A Peek at Fall Arts Events
Image credit: Layla Marcelle.
Concerts, exhibitions, presentations are open to the public
by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson
The fall semester brings a fresh crop of public art programs to Dickinson. This year's slate includes stirring musical tributes, compelling guest exhibitions, Constitution-inspired songs, a concert of democracy in motion and events honoring members of our own college community.
Visual explorations
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American trees and American stories: The Trout Gallery kicks off the semester with BRANCH: Trees in American Art and Recent Acquisitions: American Stories. These exhibitions stretch beyond the gallery walls with a joint Pizza on the Plaza opening reception and interactive events, such as a campus tree walk, artist talks, a workshop and a tree-dedication ceremony at a local waterway.
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Aura & Authenticity, also at the Trout, examines the evolution of the art "assistant," from 3,500 BCE through the Renaissance to the modern era, as AI raises questions about the definition of authorship.
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Artist in Residence: Layla Marcelle, the Sylvia J. Smith ’73 Artist in Residence, works in ceramics, choreography, writing and image- and object-making and explores themes that include materialism, contradiction, homonyms, pedagogy, sci-fi and pleasure. She will exhibit works, interact with students and deliver a public lecture.
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Contemporary artists Joseph Bolstad, Mayuko Kono and Noah Shem Kline will also exhibit works at Dickinson this fall. Bolstad and Kono combine paper and other materials in evocative ways. Kline's art incorporates elements of drawing, painting and collage.
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RE-MINING & RE-MELTING is an innovative collaborative research project exploring place-based, sustainable glazes crafted from local mineral waste and applied to local clay.
Musical tributes
Salutes to Dickinson community members
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Honoring Courtney: The Dickinson Orchestra will perform works by Corigliano, Beethoven and others in memory of Courtney Shackelford '03 (1981-2020).
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Musical poetry: The sophisti-pop trio StarWound will set contemporary poetry to music, including work by Dickinson Poet in Residence Adrienne Su. Selected Dickinson poetry students will also read their poems, accompanied by the band.
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Constitution Day music: Dickinson faculty will augment a Clarke Forum-sponsored discussion of John Dickinson with song. Dickinson, the college's namesake, was a signer of the U.S. Constitution.
Celebrations of musical masters and students
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Tribute: Let Freedom Sing!: Baritone James Martin, associate professor of music, will celebrate the legacies of Paul Robeson and Joan Frey-Boytim.
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S(w)inging Freedom: The College Choir and Jazz Ensemble join forces for a swinging concert of American jazz greats.
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Guest musician Jocelyn Goranson (flute) will take audiences on an inspirational journey through Bach and Curenton, while Duo della Luna (Susan Botti and Airi Yoshioka) merges voice, violin and film.
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More student musicians will shine through chamber choir concerts, noonday recitals and the annual Concerto Competition.
Theatre & dance performances that ignite
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Democracy in motion: In honor of the nation's semiquincentennial, the Department of Theatre & Dance and the Dance Theatre Group will present a concert featuring a historic reconstruction of Martha Graham’s iconic 1935 masterpiece Panorama. This powerful call to action showcases modern dance as a medium for collective cooperation.
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Emerging student choreography: Dickinson's annual Freshworks concert is an evening dedicated to new works by student choreographers, presented by Dickinson's Dance Theatre Group.
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The Archive: In a program sponsored by several Dickinson entities, guest performer Neta Pulvermacher presents a one-woman dance and theater performance exploring her German-Jewish family history and the themes of memory, loss and renewal.
Get the details!
Check out the complete schedule on the Dickinson Calendar of Arts page.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published September 2, 2026