Two Public Art Exhibits Kick-Off WCU’s Fall Arts Season
West Chester University’s Department of Art + Design will open two new public exhibits to kick-off the Fall arts season on West Chester University’s campus.
Sally Van Orden’s COUNTER PLANES SCAPE will exhibit from August 30 – September 24, 2021, in Knauer Gallery, Swope Music Building and Performing Arts Center, 817 S. High Street. An opening reception will be held on September 8, 2021, from 5 – 7 p.m. COUNTER PLANES SCAPE was a sabbatical project of Van Orden’s, a Professor of Art Foundations at West Chester University, and includes new works of art inspired by her travels to Utah's Mighty Five national parks.
Van Orden typically uses ink and ink washes on silk to create her versions of organic, natural subjects. For this show, she started with watercolors to begin her process. She then incorporated pastel, and used variations of layered works to create collages and digital silk banners.
“I’m really looking at the organic world for inspiration,” she says, “with colors
and textures, shapes, lines, different formations, and then of course taking that
information and transferring it to my own forms and shapes.”
Van Orden earned a Bachelor of Business form Texas A & M University and a Master of Fine Art from Texas Tech University. She exhibits her mixed-media silk paintings and clay and metal sculptures in solo and group shows regionally, nationally, and internationally. She is currently represented at the Station Gallery in Wilmington, Delaware. In the past eight years, her works were displayed in over thirty exhibitions.
SPRING will exhibit August 30 – October 15, 2021, in the Baker Gallery, E.O. Bull Center
for the Arts, 2 E. Rosedale Avenue. An opening reception will be held on September
9, 2021. Curated by Kristopher Benedict, Associate Professor of Drawing and Painting,
SPRING is a group exhibition of mostly paintings and drawings that are in response to, or
have a connection with, Andrew Wyeth’s 1978 painting, Spring. The exhibit features a collective of well established artists from New York, the
Northeast, Wisconsin, and Seattle. 
Benedict says, “I am grateful to the artists participating in SPRING for lending us their work and I’m very excited to introduce most of these artists to the WCU community for the first time. The artists here feature a broad range of distinct interests, histories, and material approaches. SPRING is primarily an exhibition of paintings and drawings, but viewers will notice the creative breadth of the work in the show and the diverse perspectives brought to bear by this talented collective of artists.”
Both galleries are open for public viewing on Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
All faculty, staff, students, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth when indoors. Face masks may be worn when outdoors, but it is not an obligation of this policy notice. Mask and COVID-19 safety measures at West Chester University will continue to be updated here. Please check ahead for updated information before attending your performance.
Tamagawa University Returns to West Chester University for Taiko Drumming and Dance
Tamagawa University returns to West Chester University for a performance of thundering Taiko drumming and folkloric Japanese dance on Tuesday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. The event takes place in the Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall, Philips Memorial Building, 700 S. High Street, West Chester. Tickets range in price from $15 - $25, and are now on sale to the public at https://www.wcupatix.com/wculive or 610.436.2266.
WCU's Dept. of Theatre & Dance Presents RENT April 3 - 6, 2025
West Chester University's Department of Theatre & Dance proudly presents a high-energy, rock concert interpretation of RENT, the iconic rock opera by Jonathan Larson, from April 3-6, 2025. Directed and choreographed by Associate Professor Liz Staruch, this reimagining blends live music, multimedia elements, and a contemporary perspective, channeling the musical's raw energy. Performances will run Thursday through Saturday, April 3-5, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 6, at 2:00 p.m., in the MainStage Theatre at the E.O. Bull Center for the Arts, 2 E. Rosedale Avenue, West Chester. While tickets for RENT are now SOLD OUT, members of the public continue to be invited to submit the names of HIV/AIDS patients, members of the LGBTQ+ community who have experienced discrimination, as well as others for a special tribute that will be made during the production.
Registration Now Open for WCU's Well's School of Music Summer Camps and Programs
Registration is now open for summer music camps at West Chester University for students in grades 3 - 12. Information and links to registration can be found at https://www.wcupa.edu/music/specialPrograms.aspx. All programs are held in on-campus, state-of-the-art facilities and instructed by expert faculty from the Wells School of Music and outside professionals. Select camps offer on-campus residential opportunities for high school-aged campers.
WCU's 35th Annual Jazz Festival Premieres New Work by Grammy Award-Winning Composer Billy Childs
If you're looking for vibrant live jazz in a picturesque suburban setting, the Wells School of Music at West Chester University (WCU) invites you to take a seat. Now in its 35th year, the WCU Jazz Festival delivers world-class entertainment from March 19 - 22, 2025, with most performances being FREE and open to the public. All events are held at the Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre, Swope Music Building and Performing Arts Center, 817 S. High Street, West Chester. Full program details and ticket information for select events are available at www.wcupa.edu/jazzfest and www.wcupatix.com/schoolofmusic.