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  • The Book of Ice: Multimedia Performance by Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky

    Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky, will visit Monmouth University to present his The Book of Ice—a multimedia performance and discussion he will stage with musicians from campus and the region. Antarctica, the only uninhabited continent, belongs to no single country, and has no government. While certain countries lay claim to portions of the landmass, it is the only solid land on the planet with no unified national affiliation. Drawing on the continent’s rich history of inspiring exploration and artistic endeavors, Miller has put together his own multimedia, multidisciplinary study of Antarctica. The Book of Ice is one aspect of this ongoing project. In this multimedia talk, Miller discusses his journeys to Antarctica, climate change, and the creation of The Book of Ice, using Antarctica-related data to create maps, graphics, sound, music, and multimedia performances.

    Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky, is an established composer, multimedia artist, and author. He travels around the world performing solo, with chamber groups, and with orchestras, while giving talks at prominent universities, museums, and conferences. His DJ Mixer app has seen more than 12 million downloads and in 2012-2013 he was the first artist-in-residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. He is also the executive editor of ORIGIN Magazine. He’s produced and composed work for Yoko Ono, Thurston Moore, and scores of artists and award-winning films. Miller’s work as a media artist has appeared in the Whitney Biennial; The Venice Biennial for Architecture; the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, Germany; Kunsthalle, Vienna; The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh; and many other museums and galleries. He has been featured everywhere from CNN to SyFy. His new book The Imaginary App, published by MIT Press, was released in 2014. National Geographic named Miller a National Geographic Emerging Explorer for 2014/2015.

    Sponsors of the event include: Monmouth University’s Urban Coast Institute, Honors School, Department of Chemistry & Physics, Center for the Arts and Monmouth Review.

  • The Jumpsuit Project: Artist Talk with Sherrill Roland

    Sherrill Roland began his socially engaged artwork The Jumpsuit Project in 2016 and continues to use his project to ignite conversations around issues related to mass incarceration. While a graduate student, Roland was wrongfully convicted and spent over ten months in prison. Although eventually exonerated of all charges and granted a bill of innocence, his experiences with the justice system had a lasting effect on both his life and his artistic practice. When he returned to campus, he wore an orange jumpsuit everyday up to and during his graduation ceremony, encouraging all who encountered him and his jumpsuit to address their own prejudices toward those incarcerated. Through sharing his own story, and creating a space for others to process, question, and share, he sheds light on the enormous darkness incarceration brings.

    Since graduating with his MFA from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro in May of 2017, Roland has been traveling widely to exhibit, perform, and discuss his experience and art. In 2017 the New York Times included Roland in their list “From the Personal to the Political, 19 Artists to Watch Next Year,” and in 2018 The Studio Museum in Harlem exhibited his The Jumpsuit Project, which they acquired for their permanent collection.

    For more information, see: https://www.jumpsuitproject.com/

  • Fred Astaire’s Dancing Lessons: Queer Mentors and Monsters: Multimedia Performance by Dustin B. Goltz

    What does it mean to be “part” of the queer community in 2019? Who tells you your story? Your history? Your future? This solo performance is a 70-minute multimedia, performative examination of shifting perceptions of queer male mentorship, LGBT aging anxieties, and the lingering cultural threat assigned to queer sexuality. The piece is an avalanche of pop culture, flamboyance and monstrosity—an intertextual interrogation of queer generational tensions- reclaiming a story of the monsters who refuse to die (for long), refuse to hide the histories their bodies carry, and who keep surviving through wit, camp, irreverence, and an ongoing commitment to the queer community.

    Dustin Bradley Goltz is an Associate Professor of Performance Studies and Communication at DePaul University in Chicago. He is a scholar and performing artist whose work examines gay aging, queer temporality, LGBTQ media representation, and personal narrative performance. His research has been published in over two dozen articles in journals, which include Text & Performance Quarterly, Critical Studies in Media Communication, and Journal of International and Intercultural Communication. His most recent book, Comic Performativities: Identity, Internet Outrage, and the Aesthetics of Communication was published by Routledge in 2017.

  • LAUGHING WITH ME! Improv workshop with Michael O’Keeffe (Ages 8-12)

    Laughing With Me! is a program designed specifically for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder that is filled with fast-paced, interactive fun!! Students think of communication issues like a game!! They will become flexible within these experiences. The outcome being that now they won’t break, but simply bend.

    They also learn that it’s OK to fail. It’s simply a part of life that’s ultimately not a big deal. Also, a common occurrence of the program is an understanding of a special kind of laughter that gives a boost to self-confidence and creates a feeling of camaraderie. This is called “earned laughter”, because the students realize that they have done something funny  on purpose, in a setting that promotes and encourages that behavior.

    Delve into the ASD workshop where we look at how we handle what comes our way – expected or not! Add in the great fun and team spirit built into our games. We’ll be playing with both our strengths and our quirks. Your child is set for laughter and learning!

    Mike O’Keeffe is a teaching artist with The Count Basie Theatre, and has been performing and teaching improv comedy professionally for over 25 years. He received his MA in Education from Monmouth University in 1996, and has been a public school teacher for 20 years. He has done regional improv touring shows with former troupe-mate Wayne Brady, and has traveled across the country performing corporate comedy and team-building.

    Recently, he presented a TED Talk on the concept of “Play” called “Using Improv to Become a Better Human”. He is an Adjunct Professor at Monmouth University, where he teaches Critical Discourse. This spring, he was a keynote speaker at the National Youth Leadership Council’s, “More Powerful Together” conference in Washington DC, which brought together educational leaders and future educators. He was a speaker at Princeton University this summer, where he demonstrated how to integrate performing arts into their Common Core curricula.

    This workshop is specifically designed for Ages 8-12.

  • LAUGHING WITH ME! Improv workshop with Michael O’Keeffe (Ages 13-17)

    Laughing With Me! is a program designed specifically for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder that is filled with fast-paced, interactive fun!! Students think of communication issues like a game!! They will become flexible within these experiences. The outcome being that now they won’t break, but simply bend.

    They also learn that it’s OK to fail. It’s simply a part of life that’s ultimately not a big deal. Also, a common occurrence of the program is an understanding of a special kind of laughter that gives a boost to self-confidence and creates a feeling of camaraderie. This is called “earned laughter”, because the students realize that they have done something funny  on purpose, in a setting that promotes and encourages that behavior.

    Delve into the ASD workshop where we look at how we handle what comes our way – expected or not! Add in the great fun and team spirit built into our games. We’ll be playing with both our strengths and our quirks. Your child is set for laughter and learning!

    Mike O’Keeffe is a teaching artist with The Count Basie Theatre, and has been performing and teaching improv comedy professionally for over 25 years. He received his MA in Education from Monmouth University in 1996, and has been a public school teacher for 20 years. He has done regional improv touring shows with former troupe-mate Wayne Brady, and has traveled across the country performing corporate comedy and team-building.

    Recently, he presented a TED Talk on the concept of “Play” called “Using Improv to Become a Better Human”. He is an Adjunct Professor at Monmouth University, where he teaches Critical Discourse. This spring, he was a keynote speaker at the National Youth Leadership Council’s, “More Powerful Together” conference in Washington DC, which brought together educational leaders and future educators. He was a speaker at Princeton University this summer, where he demonstrated how to integrate performing arts into their Common Core curricula.

    This workshop is specifically designed for Ages 13-17.

  • Nick Aristovulos 1945 – 2014

    Monmouth University celebrates the artwork of Nick Aristovulos. MU Adjunct Professor of Sculpture, 1999 – 2014.Nick was a very talented illustrator, sculptor who’s work appeared in many major publications. His works were also featured on several record albums. A beloved and inspiring teacher Nick enjoyed challenging students with his vast knowledge of sculptural techniques.

  • Winter Dance Showcase: Magic of The Season

    Winter brings us the joy and the wonder of the holiday season. Join us to celebrate the power of young artists’ imagination and their faculty’s interpretation of winter rhythms of the magical music of the season. Let the magic of dance be the part of your holidays! The concert is created by our talented faculty, staff and students.

  • Wilson Hall Holiday Concert

    Please note that advance tickets to this event are SOLD OUT! A limited amount of STANDING ROOM only tickets will be available the evening of the event by CASH ONLY. MU Students can also attend in the STANDING ROOM Section for free with their ID. A cavalcade of Holiday favorites featuring the Monmouth University Chamber Orchestra, The Jazz Hawks, The Concert Choir, the Chamber Choir, soloists, and a special appearance by the Colts Neck Reformed Church Exultation Ringers, all in the magisterial setting of Wilson Hall.

  • Songwriters by the Sea

    Distinguished NJ Songwriters Joe Rapolla and Joe D’Urso are back this year hosting the celebrated Songwriters by the Sea series at the Lauren K. Woods Theatre. What once started in a small coffee shop as an area for local songwriters has now grown into a series that features some of the top songwriters in the country. This year, the show features special guest artists Jeffrey Gaines and ERYN with an intro set by Mark Geary. The show will also feature Monmouth University student openers: Max Adolf and Kelli Misenheimer.

    Throughout his two-and-a-half-decade recording career, Jeffrey Gaines has maintained an impressive standard for soul-searching, introspective lyrics and catchy, uplifting melodies. Since bursting on the scene with his self-titled 1992 debut album, the charismatic singer-songwriter-guitarist has built a beloved body of recordings that’s won him a large and deeply devoted international fan base. Now, after an extended absence from the recording studio, Gaines returns with Alright, his first Omnivore Recordings release and his first set of new studio material since 2003’s Toward the Sun. Street date is January 26, 2018. The new album features ten irresistible examples of the Philadelphia-based artist’s personally charged songcraft, performed with the same effortless exuberance that’s long been a hallmark of Gaines’ artful recordings and his dazzling live performances.

    Eryn combines the old school sound that evokes the rhythms and recording techniques of the past with a modern pop mindset and powerhouse live performance. She is the youngest person to be inducted into the NJ/NY Blues Hall of Fame, a BELK southern musician showcase winner, and a multi Asbury Park Music award winner.

    Sponsored by the Leon Hess Business School
    All proceeds benefit the Music Industry Endowed Scholarship 

  • Classical Fun

    A joyous program of music by some of the greatest composers of all time—Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Wagner, and others.

    The MU Chamber Orchestra, comprising students, faculty, staff, and administrators, performs a variety of compositions from the classical repertory.  This spring concert also features music for chamber ensembles from within the orchestra-solos, duos, trios, quintets.