensembles and peers from across the country.